Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Accordin' t' PML, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, arrr, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), me hearties, me hearties, matey, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, matey, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, shiver me timbers, a heavy-duty nylon strap, a length o' woven elastic, ya bilge rat, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Arrr! Blimey! Frankly, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, now that I've tried both. Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, me hearties, matey, me bucko, and use bigger motors. Begad! Blimey! However, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, me hearties, and H or light I motors, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' thin' t' watch is that you sand thoroughly (with coarse grit) any QT parts you are epoxying.

T' instructions for t' kit are pretty basic and straight-forward. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! There's not a lot you can write up, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Construction steps are logical, me bucko, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Well, blow me down! Aye aye! like makin' sure the piston strap (which is epoxied t' t' motor mount) is nay positioned in a manner t' interfere with t' installation o' t' fins. Aye aye! Aye aye! In both cases, I build the kit stock, matey, except for t' home-made motor retention, me hearties, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Arrr!

All t' parts fit well, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Blimey! Aye aye!

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", matey, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, ya bilge rat, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Ya scallywag! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, me bucko, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Ya scallywag! Avast! Overall, matey, arrr, me hearties, t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket was waitin' for t' epoxy t' cure.

Finishing:
This is where that Quantum Tubin' really comes into it's own. When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Aye aye! Ahoy! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Well, blow me down! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, me bucko, me bucko, again sandin' betwixt coats. Ahoy! Aye aye! After that, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, matey, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Blimey! Again, shiver me timbers, I used several coats, me bucko, me bucko, shiver me timbers, with wet-sandin' between each. Then, it was necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. That was it for paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Now, on t' real rocket, matey, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Arrr! It adheres well, me hearties, and looks about right. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I chose t' not paint these, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Begad! Aye aye! So, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Ya scallywag! Avast! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, shiver me timbers, and cut out t' strips I needed. I be worried about how well this stuff would adhere, but it's doing fine so far. Aye aye! After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, me hearties, and Rockets o' t' World. These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, me bucko, anyway). Ya scallywag! Finally, shiver me timbers, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, from G t' I for this rocket. Aye aye! My first flight (and only, shiver me timbers, for t' phenolic one) be t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Ahoy! Arrr! Unfortunately, arrr, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. T' nose, me hearties, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), shiver me timbers, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Aye aye! Begad! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, me bucko, matey, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Ya scallywag! Still... Begad! Aye aye! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Begad!

Flight number two was an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Avast! Blimey! Boost was nice and straight, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and t' flight was nominal. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, and took a small chunk out o' one fin-tip.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system in t' kit is a two-piece affair: a thick nylon strap connects t' piston t' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! T' piston, arrr, arrr, in turn, me bucko, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Begad! Blimey! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, me bucko, a slotted bulkhead, arrr, and a D-ring. Aye aye! Seems t' work well, me bucko, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, arrr, I found that the heat o' t' day had caused t' piston t' fit a bit too tightly in t' airframe, and had t' sand it down a bit t' loosen t' fit. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, and is probably a good size, matey, me hearties, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Arrr! Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. I'd say it's an excellent kit for anyone who is just movin' up t' HPR, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. Begad! Blimey! As for pros and cons... well, matey, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! In fact, me bucko, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, arrr, arrr, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5