Introduction:
This is a scale model o' a British surface t' air missile. Well, blow me down! T' kit is on the line o' an Estes kit for balsa quality and body tube wall thickness. Avast, me proud beauty! In other words, me hearties, me bucko, it's a lightweight rocket, arrr, that looks huge. Avast! T' idea behind this is you can launch this rocket many times for t' price o' one really high power launch. Ahoy! Begad! However, t' rocket is so lightly constructed, me bucko, I doubt it will handle the abuse o' lots o' launches.

There's a lot o' balsa on this kit, me bucko, so I learned a lot about handlin' and sealin' balsa that I didn't know before. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! Also, they use a commercially available plastic nose cone with a paper cone attached t' t' front t' get the desired shape. Well, blow me down! It's a major chore t' get this put together right. If you're lookin' for a fast build, keep looking. Begad! If you're lookin' for an impressive rocket for only a little money, this is it.

Scale is good...
These guys have one o' t' slickest web pages in rocketry. They also have an excellent selection o' scale military kits. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Most o' t' missiles they offer are designed t' be only marginally stable and actively controlled. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' means that it's quite a feat t' make them into stable model rockets. All their rockets are based on a BT80 (2.6") or BT60 (1.6") body tube. If you're at all interested in gettin' into scale rocket building, get one o' their kits as a second kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These are nay easy, or trivial projects most o' t' time and making a successful model will require experience from other kits.

Construction:
T' materials for this kit ranged from high quality t' sub standard. Well, blow me down!

One o' t' balsa sheets and t' centerin' rings were o' superior quality. T' centerin' rings are made o' heavy card stock and laser cut. They fit perfectly with no fiddlin' or sanding. Avast! One o' t' balsa sheets was better than average: close grained, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, sturdy and flat.

T' tubes, matey, ya bilge rat, nose cone, balsa strips, launch lugs and parachute kit were all of average quality. Ahoy! I would have preferred a nylon chute for a rocket this size. Begad! I ended up usin' t' mylar for a streamer for another rocket. Begad!

T' other balsa sheet, motor clip and clay nose weight were o' inferior quality. Begad! T' motor clip be already slightly rusted when I got it. Begad! T' kit comes with two pieces o' balsa and t' second sheet was o' very poor quality: much too soft and warped. Avast! I should have replaced it right away, arrr, me bucko, arrr, but I didn't. T' clay nose weight was rock hard. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I tried t' remedy this usin' t' kit instructions t' no avail. Begad! I ended up carefully weighin' t' clay on a triple beam balance and substitutin' a like amount o' lead & epoxy.

T' instructions are sparse, but adequate for an experienced modeler. Begad! Also note that unless you are experienced and have good CP program backin' you up (and VCP doesn't qualify for this model), ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, arrr, don't modify anything. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! RockSim 3.01 is just enough t' keep you from makin' mistakes. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

Construction o' this kit requires a lot o' balsa work. Aye aye! There is no indication o' taper t' any o' t' fins, so I didn't taper any o' them. Blimey! Blimey! I just cut them square and sanded them this way. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Finishin' t' soft balsa fins was a pain. Blimey! Blimey! I tried a number o' methods. Avast! Blimey! You can wick thin CA into t' balsa to strengthen it, but when I tried this with t' very soft balsa, matey, it warped even more. Blimey! Blimey! I ended up buyin' new balsa wood. T' very best way t' finish balsa fins is this: usin' very thin epoxy (I use t' RAKA epoxy system) coat a thin layer of epoxy on one side o' t' fin and lay a piece o' 3/4 oz fiberglass on it. When everythin' is dry cut and sand off t' stuff hangin' off t' ends. Blimey! Blimey! Then do the other side. It strengthens t' fins and finishes them with almost no weight increase. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' nose cone is a serious pain unless you're a wiz with makin' card stock cones. Begad! I'm nay and had a hell o' a time gettin' this right. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' get t' right nose shape t' blunt ogive cone has a card stock cone extension glued t' the front. Ya scallywag! Then you must fill and sand until it all blends together. Ahoy! Avast! Steamin' the cone helps. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Once I had t' cone formed, I just pressed it in place on t' nose cone. Then I put a bit o' soft clay and a dowel up into t' cone. Begad! By spinning the cone and notin' if t' cone be off center I finally got it straight. Blimey! When I got it centered, ya bilge rat, arrr, I wicked very thin CA into t' base o' t' paper cone to hold it in place. Ahoy! Then I hardened t' cone with CA, me bucko, ya bilge rat, epoxy (very thin coat) and then I filled it with spacklin' compound which I also hardened with very thin CA. Aye aye!

There are three centering rings provided. Ahoy! T' third acts as a parachute shelf about 12" back from the front end. Ya scallywag! It keeps t' parachute from slidin' back on boost. Aye aye! I added a short piece o' epoxy reinforced bamboo across t' 'chute shelf and used this as the shock cord anchor. With t' addition o' a baffle, this idea will be incorporated into all me rockets 1.6" and larger from now on.

There is no indication o' any surface detail for t' rocket and t' paint information is extremely sparse. Blimey! Begad! This kit is, at best, matey, matey, a rough sports scale model. Blimey! Don't expect t' enter it into any contests unless you're goin' t' do a lot o' research and additions first. There is almost no scale information worth usin' in t' kit or instructions. Aye aye! They also don't indicate where t' CP is supposed t' be, shiver me timbers, or t' CG. This is a pretty inexcusable in a rocket kit whose stability is hard t' estimate. My rocket came out weighin' 8.9 oz. Ahoy! T' empty CG is 21.5" from t' nose tip. Ahoy! T' CP is about 28 3/8" from t' nose tip accordin' t' RockSim 3.01.

For launch lugs I substituted 1/4" mylar lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! This is so I can put it on a longer, arrr, stronger launch rod. There is no instructions on where t' put the launch lugs. I placed one on t' mid-body seam (about where t' CP is) and one 2" from t' tail. Aye aye!

For t' price o' t' kit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, you get a big rocket that is a big project. Begad! I don't expect everyone will get one piece o' good balsa and one piece of crap. Aye aye! Begad! Still, arrr, it does have almost no scale data and lacks stability information.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
This flies nicely. Aye aye! I wouldn't fly it in any wind, though. Arrr! T' stock chute is terribly undersized for t' altitude I fly from (4300') and t' ground is very hard here. Blimey! Arrr! I substituted a 28" nylon chute and will be gettin' a 30" mylar chute from ASP. Well, blow me down! Begad! You'll need a sturdy rod and launcher. Begad! Under E18 power it boosts slowly and still gets plenty o' air. Avast!

I have an Aerotech 24/40 system too, so I use those motors in addition to the recommended motors. Arrr! Here's me motor chart with expected altitude and delay recommendations:

It's a real nice flyer and a big rocket. Arrr! Do nay fly it in gusty winds, though. Begad! Ya scallywag! Wait for a calm day.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It's a bear t' build, matey, nay everythin' you need is in t' kit and it irks me to not have a really scale model. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! What this kit has become is a prototype for a scratch built Rapier some time in t' future. Avast! Blimey! It will require a lot o' research on me part t' make a truly scale Raper. Ahoy! Blimey! Still, for a sport flyer, shiver me timbers, it will be fun t' put up every once in a while.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5