Brief:
This is a rocket that flies on mid and high power motors, matey, matey, has tube fins, and uses parachute recovery.

Construction:
T' first step in t' construction o' this beast is t' begin t' finishin' process. Arrr! Blimey! Spirals are t' be filled in and the tubes sanded down. This latter step is so that t' adhesives may grip better. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did sand down t' tubes but did nothin' about t' spirals. They were nay bad and they usually don't bother me.

After sandin' down t' tubes, arrr, I had t' check them t' make sure I knew which was which. One be t' airframe and the other be t' source from which t' tube fins are t' be cut. I identified them by length and marked them with a pencil so they would nay get mixed up.

One page o' t' instructions contains two wraparound guides t' be cut out. Avast, me proud beauty! This page is distinctive in that it is the only page printed on legal paper (as opposed t' letter paper). I cut out t' guide for t' fin tubes, which was the simpler o' t' two. Begad! Arrr! It contained markings for 2 lines, 180 degrees apart. Begad! I wrapped t' guide around t' tube and found that it would nay quite close. Blimey! I checked alignment on everythin' t' satisfy myself that everythin' was right and everythin' was, ya bilge rat, except that t' guide had about a 1/16 inch space betwixt match lines.

I be unsure whether this gap was allowed for in t' markings or nay and sent a message t' Layne at Pemberton Technologies. Arrr! I went ahead an drew t' lines on t' tube, however, figurin' that if t' gap is incorrect, I would make my final marks by construction offsets. Well, blow me down! For now, I just wanted t' keep on working.

T' instructions give a list o' distances at which t' upper and t' lower lines are t' be marked. Aye aye! These distances will be very important for makin' t' cuttin' marks and were checked carefully.

Makin' t' tick marks on t' fin tube was nay too difficult. Begad! Drawin' t' lines betwixt them was. Well, blow me down! T' instructions give a well thought out method. Arrr! Begad! You need some sort o' flexible straightedge. You line it up with t' appropriate tick on t' top and bottom lines. Well, arrr, blow me down! You make sure it's tight and flat and correctly positioned, ya bilge rat, then you draw a line. Avast, me proud beauty! It's logical, it sounds easy, me hearties, but it's extremely frustrating. Blimey! Begad!

I used a piece o' poster board. Well, blow me down! I cut out a strip and marked the "good" side, me bucko, t' side with t' factory cut that I was confident was straight. Ya scallywag! Avast! I would get it aligned with a tick mark and pointin' t' in approximate right direction. I would tape down that end and then wrap it around, me bucko, arrr, matey, trying to keep it tight and straight. Ya scallywag! Cellophane tape does nay work. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Neither does narrow maskin' tape. It keeps wantin' t' let go under stress. Begad! Arrr! Finally, I settled on some Frog Tape. Avast! It was tacky enough for a single pair o' lines but that be only part o' t' problem. Avast! Avast! Invariably, t' strip be just a little bit off and I would have t' take up t' tape and try again. When it was in t' right place, arrr, markin' with a pencil was easy. Ya scallywag! Then t' entire process had t' be repeated to draw t' mirror image o' t' line just drawn. Aye aye! Then everythin' is shifted and you do it again...and again...and again. I had t' take a break halfway through because o' t' frustration factor.

Let me be clear: This is nay a problem with t' design or t' kit. Part o' what makes this kit appealin' is the unusual curve o' t' fin tubes. I can't think o' a better way t' do it that t' way provided for. Its just that it was my first time and it be frustrating.

With t' contours o' t' fins marked on t' fin tube, me hearties, it was time t' cut them out. Aye aye! Begad! T' instructions recommend usin' a fresh X-Acto blade. Arrr! Blimey! I found them t' be imprecise at this point. Things work much easier usin' a fresh blade for each separate fin.

T' process is simple. Aye aye! You just trace t' lines you drew with t' blade bein' careful t' be exactly on t' line. You don't push very hard at all--it's more o' a scorin' than a cut. Begad! You then draw t' blade over t' same path again...and again...and keep doin' it until you cut all t' way through. For me, ya bilge rat, this varied betwixt 5 and 15 passes on any given segment. Begad! This is tedious but t' result is worthwhile.

Takin' a breather, I cut out t' body tube markin' guide and applied it t' t' BT. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I had t' same small gap in it that I had in t' fin tube guide. By this point, I have decided that t' small amount is nay enough t' worry about. Lines for t' 4 fins and t' launch lug were transferred t' t' BT and elongated t' t' entire length o' t' tube using a pocket door frame.

With t' tube fins cut, me bucko, t' next step is t' mask off t' lines along which they will be mounted. Begad! Blimey! I did this on both t' tube fins and t' body tube usin' 1/4" Tamiya tape. Arrr! I ran out on t' penultimate line on t' BT and cut a strip o' Frog Tape t' finish. Avast! I then applied Elmer's Wood Filler t' t' spirals inside t' tube fins. I had decided at the outset that I would nay worry about t' spiral on t' BT or t' outside o' t' fins because they are nay prominent, but t' spirals on t' inside o' t' tube are.

