Brief:
I was fortunate enough t' win this kit as a prize for enterin' me Barbsari B-Prize design into Descon 15. I asked for and received t' Spaceship Earth version. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I was amazed at how smartly t' shipment arrived after I'd specified what version I'd like. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Mondo kudos t' Art Applewhite for fantastic service.

Construction:
T' kit includes a sheet o' printed cardstock for t' top and bottom cones, ya bilge rat, a dark blue sheet o' foam-backed board, a 2.75" length o' motor mount tube, and instruction sheets. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' cardstock and foam board are marked with labels, cuttin' lines, matey, and tab alignment lines. Arrr! T' cardstock graphics for t' top and bottom cones include beautifully detailed natural-coloured images o' planet earth stretched t' accommodate t' cone shapes. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' bottom cone has a large image o' Antarctica. Blimey! T' top cone shows t' other continents and t' northern ice cap in gorgeous detail. Begad! Begad! Super cool!

T' instructions are clear and concise, with large, ya bilge rat, crisp, me hearties, clear photographs to add that extra amount o' clarity. Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Critical notes are boldfaced and underlined t' draw t' builder's attention. Ahoy! T' assembly order was sensible and straightforward.

T' instructions recommend usin' a brand new, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, extremely sharp blade for cuttin' t' foam board for good reason. Begad! T' foam tends t' tear easily, leaving small voids. As long as t' voids are small, ya bilge rat, arrr, this is nay too much o' a problem since t' foam edges are nay covered by t' top cone.

When formin' t' cones, me bucko, I noticed that t' exposed white edges o' the cardstock were very noticeable against t' dark blue graphics. Begad! Blimey! I remedied this by usin' a dark blue felt-tipped marker t' darken t' edges. Aye aye! Blimey! I feel that this greatly improved t' look o' t' finished model.

Another issue is that I had to be very careful when applyin' glue and makin' fillets t' avoid messin' up the gorgeous graphics. Avast, me proud beauty! T' cardstock graphics are very durable, me bucko, though. Begad! They stand up t' much handlin' without any sign o' bleedin' or distortion.

Finishing:
All o' t' parts are printed, so no further finishin' is needed. The instructions recommend a coat o' clear enamel or varnish, but I haven't done this yet. Ahoy! I will do, though, before t' snow flies.

I had some trouble smoothin' t' edge o' t' saucer where t' top cone meets t' edge o' t' foamboard. Arrr! Though t' foamboard edge is just cardstock, it just doesn't want t' smooth down t' way I'd like, even after careful sanding.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation is dead easy, arrr, since thar are no recovery mechanisms t' set up or care for. Well, blow me down! T' instructions recommend wrappin' three layers o' masking tape around t' base o' t' motor as a thrust ring. Aye aye! I think this is good practice, ya bilge rat, as t' motors I've tried slide pretty easily into t' motor tube.

If you don't want t' motor t' pop out at ejection time, you'll probably want t' add some tape t' t' middle o' t' motor, but be careful nay t' make it so tight that its tough t' get t' motor out again after flight.

T' saucer's first flight be at a model rocketry demo at an event at a city park. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight field was pretty small, arrr, matey, surrounded by trees, matey, so low drift was very important. Begad! Avast! T' wind be around 10 mph. I took a B6-0, wrapped some tape around t' motor's base, me hearties, and a little in t' middle, me bucko, inserted an ignitor, slipped t' motor into t' saucer, and popped t' saucer onto t' pad. Ahoy! I used an alligator clip on t' launch rod t' support t' saucer 6" from t' pad, as recommended in t' instructions, then clipped on t' ignitor wires. All prepped!

T' saucer boosted straight up with no wobble, matey, flipped over at end of boost, shiver me timbers, and floated softly down t' earth with no wobble and little drift. Perfect flight for t' demo.

T' second flight was in a wide open field with 10 mph winds, again with a B6-0. Begad! Again t' flight be straight up with no wobble and little drift. The model flipped over after boost and float safely t' earth, again with no wobble and little drift.

Recovery:
Flight recovery was very easy after both flights. Aye aye! T' saucer hadn't drifted far from t' pad after either flight. Begad! T' saucer's decent was slow and gentle both times without damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Art Applewhite 18mm Delta Saucer is a simple high-quality kit that assembles smartly with no nasty gotchas. Avast, me proud beauty! It performs well on t' field and is great for demos in smaller flight areas. T' Spaceship Earth version looks spectacular. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! It is a solid, me hearties, rugged design and t' printed graphics stand up to handling... a great rocket for handin' around in classrooms. Avast! Flight and recovery are smooth, ya bilge rat, stable, and entertaining.

T' only con I can suggest regardin' me own model is that t' joint between the top cone and t' foam board is kinda rough resisted attempts at smoothing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5