Brief:
T' DeeCee Thunder member o' t' Edmonds "Thunder" series o' large gliders. Avast! This rocket features a canard (rear wing) glider with a pop-pod.

Construction:
T' DeeCee Thunder's components are:

• Several 1/4" thick sheets o' laser cut balsa parts
• 1 BT-50 Body tube
• 1 BNC-50 Balsa nose cone
• 1 3/16" Launch lug
• 1 Aerospace Specialty Products 12" parachute kit
• 1 1/4" Elastic shock cord
• 1 Instruction Booklet

All o' t' necessary parts for t' kit were present and accounted for when I opened the poly bag that they came packaged in. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' balsa be nice and firm with t' laser parts bein' well cut without too much scorchin' on t' edges.

T' only component that I be concerned about with t' kit be t' shock cord. T' instructions say t' trim it to about 18". Ya scallywag! Begad! T' elastic I got with me kit was probably nay even 12". Begad! I added about another 12" by tying on some Keelhaul®©™® cord that I had in me parts bin.

T' instructions for t' DeeCee Thunder are a total o' three sides o' t' two 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper. T' are generously illustrated t' t' point that t' text is really almost unnecessary!

T' first page is a diagram showin' how t' fit t' six pieces o' t' glider together. Arrr! Yes, me hearties, shiver me timbers, you read that right. T' glider only has six parts and they are all notched and tabbed t' fit perfectly. Well, blow me down! If you are lookin' for a complex build, this rocket is not it! However, it is ideal for a rookie builder, child or just a quick, fun build! The only slight "gotcha" is somethin' nay mentioned in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! T' laser charred edges o' t' balsa should be sanded lightly t' remove t' char t' promote good solid bonds betwixt t' parts. Begad! Begad! Nay sandin' could easily lead t' t' parts snappin' apart as was mentioned in t' previous review.

T' construction o' t' pop-pod is nearly as simple as t' glider. Begad! T' glider hook is three balsa tabs that are stacked and glued together and then t' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! T' instructions say t' glue a strip o' paper in betwixt the layers t' make sure t' fit o' t' glider boom is loose betwixt t' tabs. I opted nay t' do this and just sanded the tabs a little.

Next t' launch lug is glued on t' body tube next t' t' glider hook. Arrr! T' parachute is next t' be assembled. Avast, me proud beauty! The shock cord is glued in with a standard three-fold anchor and a screw eye holds everythin' t' t' nose cone.

Finishing:
This kit flies fairly well built totally stock even with no sanding. Well, blow me down! There is a small little lass who flies one at our launch site that almost lost hers over t' boundary o' t' flyin' field. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It is about as unfinished as t' kit can be!

I wanted t' make a little better effort and see how performance could be increased. Begad! All o' t' edges o' the glider were either rounded or tapered and t' whole glider be sanded smooth. I filled t' gaps and dings in t' balsa with lightweight filler.

In readin' t' comments on this kit here on EMRR, I noticed one that said that thar was a problem with the glider body sufferin' burns from t' motor on boost. Well, blow me down! T' avoid this problem, I wrapped t' body in a wrap o' aluminum foil, sealin' it on with super glue.

As always with a glider, me hearties, arrr, trimmin' is essential. This may sound complicated, but it's nay really. Begad! Just hand toss the glider, addin' small bits o' t' included clay weight t' t' nose or tail until t' glide is nice and smooth! The kit could have been flown stock, but with a bit o' effort, matey, it was gettin' great glides even from a gentle toss!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
We got t' t' flyin' field early that day o' t' launch t' try and beat t' wind. It was breezy but nay too windy. Unfortunately, t' dealer who usually shows up t' sell motors was at another launch so I only had one motor for the DeeCee!

There is no motor retention or thrust rin' so we friction fit t' motor with a few wraps o' maskin' tape and added a few more around t' tail end o' t' motor t' keep it from slidin' up into t' body tube at launch.

A quick pinch o' cellulose waddin' and a fold o' t' chute and we were off t' t' pads. Ahoy! T' instructions recommend loadin' t' pod onto t' rod and then hangin' t' glider on it. Arrr! Aye aye! This technique worked well and allowed us to adjust t' clothes pin we were usin' as a stop t' t' correct height without dingin' up t' glider. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! We also used the clothes pin as an umbilical clip t' hold t' clips.

T' DeeCee Thunder boosted nicely and reasonably straight. At ejection, t' pod's shock cord got caught for a second on t' glider but pulled free almost immediately and t' chute unfurled.

Recovery:
T' glider flew slow, lazy circles around t' sky, almost hangin' motionless as it turned into t' wind and picking up speed as it flew down wind. Aye aye! Aye aye! Nay a competition class glider, but it turned in a respectable flight and didn't take any landin' damage.

T' parachute is sized fairly well for t' pod. Ahoy! Nay too much drift and it came down slow enough t' nay sustain any landin' damage.

I saw no evidence o' scorchin' on t' glider body so it looks like me aluminum foil insulation worked. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket be primarily constructed by me 12-year old daughter for her 4H rocketry club. Avast, me proud beauty! She has built only a few almost ready t' fly 3FNC kits but had no problem with this one with only minor supervision and coaching. Ahoy! We wanted somethin' that was a bit more fun t' fly and this was definitely t' ticket. Avast! Avast! Hopefully she'll have as much fun with her rocket as I have had with me Edmonds kits.

I am a big fan o' t' Edmonds line o' kits and have built several others. Avast! T' DeeCee Thunder is nay nearly as complex as its big brother, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' Ecee Thunder or t' Arcie II, arrr, but still gives t' "ohs" and "ahs" from t' people on t' flight line when a big glider boosts off t' pad.

I was somewhat surprised by t' previous review o' this kit. Avast! Blimey! We had none o' t' problems that t' previous reviewer did so I felt that I should post a second review as a counter balance for what I think is a fairly sturdy, well designed kit. Begad! Blimey! T' only thin' I didn't like about t' kit was t' shock cord, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, which be very short and only about half t' length it should have been but this was easily fixed.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5