T' filler had a day t' dry out and then I started sandin' it. It filled t' spirals well but sandin' inside of them was a nightmare because me hands are too big t' fit them well. Ahoy! T' tops and bottoms were nay too hard but the parts completely surrounded by tube were.

With t' spirals filled, matey, ya bilge rat, I proceeded t' prime t' Kraken with Kilz. Begad! Avast! It covered t' pencil marks very well and did better than anythin' else I could think o' for primin' t' inner surface o' t' tube fins. Blimey! However, matey, arrr, sprayin' the insides o' tubes is nay easy. Blimey! Ya scallywag! It needed another coat. Well, blow me down! Also, t' sandin' I had done on t' inside o' t' tubes resulted in t' primed tubes havin' a bilge-suckin' case o' t' fuzzies. Well, blow me down! This will probably mean one extra iteration o' sprayin' and sandin' before it is ready for t' finish paint.

T' fuzzies got sanded down and I learned somethin' important: If me hands are goin' t' sand t' insides of tubes, they need t' be a bigger diameter. It be painstakin' work, matey, nay because o' t' difficulty o' doin' it but because o' t' difficulty o' gettin' access. Arrr! Even so, I judged that another coatin' o' primer would nay be needed. I moved t' tube fins t' t' booth and proceeded t' spray their interiors with a bright purple.

When t' purple had dried, shiver me timbers, I decided t' go ahead and paint t' black. Begad! Ahoy! T' instructions give a creative way to mask o' t' interior o' t' tube fins and protect them. Avast, me proud beauty! You just roll up a piece o' cardboard, insert it in t' tube and let it expand. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Much t' me surprise, it worked very well. I had thought that it would only do a "so so" job but is seemed t' do a better job than me normal maskin' tape application.

T' tube fins were placed in me booth as well as t' BT. I then began applyin' coats o' black. Avast! Avast! I applied the paint lightly for three coats and be satisfied with t' result.

While waitin' for t' black t' dry, I tackled t' nosecone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has 2 canards which needed t' be mounted. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These are nay mounted on t' surface but in slots which must be cut. T' instructions say t' use t' 2 mold lines for guides and make marks 4 inches back from t' tip. Aye aye! Blimey! These points mark t' forward edges o' t' fitting. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' canards were then used t' mark t' width and length o' t' cut.

T' instructions recommend t' use a Dremel tool t' cut t' slots. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I have still not located mine since movin' me shop, and I decided t' do it t' "hard way" with multiple passes o' an X-Acto. T' me surprise, this turned out t' be easy. It was much easier than cuttin' t' tube fins!

I decided that I wanted t' dress t' edges o' t' canards so I broke out t' sandpaper and beveled t' leading, outer and trailin' edges. Avast, me proud beauty! I then mixed a small amount o' 5 minute epoxy and used that t' mount them.

T' kit comes with a small bag o' lead droppings t' be used as nose weight. Ahoy! In order t' better facilitate getting it into place, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I drilled a 3/8" hole in t' base o' t' NC. Begad! T' shot be then poured into place and allowed to settle at t' very tip. Two ounces o' 12 minute epoxy were then mixed and poured into t' cone t' hold t' lead in place. Ahoy! While t' epoxy was still fluid, I canted it over t' let it flow over t' tabs on both o' t' canards. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' hole I had drilled was large enough t' be able t' look in and make sure that I had tilted t' cone far enough t' accomplish this. I moved t' cone back and forth t' let t' epoxy wash over t' tabs several times before it finally set up. Arrr! This way, a thicker layer was able t' be applied t' t' tabs than would otherwise be t' case. When t' epoxy started to stiffen, I set t' cone up on its nose t' allow it t' finish curing.

Attention then turned t' t' motor mount. Arrr! Ya scallywag! One o' t' centerin' rings needed t' be designated as the "forward" ring. Ahoy! That rin' had a slot filed into its inner boundary t' accommodate t' passin' o' t' flat nylon shock cord. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! A Dremel tool is recommended for this, but as I mentioned previously, ya bilge rat, mine is MIA. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' file I used was supplemented with some judicious cuttin' with t' X-Acto.

Maskin' tape be used t' hold down t' end o' t' nylon tubin' against t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' forward rin' was then slipped into place and epoxied 2 inches from t' end. Blimey! When that had set, shiver me timbers, t' aft rin' be epoxied into place 2 inches from t' back end. Aye aye! Both rings were filleted with epoxy.

Workin' on t' NC and motor mount had allowed sufficient time for t' black paint t' dry so I turned next to installin' t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! T' rings had t' be sanded a little bit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but that was smartly taken care o' and t' mount was put in place with epoxy and a generous amount o' filleting. It was installed so that t' end o' t' motor mount was flush with t' aft end o' t' BT.

With t' motor mount in place, I stripped off t' maskin' o' t' fins. T' instructions say t' use carpenter's glue so that's what I did. Begad! Blimey! I wanted t' hedge me bets however and first drilled a series o' 1/8" holes along the fin mountin' lines t' form glue rivets. Arrr! Blimey! Yellow glue be then used t' put t' first fin in place and it was allowed to dry.

