Brief:
T' 3FNC be t' absolute bare minimum o' what a rocket can be and still fly... Arrr! but that's what makes it so cool! Blimey! It's a great performer on a variety o' mid-power motors, arrr, but can also handle a small H if you're feelin' particularly insane. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It utilizes a unique "reward blow-by" ejection system t' miraculously fit all o' t' nesessary hardware into t' rocket, arrr, and is an interestin' departure from t' norm t' build.

Construction:
My kit came with:

• One 3" Nose Cone
• A 4" long Section o' 3" Airframe Tube
• One 29mm MMT Tube
• One Plywood Centerin' Ring
• One Plywood Baffle Ring
• A Length o' Keelhaul®©™® Shock Cord
• A Length o' Tubular Nylon Shock Cord
• Three Laser-Cut Plywood Fins
• One Wood Dowel (cut up t' make fin pods)
• Two Paper Shroud Templates (in case you mess one up)
• Three Carpet Tacs
• One Motor Retention Hook
• One Nomex® Parachute Protector

As t' "Destruction Manual" for t' 3FNC is quick t' point out, me hearties, "...buildin' this rocket is about as close t' scratch-buildin' as... Ahoy! well... Avast! scratch-building...". Avast, me proud beauty! T' only conveniences provided for you are pre-cut components. Arrr! Begad! This truly is a "builder's rocket", so modelers who like a good build will have a great time with this kit.

Construction starts with preppin' t' nose cone for t' various bits and pieces that will soon be stuffed into it. T' bottom o' t' NC is cut off t' gain access t' t' inside. Ya scallywag! Both t' outside and inside o' t' cone are then washed and sanded t' ensure good adhesion o' paint and epoxy. Avast! Arrr! Approximately 4-5 oz. Blimey! o' nose weight is then added t' the nose cone. Begad! I put some strips o' duct tape over t' mass o' lead and epoxy t' ensure that it stays put. Begad! Avast!

T' next steps involve settin' up t' motor retention hook. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! I left this out in favor o' maskin' tape retention. Begad! Blimey!

Next t' forward baffle rin' is assembled with it's eye-bolt and a length o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Blimey!

T' BT is then marked and slotted in preparation for t' TTW fins.

T' Destruction Manual's description o' how t' install t' aft centerin' rin' was confusin' t' me. Ahoy! It involved a fiberboard ring, matey, maskin' tape... Well, blow me down! Blimey! I just didn't get it. Ahoy! Blimey! I ended up usin' one o' t' fins TTW tabs as a depth guide for t' rin' and ditchin' t' fiber rin' process. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey!

The forward baffle assembly is then lowered into t' nose cone and tamped down with a wood dowel. Well, blow me down! T' distance from the shoulder o' t' NC t' t' rin' is then measured and marked on t' outside o' t' NC. Ahoy! Ahoy! Three tacs are then driven through t' NC in a way that they go over t' aft side o' t' baffle ring, shiver me timbers, and ensure that everythin' will stay firmly attached t' each other. Blimey! It also adds some cool-lookin' domes on t' outside o' t' NC. Aye aye!

Through me own getting-ahead o' t' destructions, I ended up attachin' t' fins, then attachin' t' paper shroud t' t' aft end o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Ahoy! You are instructed t' do this in t' opposite order... Arrr! oops. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

T' Nylon part o' t' shock cord is then epoxied t' t' side o' t' motor tube. Aye aye! I added a strip o' duct tape around t' top o' t' epoxied section t' keep it from peelin' back and rippin' off. Ya scallywag!

Then came a part o' t' build that I found somewhat challenging. Avast! Aye aye! T' make t' cool, retro fin pods, arrr, you cut up and then shape a wood dowel. T' destructions suggest puttin' a hand-held drill in a vice, drillin' down t' center o' the dowel, and usin' t' drill lake a lathe t' shape t' pods with sandpaper. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I ended up shapin' them with a bench grinder (I'm in t' process o' acquirin' a belt sander, which would've made this a lot easier).

