Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Begad! Accordin' t' PML, me hearties, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

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

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

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

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, arrr, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Avast, me proud beauty! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, shiver me timbers, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Overall, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 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. Begad! Avast! When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, arrr, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Blimey! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Blimey! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, ya bilge rat, 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, again sandin' betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! After that, arrr, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, arrr, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Again, arrr, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Begad! Then, ya bilge rat, 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 be it for paint. Arrr! Once it had time t' completely dry, me hearties, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

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

Flight number two was an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, me bucko, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Arrr! Begad! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Ya scallywag! T' only downside was t' rocket landin' on a runway, ya bilge rat, which scarred it a bit, shiver me timbers, 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! Begad! T' piston, arrr, matey, in turn, me hearties, shiver me timbers, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Begad! Arrr! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and a D-ring. Avast! Ahoy! Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Avast! 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. Ahoy! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, shiver me timbers, and is probably a good size, ya bilge rat, me bucko, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Blimey! Well, blow me down! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), arrr, I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Ahoy! Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Begad! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Ahoy! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! As for pros and cons... Avast! well, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Avast! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Well, blow me down! In fact, ya bilge rat, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5