I took gluin' o' t' tube fins slowly, me hearties, applyin' one and then tapin' it into place and lettin' it dry. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! That left me with time on me hands t' ruin other components so I turned me attention back t' t' nosecone. It had been primed with Kilz and sanded. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Kilz was t' only filler on t' wooden canards and seemed t' do t' job well. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After sanding, I sprayed it black.

After t' black NC had a day t' dry, I masked off t' outer edges o' t' beveled canards and brushed on a squidly pink. Avast! My intention was t' let it dry and then remask and get t' leadin' and trainin' edges but I kind o' like just the tips.

I also started highlightin' t' cut edges o' t' tube fins with t' same hot pink. Begad! While I was at it, shiver me timbers, I began to experiment with some pink blobbin' and t' forward tips o' t' tubes. Ya scallywag! Originally, I was just givin' a first coat over the black and planned t' mask off a simple area and go over it again with another coat. Well, blow me down! Close up, matey, arrr, it doesn't look all that good and still needs some touchin' up but from a few feet away, it has a look o' "biological coloring" to me.

After starin' at t' results o' t' pink for a while, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, I decided t' go back t' me original idea and masked off a roughly diamond shaped area at t' front o' each tube. I also masked off a small triangle at t' rear. Ya scallywag! I then started brushin' on t' Panther Pink.

On t' day after, arrr, I pulled off t' maskin' and be horrified t' see some o' t' bleeds. Ahoy! They will be "fixed" by remaskin' and hittin' it with t' black again. Aye aye! For t' time bein' though, ya bilge rat, I started filletin' the fins.

T' instructions warned that this can be difficult, but it was nay as bad as I expected. Well, blow me down! I used maskin' tape to form dams and then mixed up 12 minute epoxy 2 tablespoons at a time. Arrr! Blimey! I used a plastic cup t' pour t' epoxy into the troughs and when it started t' thicken, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I pulled off t' tape. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! This usually left some bad stringies but a rubdown with ethanol smoothed things up. Ahoy! This was done 4 time t' hit all t' joints.

I had t' funny feelin' I was forgettin' somethin' at this point and started lookin' through t' bag o' parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I found t' launch lugs. That could have made Saturday embarrassing.

I located t' tape that was maskin' t' lug location and peeled it off. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' kits comes with two lugs so I started lookin' for a piece o' 1/4" rod with which t' get them straight. Begad! Begad! I could nay find it and sat for a few moments. Then I looked in one o' t' drawers again. I did nay find t' rod but I did find a 4" x 1/4" lug. Ya scallywag! I decided to use that. Arrr! Begad! I attached it with 5 minute epoxy at t' forward lug mark.

I let t' lug epoxy set overnight and then got t' work with a brush and some black acrylic t' clean up pink blobs, paint t' lug and touch up t' rocket. It was goin' t' need more but it was startin' t' bother me.

PROs: This is a fairly simple rocket but has a cool design. Arrr! T' instructions for cuttin' t' fin tubes are first rate.

CONs: While t' instructions for cuttin' t' tubes are first rate, ya bilge rat, me bucko, actually markin' and cuttin' them is tedious.

Finishing:
I finished me Kin' Kraken while it was bein' constructed. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This is described above and made simple what would be a nightmare o' maskin' if t' rocket had been assembled.

After assembly, matey, me bucko, a brush was used t' touch things up.

PROs: T' black gives a powerful look.

CONs: None.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Kin' Kraken is sold as a HPR but for t' maiden flights, ya bilge rat, I had no Hs and t' field would have been too small for them anyway. Pemberton Tech also says that t' rocket can be flown on Gs and even Fs. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' try t' first flight with a Roadrunner G80-7 usin' a 38-29 motor adapter.

T' boost be perfect but t' delay be a little long. Ahoy! Blimey! Even so, t' chute deployed and t' Kin' Kraken landed without a scratch. That is some feat in t' midst o' all t' whitebrush.

Click here t' see a video o' t' maiden flight.

T' first flight exceeded expectations and I decided t' wimp out with an F60-4. Begad! THe rocket was prepped and set up. Begad! Again, matey, it was a flawless flight and t' 4 second delay seems t' be perfect for this motor.

A video o' t' second flight can be found here.

An inspection o' t' rocket after recovery showed that t' nylon recovery cord had just started t' zipper t' BT. This will be an easy fix.

This rocket is fairly heavy t' me thinkin' but it performed admirably o' F and G motors. I can only imagine what the bigger stuff will do.

PROs: Impressive in flight, ya bilge rat, durable.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
T' shock cord consisted o' nylon tubin' attached t' t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! This was in turn connected t' t' NC with a snap ring. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' generous, quality nylon chute was similarly attached t' t' NC.

Except for a minor zipperin' problem noted above, t' system worked well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a simple high power rocket that is somethin' other than a 3FNC. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It provides a good introduction t' the buildin' o' these bigger rockets.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5