Brief:
When I was standin' in line at t' RSO gettin' ready t' put this baby up on a J528, a bystander said t' me "You ready t' lose that hypodermic needle?". Well, blow me down! This is a high altitude kit that be made for J motors. Arrr! Begad! At 89in long and 3in diameter, arrr, ya bilge rat, it is long and sleek with short fins. Begad! Avast! It can easily reach mach on a big J.

Construction:
This lit includes:

• 2 very strong 3" phenolic body tubes
• 1 coupler
• 1 nose cone
• 1 54mm MMT
• 1 Slimline motor retainer.
• 1 nylon shock cord
• 1 Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 1 Fireball anti-zipper ball
• 2 bulkheads
• 1 piece 1/4" threaded rod
• 1 54mm 3 fin fincan
• 2 centerin' rings
• 1 18" drogue
• 1 36" Tac 1 main parachute
• 2 Acme conformal rail guides
• 1 Decal
• Eyebolts, matey, nuts, and washers
• Board and lug for t' electronics were talked about in t' instructions but nay included with me kit.

This is an almost ready t' fly kit. Avast! Blimey! It comes with just about everythin' you need t' build t' rocket short o' epoxy. Blimey! T' fin can is a big time saver as thar be no need t' align t' fins.

Most high power rocket kits I have seen either come with sparse instructions, shiver me timbers, if any at all. Ya scallywag! Arrr! This kit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, on t' other hand, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, came with very detailed instructions includin' helpful pictures and tips on how t' assemble. Ahoy! It even had tips in t' back for packin' and gettin' t' Vertical Assault ready for launch.

I started first thin' with t' fincan and motor mount. Begad! They recommend JB Weld because o' its ability t' handle high temperatures. Ya scallywag! I agree with this recommendation, so I used it. Begad! Avast! T' only problem with JB Weld is that it takes hours t' set, so I put t' Slimline on and said goodnight. Arrr! T' next day I mixed another batch o' JB Weld and slid t' fincan and centerin' mini coupler on applyin' a decent amount t' keep it in place. Then I said goodnight t' t' rocket again as I waited for t' JB Weld t' dry. Avast! Ya scallywag! I usually like t' eyebolt me shock cord in but with a 54mm MMT in a 3 inch rocket thar just isn't room for it. Begad! Instead I measured off t' Fireball t' meet t' end o' t' tube and epoxied t' cord t' t' MMT. Begad! Once t' fincan and MMT was assembled, me bucko, me bucko, matey, I mixed up a big batch o' 5 minute epoxy and slid it into t' slotted tube. Ahoy! In me opinion, t' thin coupler put at t' back t' help keep t' slotted tubin' in round and give you an extra bit o' area t' glue t' may be too thin. Ahoy! It didn't stay well and barely worked. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If it was a bit more substantial, I think it would have been easier t' use. Filletin' t' fincan is a bit messy. Blimey! Ahoy! T' slots have some play in them so t' epoxy oozed through. T' directions almost recommend just pourin' it in and t' use a large amount. Arrr! I did it about half way, shiver me timbers, applyin' a generous amount and makin' some small fillets. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! A foam filler might be a good idea t' fill those gaps betwixt t' fins.

Next I installed t' eyebolt in t' nose cone. Avast! T' instructions tell you t' cut a big hole in t' side o' t' cone shoulder so you can put t' nut on t' back o' t' eyebolt. Avast, me proud beauty! I wasn't thrilled with that idea but after lookin' at it, that seems t' only way t' get it on there. Ahoy! Doin' this also leaves a nice hole in case you need t' add nose weight.

Last thin' t' assemble be t' avionics bay. Blimey! Blimey! I be nay thrilled with t' included setup at all. Giant Leap makes some great avionics bays so I was a little disappointed by t' one included with this kit. Avast! It consisted o' two bulk heads and a 1/4" threaded rod. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' instructions talked about a piece o' wood and a tube t' attach t' electronics t' but they were no where t' be found. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! One threaded rod in an avionics bay t' me just isn't a good idea. For one you are puttin' all your recovery stress on that one rod from t' chutes and you've also got an altimeter in thar that can spin and jostle around. Begad! I happened t' have some 1/4" rod lyin' around so I simply just added a second one. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I used some old fin material for t' mountin' board and installed me Cannonball Works RRC2X altimeter and switch. Well, blow me down! I used two 1/2" PVC caps t' hold me black powder charges.

