(07/01/99) I purchased t' Pratt Polaris, me bucko, along with some Keelhaul®©™® cord, me hearties, shiver me timbers, just t' give one o' their kits a try. Avast! Blimey! I had no idea how many events were t' occur involvin' this little kit. Avast! Blimey!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' Polaris is an entry level kit with very easy construction. It is made up o' a single, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, 24" long, slightly-larger than 18mm diameter body tub. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It has a hollow, thin plastic nose cone and a paper nose cone shoulder. Begad! There are three laser cut balsa fins (dense and less porous than what typically comes with other kits). Its motor mount includes a thrust rin' and is just t' right size t' slide into t' body tube without centering rings. Ya scallywag! One launch lug which is cut into two. Begad! T' recovery system is a piece of Keelhaul®©™®, me hearties, a small piece o' Nomex® cloth and a plastic streamer.

T' instructions are covered on a single 8x11 page, arrr, printed on both front and back. Begad! Ya scallywag! They have a few photos and a fin markin' guide. Arrr! Outside o' t' photo o' t' streamer, they are not included t' help clarify t' build, ya bilge rat, therefore, one needs t' read t' text thoroughly. Avast! Fortunately t' text is clear and if you have built a couple of Level 1 or Level 2 kits, this rocket will still be an easy build.

I built it in under one hour with t' exception o' the fin fillets. Well, blow me down! I did everythin' with yellow glue, except t' nose cone to shoulder joint. Begad! I use Quick Grab on that.

T' paper tube nose cone shoulder was a new twist t' me. It had a pre-cut hole that was used t' tie one end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord to. T' other end o' t' shock cord is attached at t' thrust ring. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' streamer is made from yellow "Caution" plastic tape. Avast, me proud beauty! It is attached t' t' Keelhaul®©™® with tape.

And that's about it. Like I said, ya bilge rat, it is a very easy rocket t' assemble.

For finishin' I hit it with some primer and smoothed out t' fins. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then painted t' whole rocket with fluorescent green. I have come t' dislike workin' with fluorescent paint. Too thick and rubbery! Blimey! After that I covered t' fluorescent green with some o' t' crackling black paint I had left over from me Phantom. This stuff is also a bit hard t' work with since t' amount o' paint (on the first pass) determines t' thickness o' cracks. Well, me bucko, matey, she be finished and looked mostly black.

T' Polaris kit does nay come with any decals.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4.5 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Good quality materials even includin' Nomex® and Keelhaul®©™® in the recovery system, arrr, arrr, good instructions, although lackin' t' illustrations found in most other entry level kits.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Pratt recommends A and B motors with t' preferred motors bein' t' A8-3 (Estes) and t' A6-4 (Quest). Avast! T' motors are retained with friction fit.

I took it out for its first flight at a NOVAAR launch. Ahoy! I used an adaptor and loaded an Apogee B2 into t' Polaris. Arrr! It be a wonderful boost, this long slender rocket looked nice comin' off t' pad on t' B2. Aye aye! It just kept goin' with t' 2.8 second burn time. Ya scallywag! Avast! At apogee we all waited and watched as thar be no ejection and t' Polaris flew just a majestically back into t' ground. Ahoy! Aye aye!

T' damage recovery unit (me) accessed t' model and determined that she would fly again. Begad! Indeed with 2" sliced off t' top a new nose cone (this time balsa). Avast! Ahoy! I also painted t' new nose cone with the fluorescent green and then repaint t' fins with just t' fluorescent green. That really made t' rocket look better gettin' a contrast from t' body tube.

T' next flight was just a spur o' t' moment launch in my front yard. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I flew it on an Apogee 1/4A. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, she cleared t' pad by about 20 feet, popped t' ejection and t' streamer just finished unrollin' as it hit the ground. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Successful flight but nay one t' repeat.

T' next flights were for t' sole purpose o' this review. Begad! So I went out t' t' field at 6:30am alone and put t' Polaris in the air. Avast! T' first time on an A8-3. Aye aye! Very nice flight with ejection bein' just before apogee. With t' streamer fluttering, t' Polaris actually fails pretty quick. Ya scallywag! Most o' t' impact is taken by t' motor stickin' out o' t' back o' the rocket so nay too much t' worry about.

T' next flight was with a B6-6. This too be a nice flight, maybe t' 800 feet. Blimey! Arrr! Ejection was just after (and I mean just) apogee. T' rocket fell at t' same rate as prior however when I got t' it t' nose cone and paper shoulder were gone. Begad! I never saw them split in t' air.

So, shiver me timbers, that wrapped up t' flights o' t' Polaris. Begad! I wrapped up me launcher and put me camera (yes I had two nice shots o' t' Polaris) in my small field box. Begad! I then walked out t' try t' recover another rocket. Ahoy! When I returned thar was no longer a Polaris, thar was no longer a launch box and their was no longer a camera! There were two construction workers that were nearby but both claimed ignorance and both claimed nay t' have seen anyone. Aye aye! Can you say, hmmmmm?! Oh, ya bilge rat, yes, I did recover t' rocket I went after . Aye aye! . Ya scallywag! . Avast, me proud beauty! but at what cost! So, that is why you don't see any pictures (of mine) for this review. Avast! When it rains, shiver me timbers, it pours! O' course I was t' one that left them thar . . Blimey! .

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 points. Avast! Ya scallywag! Its length makes it look good comin' off t' pad. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It falls a bit fast and may do better with a small parachute. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I suggest makin' an adaptor to fly this guy on Apogee Micro-Motors. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' long burns with this rocket are fun to watch. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Stick with A's and B's.

Overall, for t' price ($5.00), this is a good kit. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' fact that it comes with Nomex® makes it a cut above most other entry level kits. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I would recommend it as a second or third kit. I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4.5 points. Avast!