Brief:
Low power rocket booster with streamer recovery and glider flight recovery.

Construction:
Rocket booster is basically an 18mm minimum diameter rocket with a balsa "hook" assembly on it instead of fins. Avast! Glider is comprised completely o' balsa. Wings and stabilizer are 1/8", fuselage is 1/4" x 1/2".

T' instructions were good, ya bilge rat, except that thar were a few places where t' pictures really didn't match what you needed t' do--I was glad that thar was a detailed picture o' t' "hook" on t' product packaging. Arrr! I would say that Quest labelin' this a skill model 3 kit is accurate. Most kits go up in skill level because o' intricate paint jobs, matey, me bucko, however, arrr, this kit required real modelin' skills.

T' balsa in t' kit was nay consistent. Begad! Ahoy! One win' was nice, tight, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, strong grained balsa and t' other one was made o' weak, stringy balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fuselage was a nice piece o' wood. Begad! Ya scallywag! I had t' really trace t' parts with me X-Acto knife t' get them out o' t' balsa stock since they were nay punched all t' way through.

T' instructions on trimmin' t' glider were good, shiver me timbers, but when it came t' trimmin' t' booster/glider assembly, me bucko, it took me a while t' figure it out.

I built mine as a true "flat cat," only dressin' t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' wings and stabilizer. Arrr! I did also massage out t' fuselage per t' instructions. Ya scallywag! T' glider flew perfectly with no trimming.

Finishing:
Finishin' was nothin' special. Arrr! Blimey! I gave mine a quick sandin' with 220 grit sandpaper and shot it with 2 coats o' Krylon spray paint. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I figured that this would help seal t' balsa and increase visibility. Begad! Blimey! I did nay put t' stickers on mine.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
After readin' t' other comments about this glider on EMRR, I decided t' fly mine on an A8-3 for t' first flight. T' field I use is kind o' small, so I wasn't goin' for any altitude. Avast, me proud beauty! I also added some clay weight t' induce a spiral in hopes o' gettin' t' glider back.

T' rocket went about 200 feet and separation from t' glider was perfect. Arrr! T' booster came down under streamer and landed about 15 feet from t' pad. I must have added too much weight, because t' glider didn't spiral, it corkscrewed down. Aye aye! It hit nose first in t' snow and kinda rolled. Avast, me proud beauty! No significant damage! T' nose was a little flattened out though so I sanded it round again in t' field.

Second flight, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I took a little bit o' t' clay weight off. Begad! Lift and separation were identical, ya bilge rat, t' booster droppin' 30 feet from t' pad. Arrr! Aye aye! T' glider did several nice spirals and stuck its nose into the ground softly about 100 feet from t' pad. Begad! I did nay have a watch, matey, but I would guess t' glide t' be around 10 seconds or so.

I didn't have an opportunity t' fly it a third time. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be out o' A8-3s and with t' wind pickin' up, me bucko, I didn't want more altitude. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Recovery:
Recovery o' t' booster is fine with t' streamer. Arrr! Blimey! Recovery o' t' glider is a Catch-22. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! If you want it back, me hearties, you will have short glide times! It is all in t' trimming, and t' bigger t' field t' better. Avast! I would really like to play with this on a big field!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a great kit and really delivers on its promises! This was t' first boost glider that I have built, and it has left me with a new respect for them. Begad! Blimey! I can see t' science behind it and how you could detail yourself t' death with a glider if you were tryin' t' go for maximum glide time. Recovery be t' killer on this though.

I actually had a lot o' fun buildin' this kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, especially learnin' how trimmin' it affects t' glide recovery. Honestly, shiver me timbers, I probably won't ever launch this again, but will hand toss it a bunch! It is a great glider!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5