Brief:
A miniaturized version o' t' Big Betty, this little guy is a quick, easy build and reliable flyer.

Construction:
T' parts list includes:

• Plastic nose cone
• BT-60 (equiv.) body tube
• 3 Laser-cut balsa fins
• Centerin' rings
• 18mm motor tube
• Metal motor hook
• Thrust ring
• 14" plastic chute
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cords
• 1/8" launch lug
• Peel n stick decal

This be accurately described as a skill level 1 kit, ya bilge rat, so t' construction is fairly simple and straightforward. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' instructions are about 3 pages and clearly written and illustrated.

T' motor mount assembly be t' typical 18mm tube, thrust ring, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, and motor hook. Ya scallywag! It also uses a couple o' centerin' rings t' slip into t' BT-60 body tube. Aye aye! Given t' large body tube, matey, thar are obvious possibilities t' upscale this t' 24mm, and I'm sure a few fliers have already done this.

T' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic shock cord combo is anchored t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! This is a great feature for a mass market kit, arrr, both rugged and durable.

T' body tube needs t' be marked usin' a wraparound guide for t' standard 3-fin and lug arrangement. It's a good idea t' scuff t' body tube first with 120 grit sandpaper t' provide a better bondin' surface for t' fins. Aye aye! Once t' fins are tacked on, t' rather long launch lug is glued on, me bucko, essentially completin' t' rocket construction.

Finishing:
T' standard color scheme on this is a simple paint job and is decent looking. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' fins and body are a gloss red, and t' nose cone is a gloss white. Well, me bucko, blow me down! This doesn't even require masking, me bucko, assumin' you hold off on attachin' t' nose cone until after it's painted.

I started off with a couple coats o' white primer, me hearties, then followed up with Krylon red and white. Avast! After allowin' a day t' dry, me hearties, I then applied t' peel-n-stick "Full Moon" decal, which provides a nice break t' t' monochromatic red.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for this are t' common mid-delay A through C motors. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! (Quest motors would be A6-4, me hearties, B6-4, me hearties, and C6-5. Avast! Ahoy! Estes motors would go with A8-3 instead o' A6-4).

For t' maiden flight, I started low since it would be flyin' in 10 mph conditions and loaded an A8-3 in it. Begad! Blimey! It flew perfectly straight without any weathercock, me bucko, me bucko, but it did drift downwind a bit on t' way up. Apogee be right on top.

Recovery:
T' 14" chute uses shroud lines attached t' holes reinforced with paper rings. This is a pretty flimsy approach and I broke loose one shroud line as a result. Arrr! Arrr! I would prefer tape disk retention instead, matey, me bucko, which is less likely t' tear through t' chute.

T' chute did slow it down enough and recovery was fine.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: simple build, me hearties, matey, versatile motor range, and flies well.

CONs: flimsy shroud line attachment.

This is a nice little kit, worth pickin' up, especially if you can grab one at one o' those half-off sales.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5