Brief
This is a sturdy, matey, single staged high power rocket with a hardwood nose and boattail. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It recovers by chute and comes with a 54mm mount, matey, but can fly on 38 and 29mm motors as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Construction
After gettin' me level 2, arrr, matey, I began t' surf t' net t' answer t' question, "What next?" I wondered what was out thar that be different. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Then I discovered a new company called Starship Enterprises (now called Fat Cat Rockets as o' 1/1/01) and perused their site and found t' GTX. Blimey! I fancied that it looked like a giant Crayola crayon and I liked it. Aye aye! So I ordered it. Service was prompt, and shipment be received intact and undamaged. Arrr! All parts fit precisely.

T' fins were precut and are plywood. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is hardwood, symmetrically turned and a precise fit for t' 3-inch spiral wound body tube, which is paper, me bucko, but o' t' strength seen in extra thick motor tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord mount has steel cablin' that runs from t' engine mount t' t' 1/2 inch elastic, which ties t' a screw-eye in t' nose cone. Begad! nose cone. Blimey!

T' instructions are simple. Ahoy! Begad! That's because t' model is easy schmeasy to assemble. Aye aye! It's great for those impulses t' fly somethin' new t' next day. The only hard parts are crimpin' t' clamps that form t' loops in t' steel cable and drillin' a pilot hole in t' hardwood nose cone t' admit t' screw-eye. Arrr! Begad! I needed t' employ heavy duty pliers and an electric drill for this.

Also, t' body tube did nay come pregrooved. I needed t' employ a strong exacto knife t' make t' slots for t' fins, but a markin' guide be supplied to make it easier. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I used epoxy all t' way for construction, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but instead o' my favorite quick settin' type, matey, me bucko, I used 1/2 hour epoxy t' make t' bonds stronger. T' fins fit through t' body wall right t' t' motor tube, and I applied the centerin' rin' so that it too supplied a bond at t' upper part o' t' fin tab. T' boattail acts as a centerin' rin' too, as it provides anchor for t' motor tube. Begad! It also streamlined t' end o' t' rocket and reduces base drag. Begad! Well, blow me down!

T' parachute that came with t' model struck me as too small (I recollect it bein' around 24 inches), ya bilge rat, as I imagined t' weight o' t' hardware o' the motor plus t' model hittin' t' hard desert, so I made it one that was 30 inches across. Begad! Out here in t' west, shiver me timbers, t' soil is hard, arrr, shiver me timbers, so we favor larger chutes...not longer walks, but that's what we get!!! Overall, me hearties, arrr, what I got is a sturdy and nice lookin' rocket. Begad!

Finishing
This was left up t' me, as no decals came with it. Begad! So I went wild and let the project mutate. At first I painted it gloss black. Then I applied red and yellow stripin' along t' fin joints and up t' body tube. Blimey! It looks distinctive, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' say t' least. I almost didn't want t' paint t' model because the nose cone and boattail are pretty. But t' body tube wouldn't have matched had I glossed t' wooden parts. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight
T' manufacturer recommends t' G80 for 29mm flights up t' t' 54mm I65. Begad! I was daunted by t' model's small size and cringed at t' thought o' stickin' such a monstrous motor in it. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! So I used an adapter and put in a 29mm H180-M. I wanted to dig a hole for me t' crouch down in when I set it off, because I feared that I was overpowerin' it. Aye aye! Avast! But nay only did it scream and disappear off t' pad in a hurry, it did so intact and landed about half a mile away. Aye aye! And it did so within feet o' me months-lost Impulse Aerospace Machbuster, matey, me bucko, which be still flyable!!!

Anyway, I used plenty o' worm bed wadding, shiver me timbers, and everythin' packs loosely and easily into t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! I drilled a small vent hole into t' body with an awl to prevent premature separation. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! Yes, shiver me timbers, thar be a treatment for that condition....

T' motor was retained with t' flat steel part o' an old stapler, t' part with a right angle bend at t' end that served as a motor hook o' sorts, as this part was aftward and held t' motor in. Arrr! Now, matey, me hearties, do I DARE a 54mm motor? See if I don't! Maybe a 38mm I161 would be a blast, as well... Aye aye!

Recovery
T' system survived without any damage, but I might later replace t' elastic with bungee cord, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as I've had great experiences with it, arrr, and it's durable. Begad! I think that a longer delay than I used would be better. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' medium delay used is 10 seconds, I believe. Arrr! Maybe 14 would be better. Begad! Ahoy! It seemed t' be risin' at ejection. Aye aye! You know, I would nay be surprised if this bird be close t' mach. T' noise was impressive indeed. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
Friendly company t' buy from, prompt service. Ahoy! Sturdy. Aye aye! Don't doubt it. Well, blow me down! It can take it. Arrr! Simple t' put together. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I recommend it for sure. Avast! Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5