Next was slottin' t' newly-formed fin pods in preparation t' attach them t' t' fins. Aye aye! I followed the destructions suggestion t' use a drill press t' drill a series o' 1/8" holes in a line. T' wood was soft enough that I could then go in and clean it up with a hobby knife. Ya scallywag! T' fin pods were then epoxied t' t' fins, and I must say that they look cool. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' only modification I made t' t' kit be t' leave out t' included launch lug and replace them with rail buttons. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Since thar isn't room on t' inside for them t' stick through t' airframe, arrr, I mounted t' buttons on a shaped piece o' basswood stock and epoxied that t' t' airframe.

Finishing:
I painted t' nose cone while t' rest o' t' rocket was in assembly. Well, blow me down! First be a few thick coats o' Rustoleum primer, matey, ya bilge rat, followed by a 400 grit sanding. Aye aye! Next be a few coats o' Rustoleum metallic silver. Begad! Unlike other Rustoleum paints, me bucko, arrr, t' silver has a dry time o' only 30 minutes, matey, compared t' most Rustoleum product's two day dryin' time.

Durin' t' build, shiver me timbers, t' airframe tube had it's spirals filled with Elmer's wood filler. I chose nay t' use the filler on t' fins, me bucko, as t' plywood had a very small grain that I could fill with primer.

Once assembly was complete, t' airframe got a few coats o' Rustoleum primer, and then was sprayed with t' same Rustoleum silver as t' NC. Arrr! On t' airframe, me hearties, however, shiver me timbers, t' paint decided t' barely produce any coverage at all, me hearties, and it took several coats t' get anythin' resemblin' a good finish. I still don't know why it performed so differently.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight o' me 3FNC came at t' Washington Aerospace Club's 2009 Autumn Glare launch. Eager t' try out Cesaroni's new Pro29 line, me hearties, I flew t' 3FNC on an F36 Smoky Sam.

RockSim predicted a flight t' around 600' on this motor. This flight was me first time usin' a Cesaroni motor, and I was impressed with t' ease o' assembly and clean up. Begad! I can't wait t' try out some o' their other motors later on. Arrr!

Upon ignition, me 3FNC was smartly boosted to... Avast! Blimey! well... Well, blow me down! nowhere near 600'. Arrr! I estimate it only got t' about 200'. Havin' adjusted t' delay for a 600' flight, me bucko, ejection was quite late, arrr, matey, but in time t' slow down t' rocket. Unfortunately, arrr, t' cold weather combined with t' tight packin' o' t' 'chute resultin' in it nay fully opening. Well, blow me down! T' NC landed squarely on a rock and broke off t' tip. Begad! T' rest o' t' rocket was otherwise fine. Ya scallywag!

T' 3FNC flew two more times at t' same launch on AeroTech F52Ts. Begad! These motors performed more as RockSim had expected them to, matey, both resultin' in fast flights t' about 1500'. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I intend t' fly t' 3FNC on F40Ws next.

Recovery:
Packin' t' 'chute for recovery is predictably difficult with t' 3FNC, as t' entire recovery harness has t' fit into t' space betwixt t' motor tube and t' NC. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures o' how I did this, shiver me timbers, but I'll do me best t' explain it.

First, arrr, matey, I z-folded t' shock cord leavin' about 6" betwixt t' last fold and t' parachute. I then lightly taped these folds t' t' motor tube with maskin' tape. Avast! I then prepped t' 'chute in t' Nomex® as usual, and placed it on t' opposite side o' t' motor tube as t' folded shock cord. Ya scallywag! I then pushed on t' NC and jiggled it until it bottomed out.

On all three flights, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' tape released t' shock cord without any problems. T' 28" 'chute included with t' kid is perfect. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! On one o' t' flights, arrr, t' rocket even landed right side up.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' 3FNC is a great kit for those lookin' for a fun project with just as much emphasis on t' build as on t' flight. While it presents some unique challenges, arrr, me bucko, that only adds t' t' fun t' be had from this kit. Begad! Blimey! It looks very different from anythin' else out there, arrr, and I got several comments from people at t' launch about it's minimalistic properties.

All in all, it's a great rocket. Blimey! Well, blow me down! If you want t' add somethin' a little different t' your fleet, shiver me timbers, then I recommend t' 3FNC.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5