Brief:
Probably no legendary sea monster be as horrifyin' as t' Kraken. Ya scallywag! Accordin' t' stories, me hearties, this huge, many armed creature could reach as high as t' top o' a sailin' ship's main mast. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Well, matey, arrr, this rocket may nay have many arms, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it will fly higher than a ship's main mast!

This is me first kit from Pemberton Technologies, but it won't be me last. Begad! Blimey! They even supplied RockSim files, that they graciously allowed me t' include with this review.

T' Kraken is a single stage tube fin rocket. I felt what made it unique was how t' tube fins were pointed.

Construction:
T' rocket came with 2 BT-60 body tubes, me hearties, one o' which will be cut up into t' tube fins, shiver me timbers, a 24mm motor tube with 2 centerin' rings, a balsa wood nose cone with a screw eye and a washer for weight, arrr, two 1/4" launch lugs, 60" of Keelhaul®©™® cord, and an 18" plastic parachute. Arrr! There is a little piece o' balsa wood for t' canards. Well, blow me down! Begad! It also came with one of t' most amusin' set o' instructions (or destructions as they call it) that added t' t' fun o' buildin' this kit.

T' Kraken comes with 19 pages o' destructions includin' a photo quality picture o' t' Kraken. Avast! T' most difficult part o' this rocket is cuttin' t' tube fins. Aye aye! Nine o' t' destruction pages provide instructions, matey, photos, arrr, ya bilge rat, drawings, cave sketches, etc. t' help you mark and cut t' one tube into 4 tube fins. Blimey! With all t' information presented, me hearties, me hearties, making the tube fins really is nay that difficult. Ahoy! Make sure you use a sharp knife and take your time. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! You mark a line along the length o' t' tube on t' top and bottom. Well, blow me down! Marks are made at different positions and you need t' draw lines between the appropriate top and bottom marks. Arrr! This creates t' unique pointed tube fins.

There is a pattern for cuttin' t' canards. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I decided t' round t' edges o' t' canards. Begad! These glue onto the balsa nose cone. Ahoy! Avast! I used thick CA t' bond t' canards since I be usin' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone.

Next be t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! Glue on t' 2 centerin' rings. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! You carve a notch in t' top one, tie t' Keelhaul®©™® cord around t' motor tube and pass t' cord through t' notch. Arrr! Then glue t' motor mount into t' body. Notice I didn't mention anythin' about a thrust rin' or motor retainer? Well, thar are no such things for this kit. The destructions warn you t' avoid pitchforks, matey, torches, and mob mentality, and simply use maskin' tape or duct tape to create a thrust rin' on t' motor itself. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' hold t' motor in place, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' instructions say t' wrap a bit o' tape between t' motor tube and this thrust rin' you created.

I finished me rocket before I glued t' tube fins on. This makes it easier t' get complete paint coverage. Well, blow me down! When I did glue t' tube fins on, arrr, arrr, me bucko, I opted t' use 12 minute epoxy since I would nay be able t' fillet t' joints with the paint.

T' nose weight is a fender washer. Blimey! Blimey! This gets glued t' t' nose cone and a screw eye goes into t' nose cone. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! The Keelhaul®©™® cord ties t' t' screw eye. Begad! Unlike most folks who hate elastic, me hearties, I added some in parallel t' t' Keelhaul®©™® to absorb some o' t' ejection shock.

Finishing:
T' biggest issue with finishin' a tube fin rocket is gettin' paint under t' tubes. Aye aye! Blimey! T' method I used was t' mask off a glue strip with maskin' tape and then paint t' pieces before gluin' them together. I first filled t' tube spirals with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded with different grades o' sandpaper down t' 320 grit, shiver me timbers, arrr, makin' sure t' get inside t' tube fins. Arrr! T' inside o' t' tube fins were primed and sanded with 400 grit then painted with gloss red. Avast! I used Krylon for all me painting. After t' paint was dry, ya bilge rat, I masked t' inside o' t' tube. Blimey! I then used some 1" wide tape that I cut down into 1/4" strips t' create t' glue strips. Blimey! Begad! I beveled t' top and bottom t' match the tube fins, but I also made t' strips about 1/4" short t' make sure I would nay leave a gap. Begad! I then primed and painted t' outside o' t' tube fins and t' body gloss black. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I used multiple coats o' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone and sanded down with 400 grit. T' nose cone be also painted gloss black. Blimey! As a finishin' touch, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I used a Testor's Gloss Yellow Enamel Paint Marker and rimmed t' tube fins. I also used t' marker t' paint t' canards and followed that with a red paint marker t' make some deadlights for this evil beast.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors range from an Estes C11 t' AeroTech's E15. Avast! Arrr! I went t' me favorite local field where it was 24 degrees with a light coverin' o' snow. Ya scallywag! I prepared some maskin' tape t' use as t' thrust rin' in t' comfort o' me warm house before I left. Well, blow me down! I used me Estes E size pad with it's 6' x 1/4" rod. Begad! Ya scallywag! I set up in t' middle o' t' field and prepped a D12-3. Avast! I tried t' method o' usin' tape around t' motor mount and engine t' secure t' motor that was suggested by t' destructions. Aye aye! Some dog barf and parachute (I cheated here and used an existin' 18" Estes chute I have on a snap swivel)in t' other end. Ya scallywag! An igniter into t' motor, onto t' launch pad, ya bilge rat, and a countdown from 5. Blimey! The rocket left t' launch pad for a beautiful straight flight. Aye aye!

Recovery:
Right before apogee, me bucko, t' ejection charge went off. Arrr! T' engine came out one end, matey, matey, but fortunately t' nose cone and parachute came out t' other end. Begad! Begad! T' parachute did nay open, but t' drag from t' closed parachute and t' separate pieces still had t' rocket comin' down somewhat slowly. Ahoy! Arrr! Finally, shiver me timbers, about 20' above t' ground t' parachute finally opened. Avast! T' rocket landed standin' up in t' snow without any damage. Ya scallywag! Begad! For t' second and third flights, matey, I changed to friction fittin' t' motors. Begad! I also put t' parachute in me pocket while I be preppin' everythin' so it would be less stiff. Begad! My second flight was also a D12-3. Arrr! Again, a perfectly straight launch and this time t' engine stayed in and the parachute opened right away. Well, blow me down! Blimey! And then it took a long time t' land with a little longer walk t' recover it. Begad! Begad! I was thinkin' o' tryin' an E11, shiver me timbers, but t' wind started pickin' up so I used a D12-3 for t' third flight as well. Again a nice straight launch. Well, blow me down! But with t' stronger wind, t' rocket drifted away some. I think an 18" chute is a tad too big for this rocket. I didn't try a fourth flight--my toes were freezing, but I would be tempted t' try a 12" or 14" chute instead o' t' 18" chute supplied with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun rocket with its unique tube fins. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' rocket goes together simply (after you cut t' fins). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Due t' the fins, I would rate this rocket construction complexity as a 3. T' quality parts and amusin' destructions made the construction enjoyable. Blimey! Blimey! Unless you do somethin' t' add a lot o' weight, me hearties, I would suggest a smaller parachute or else make sure thar are no winds unless you like t' go hiking. I look forward t' buildin' other kits from Pemberton.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5