Brief:
Single Stage sport model rocket with streamer recovery.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 white body tube, me bucko, 12" by .8" OD
• 3 laser cut 1/8" balsa fins
• 1 plastic nose cone, approximately 1 3/4", Parabolic shape
• 1 cardboard shoulder tube, matey, matey, goes into nose cone.
• 1 cardboard "thrust ring"
• 1 motor mount tube
• 1 Keelhaul®©™ shock cord (not elastic, approximately 48"), me hearties, three ply Keelhaul®©™ cord
• 1 launch lug
• 1 cloth square heat shield
• 1 plastic streamer made from "Caution" tape, 23" by 3"

PROs: Very easy kit t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Eight third graders (all age 9 or 10) with a parent's assistance were able t' assemble t' entire kit (minus finishing) in just over an hour. This included description o' t' kit and explainin' t' installation order o' parts. T' "fin jig" holds body stable as fins are glued on and "Caution" tape streamer got attention o' t' kids. Avast, me proud beauty! White paper body tubes. Begad! Can be decorated with markers and acrylic paints.

CONs: End o' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord frays. Type o' glue is important. Well, blow me down! We used Weldbond and Super Tacky Glue.

Keelhaul®©™ shock cord did nay feed easily through body tube for two boys, had t' weigh end o' shock cord (with a launch lug) t' feed through smartly (and believe me, ya bilge rat, quick is important with third graders). Arrr! Passin' Keelhaul®©™ cord through holes in Engine mount tube was a little tricky. Arrr! Well, blow me down! followin' instructions t' t' letter caused a small problem.

This kit be purchased as a "bakers dozen" for a cub scout pack direct from t' manufacturer. Avast, me proud beauty! All o' t' cubs were third graders, so t' kit had t' have t' followin' characteristics:

• Use 18 MM A engines.
• No cuttin' o' fins.
• Easy t' build.
• Under $5.00 for t' kit (as we had an $8.00 budget per boy includin' engines.)

Supplies:

• Maskin' tape
• Scissors
• Glue (Weldbond white glue, Super Tacky Glue, both available at many craft and hobby shops.)
• Rulers
• Paint brushes

T' Super Six is a simple rocket t' build and has some very interestin' features nay seen in many other low cost kits. Well, blow me down! T' first innovation be a "fin jig", which is a small piece o' engine mount tube which is glued t' a piece o' cardstock. Ya scallywag! Lines are printed on t' cardstock t' indicate where t' fins go. Begad! Ya scallywag! Once t' "jig" has dried, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, t' jig is taped down and t' body tube is slid onto t' jig. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Fins are then glued t' t' body tube. I prepped all o' t' jig well in advance o' t' buildin' session so we did nay have t' wait for t' jigs t' dry.

T' second innovation be t' use o' Keelhaul®©™ for t' shock cord and a fireproof fabric (Nomex) square instead o' wadding.

Each o' t' cubs was able t' line up t' fins correctly and look down from t' top t' see if t' fins were straight.

While t' fins dry, me bucko, t' instructions guide you through t' assembly o' t' nosecone, shiver me timbers, which entails threadin' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord through a hole in a short cardboard tube, me bucko, arrr, arrr, tyin' with a square knot, and gluin' t' short cardboard tube in t' nosecone. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' nose cones are thin styrene, matey, me hearties, and if handled too roughly, will crease. After assemblin' t' nose cone, t' streamer is slid over t' shock cord and then a small rectangle o' some fireproof fabric (like Nomex) is slid onto t' shock cord. Avast! Begad! By this time, t' fins should be dry enough for handling. Begad! One o' our cubs did nay use enough glue and a fin came loose.

T' body tube was removed from t' jig and t' shock cord passed through t' body. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions stated that t' "thrust ring" should be glued inside t' motor mount tube, then t' shock cord passed through a small hole in t' side o' t' tube. Arrr! Doin' it this way makes it hard t' feed t' shock cord through t' hole. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! We found that at least one kit had t' thrust rin' blockin' this hole. We found it easier t' slide t' thrust rin' on t' shock cord, arrr, shiver me timbers, thread t' shock cord through t' hole in t' engine mount, matey, shiver me timbers, then glue t' thrust rin' into t' engine mount, and tie off t' shock cord. T' engine mount is then glued into t' body tube.

