Brief:
Single stage, me bucko, ya bilge rat, scale, me hearties, high power rocket with parachute recovery.

Construction:
One 48" phenolic body tube, a 22" phenolic payload bay, four (4) G10 fins, three (3) plywood centerin' rings, me hearties, a 54 mm motor mount, shiver me timbers, a fiberglass nose cone, PML's piston ejection system, ya bilge rat, two (2) 3/8" launch lugs, two (2) PML parachute's (a 60" and a 48") and PML elastic shock chord.

T' instructions were easy t' follow with illustrations for every step. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! It was extremely easy t' build, but it took TONS o' epoxy. Begad! This wasn't t' kit's fault, though, ya bilge rat, it's just really big. Everythin' fit well and thar were no alignment issues. Arrr! All be well thought out. Begad! Well, blow me down!

There be only one part o' t' instruction that I didn't understand; how the recovery be expected t' be done. Begad! Ahoy! There were two 'chutes, ya bilge rat, t' piston, and a lot of t' Public Missiles elastic (which we wouldn't have used anyway). Begad! Begad! We decided it would be best t' just have t' rocket split at t' middle t' put less stress on t' rocket, and come down in two pieces.

T' instructions, after re-readin' them, said t' attach t' rocket with the elastic. Avast! Here's what it said: "Tie t' parachute t' one end o' t' elastic shock chord. Well, blow me down! Repeat this step for both chutes. Well, blow me down! T' larger chute and longer shock cord attach t' t' piston and t' smaller chute and shorter shock cord attach t' t' eye-bolt on t' payload section."

One o' t' most important techniques with this kit that was new t' me and my dad both was t' piston ejection system. Begad! Aye aye! Lookin' at it, shiver me timbers, I really didn't trust it, but it worked great, much better that I had seen any other system work. Arrr! Aye aye!

It also taught us a better way t' make fillets, -first, put t' epoxy on, but then, ya bilge rat, tape down saran wrap tightly on either side o' t' fin or launch lug, and t' you won't have t' worry about it drippin' down t' side o' your tube. Arrr!

Finishing:
T' Rocket is absolutely enormous! It looks awesome, me hearties, but t' spiral groove takes days t' fill. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! We used some putty from Hobby Town, ya bilge rat, pretty thick stuff, sanded, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and you could still see t' groove!

There were no decals t' make t' rocket scale, but thar were directions to paint it so. Ahoy! It gives you t' paint scheme with a main black body, red fin can and payload, arrr, and with t' nose cone and letterin' paint schemes. Aye aye! We didn't follow this paint scheme recommendations.

To finish it, arrr, we took our first shot at auto paint. Avast! Arrr! Nay knowin' what we were gettin' ourselves into, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, we bought t' $70 dollars o' paint, primer, and gloss-coat, matey, Then we saw that you must spray it on. Aye aye! Ahoy! All in all, t' paint job cost us about $300, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, o' course, arrr, most o' t' expensive stuff is reusable, and we now have t' supplies t' paint a car. Blimey! Avast! We did t' rocket Metallic Copper, (Base coat, Clear Coat), ya bilge rat, arrr, with two black metallic stripes. Avast, me proud beauty! If you do use this paint (DuPont Automotive), wear a respirator with t' correct cartridges, and have very good ventilation; t' neighbors will get over t' noise.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
They only give you t' smallest recommended motor, which is a J415, shiver me timbers, though on the Public Missiles' site, it says you can use any 54mm motor aside from the J90. Ahoy! We flew on a K550-10 for an awesome, matey, arrr, roaring, perfectly straight boost. T' piston worked great, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket broke apart (how we had set it up). Arrr! Blimey! It said you don't need wadding, ya bilge rat, but we went ahead and put some under t' piston anyway, just t' feel better. Begad! Avast! Sims put it at a little over 3000 feet, so we just went with that. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
I liked t' method o' lettin' it break apart. Ya scallywag! It's nay too tough t' find these pieces! T' chutes brought it down without a scratch, gettin' Level Two certification for me dad, David Wheeler. Blimey! When we recovered t' rocket, there was one shroud-line torn from t' chute. Begad! We will probably switch it out with a Rocketman one next time, and attach t' two pieces with some tubular nylon or Keelhaul®©™®. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' decent rate was good, arrr, but t' smaller chute did loose a shroud line, so I won't be usin' t' PML 'chutes anymore.

T' recovery system, arrr, like other PML kits, came with a piece o' nylon which attached t' t' motor mount through t' upper-most centerin' rin' and attached the piston t' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! This be long enough t' let t' piston come out of the rocket about 2 feet. It appeared t' be just a seat belt, very strong! The elastic was very long and looked very sturdy, me bucko, but I've heard numerous times to throw it out and that's what I did (as mentioned above). Begad! Arrr! I have no idea o' how strong it is, just what others have said.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Me and me dad really enjoyed buildin' this rocket. It is really cool t' own a rocket this big, ya bilge rat, me bucko, most people don't even believe it flies, ya bilge rat, but it does, and quite well. Well, blow me down! T' Pro's o' t' kit are its size, matey, quality, and building techniques. I think I will buy many more Public Missiles kits in t' future. T' Con's were few and small, but t' spiral grooves, and t' overall quality of t' parachutes.

Most o' all, me bucko, it was fun and a neat experience buildin' a kit o' this size. Though it is expensive, matey, ya bilge rat, you don't really need t' fly it that often, ya bilge rat, but it's really cool t' show off, and I believe it t' be more fun t' have one giant K flight, that two or three I powered flights. Arrr! It'll also usually get you on the launch highlights page. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! This rocket was t' first rocket we've used auto paint on, me hearties, me hearties, arrr, and it looks absolutely stunning, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it's really expensive. I think it was worth it though, arrr, matey, we must have gotten twenty compliments on t' paint job alone, not t' mention t' awed faces lookin' at it. Begad! I strongly recommend this kit to anyone who has a big enough budget; you don't even need an altimeter. Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5