Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, ya bilge rat, me bucko, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Accordin' t' PML, me bucko, 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), a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, shiver me timbers, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, a heavy-duty nylon strap, a length o' woven elastic, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Frankly, me bucko, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, shiver me timbers, now that I've tried both. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, and use bigger motors. Well, blow me down! Arrr! However, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, shiver me timbers, and H or light I motors, arrr, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Avast! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Aye aye! 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. There's not a lot you can write up, me hearties, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Ahoy! Construction steps are logical, arrr, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Arrr! 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! In both cases, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

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

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, 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, ya bilge rat, matey, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Avast! Overall, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! 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. With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Avast, me proud beauty! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, me bucko, sandin' betwixt each coat. Ya scallywag! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, me hearties, me bucko, again sandin' betwixt coats. After that, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, me hearties, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Ahoy! Again, me hearties, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! That was it for paint. Begad! Once it had time t' completely dry, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Ya scallywag!

Now, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! T' replicate this, me bucko, me bucko, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. It adheres well, and looks about right. Ahoy! Arrr! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Begad! I chose t' not paint these, me bucko, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Ahoy! So, me hearties, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Avast! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, ya bilge rat, and cut out t' strips I needed. Ahoy! I be worried about how well this stuff would adhere, ya bilge rat, but it's doing fine so far. After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, me bucko, and Rockets o' t' World. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, arrr, anyway). Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Aye aye! 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. My first flight (and only, ya bilge rat, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Begad! Unfortunately, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Ahoy! T' nose, me bucko, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap was burned through), me bucko, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, arrr, shiver me timbers, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Blimey! Still... Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Arrr!

Flight number two was an F50-6, me bucko, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! 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, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight be nominal. Blimey! Arrr! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, matey, which scarred it a bit, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! T' piston, 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! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Arrr! Arrr! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, matey, and a D-ring. Arrr! Seems t' work well, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Begad! Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, 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. T' provided chute seems plenty tough, and is probably a good size, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Begad! 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.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5