We also made t' mistake o' addin' a fillet o' glue too soon. On two o' t' rockets, this loosened up t' fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, requirin' them t' be glued again. This happened with kits usin' t' Super Tacky Glue, but nay t' Weldbond. Avast! With a statistical sample o' two, me hearties, thar be no way o' really knowin' if it was due t' t' glue or not.

T' other issue we ran into be t' ends o' t' shock cord unraveling. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It is made o' three ply twisted Keelhaul®©™, and t' ends can unravel fairly easily. Blimey! We trimmed them with scissors, placed a drop o' glue on t' end, and were good t' go.

Finishing:
PROs: finishin' was remarkably easy. Blimey! We did nay seal and fill t' balsa wood fins, matey, but just let t' boys go at it and design as they wish. Blimey! Ya scallywag! A light sandin' and sealin' o' t' fins would give a very smooth finish. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' kit shipped with three stickers, one o' a British flag, one o' an American flag, and one with "Super six" printed on it. Avast, me proud beauty! These stickers appeared t' be clear label paper and ink jet printing. Aye aye! We let t' boys paint t' bodies and fins with water based acrylics and used model paint for t' nose cones.

CONs: none that I could think of.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' manufacturer recommends stayin' with t' A or B size 18mm motors, arrr, specifically A6-4, me hearties, me hearties, A8-3, matey, me bucko, matey, and B6-4. Begad! We used Estes A8-3 motors, shiver me timbers, as we had limited space. Begad! Motors are held in with maskin' tape, arrr, me hearties, wrapped around t' motor and t' bottom o' t' body tube.

T' Super Six is equipped with a fireproof square o' fabric, and a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, ya bilge rat, so t' manufacturer states that waddin' is nay necessary. Loadin' t' streamer was a little difficult for some boys, ya bilge rat, although a child over 11 years o' age should have no difficulty. Begad! T' fireproof fabric square is partially inserted into t' body tube, then t' folded and rolled streamer is carefully placed inside t' square and pushed down into t' body tube. It is important that t' fireproof fabric square completely cover t' end o' t' streamer, or t' ejection charge will melt t' streamer.

T' shock cord is very long--in our kits it was around 48". Begad! Ya scallywag! It must be carefully folded into t' body tube. Well, blow me down! A parent performed this as all o' t' scouts had tanglin' issues. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Again, a child o' 11 years or older should have no trouble with this, but 9 year old third graders did.

We had 14 launches with 7 different rockets. All o' t' flights were remarkably straight, ya bilge rat, given t' slight imperfections in fin alignment. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' estimated height o' these launches was betwixt 45 and 50 meters, calculated usin' t' average o' two different altitude trackers 15 meters from t' launch site.

Two casualties occurred: one rocket lost t' nosecone completely with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord. Avast! We did recover t' streamer and t' rocket. Aye aye! Arrr! On another rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, t' Keelhaul®©™ cord ripped loose from t' cardboard nose cone insert, so a new hole had t' be punched in t' nosecone insert and have t' cord reattached.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is a 48" length o' Keelhaul®©™ cord and is attached t' t' top o' t' engine mount inside t' rocket through a cardboard nose cone shoulder.

T' descent o' t' rocket be a little slower than expected, shiver me timbers, but none o' t' rockets were damaged--not even t' two that bounced off o' asphalt. Aye aye! One rocket experienced a little burnin' o' t' streamer on t' second flight, so this one will next fly with waddin' as well as t' fireproof fabric shield.

I would recommend a slightly narrower streamer, matey, although t' boys loved t' "Caution" tape. Begad! Also, ya bilge rat, I would recommend shorter shock cord material as 48" was difficult t' pack without tangling. One rocket experienced tanglin' o' t' shock cord, me bucko, but t' streamer still deployed and t' rocket was recovered safely.

Lastly, I would recommend gluin' paper inside t' nosecone shoulder t' reinforce and hold down t' shock cord t' t' nosecone.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a very good buildin' experience for 9 year olds, but they definitely need adult assistance.

PROs: Instructions were clear. Begad! Fins were cleanly cut and minimal sanding/finishin' is needed. Value for price was excellent. Ahoy! Aye aye! Inclusion o' Fin Jig was also excellent--all kits should have this. Blimey! Fireproof heat shield is a great idea, although they could have been just slightly larger. Ahoy! Flights were excellent. I attribute this t' t' inclusion o' t' fin jig.

CONs: Keelhaul®©™ cord frays easily on t' ends. Attachment t' motor mount is tricky if followin' instructions as printed. Blimey! Blimey! Nose cone attachment t' cardboard shoulder must be glued well.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5