Finishing:
I used some nice metallic red paint which gives it a slight automotive finish t' it. Begad! I think it went on good and looks great. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' provided decal went on smooth and has survived a few flights without any clear coat. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I did nay fill t' grooves which are in me opinion some o' t' nastiest I've ever seen on a tube. Avast! They are close together and deep, but t' tubes are so strong, I can't complain about that. Arrr! These tubes feel stronger than some glassed tubes I've seen.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Giant Leap recommends any motor from high thrust Hs through medium Ks which makes this a very versatile rocket if you have t' waiver t' go that high. Blimey! Blimey! I went conservative on its first flight and used an I285 with a medium delay. I mocked up t' Vertical Assault in RockSim 8.0 and it said 1900 or so feet. Avast! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! When I went t' balance this rocket with t' I285 in it I was a little disturbed t' see it almost 5 calibers overstable. Aye aye! Blimey! This might be due t' t' fact that I used a less epoxy than they recommend in t' fincan. Arrr! Blimey! It could also be t' fact that it has tiny fins and is very long. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nay havin' an easy solution t' this I did some research on long rockets that are overstable. Blimey! Blimey! I read a few things and it looked as long as it wasn't launched in 15+ mph winds I should be fine with some weathercocking.

I took this rocket out t' NERRF 2005 for its maiden flight. Avast! I flew it twice over those 3 days. Since this be t' first flight and t' fact that I did nay ground test t' ejection charges, shiver me timbers, I used t' motor delay and put in a 30" drogue just in case me electronics failed or I didn't put in enough black powder. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! I loaded it on an extreme rail which t' conformal launch lugs glided on nicely. Ahoy! Blimey! Turned on t' electronics and moved behind t' LCO. 5...4...3...2...1...ignition. Well, blow me down! She went up pretty straight thar was a slight kick into t' wind once off t' rail but I attribute that t' t' light motor. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Other than that, it was a nice, shiver me timbers, straight flight. Arrr! Blimey! Both chutes deployed--one at apogee and t' other at 500 feet, me bucko, right where I set t' altimeter. With t' large drogue it almost made it into some trees. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! Thankfully it landed about 15 feet short o' them. Blimey! I recovered it easily with zero damage--not even a scratch in t' paint. T' altimeter beeped out 1900 somethin' feet which was right on with RockSim. Blimey! Blimey! On t' second launch, me bucko, me bucko, I took it up a notch and loaded a Loki J528 in there. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This time I used t' 18" drogue that came with t' kit and I left t' 17 second full delay in t' Loki motor. Ahoy! Blimey! After a few false starts, which we figured out be a blown fuse in t' switch box on t' setup, t' LCO made t' count and that thin' disappeared. Zero hesitation. Blimey! No weathercocking. Begad! Blimey! Nothing. Begad! Blimey! It left t' rail quick, ya bilge rat, fast, ya bilge rat, matey, and in a hurry. T' altimeter beeped out 5964 feet. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Again, t' dual deploy went perfectly and I didn't need t' Loki delay redundancy.

I used t' 54-38mm Slimline motor mount adapter for both motors. Begad! Begad! T' Loki motors are nay compatible with Slimline motor retainers. Ahoy! T' Loki rep at t' NERRF launch suggested I just tape t' back o' t' motor t' t' retainer for positive retention. Blimey! That worked out great. Well, blow me down! Nay sure what I can do if I want t' put a 54mm Loki in there, as it's hard t' tape t' back when I can't get me hand in there.

One thin' I can say about t' main shock cord is that I badly burned two o' them. Begad! I will use less BP next time and I put a Keelhaul®©™® cord protector on t' base o' t' nylon shock cord.

Recovery:
PROs:

• Dual deploy went off without a hitch
• Zero damage after 2 flights nay even a scratch in t' paint.

CONs:

• Protect that forward shock cord
• TAC-1 chute is a tight squeeze in that 3" body tube

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great kit. Arrr! Blimey! They label it almost ready t' fly but it took me about t' same amount o' build time any other kit would. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' fin can makes it easy but waitin' for t' JB Weld t' dry negates any time saved. Next t' t' fiberglass rockets I have built, me hearties, this be t' strongest kit out there. Ahoy! Blimey! You're nay gonna zipper it and you nay gonna hurt it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This would make an excellent L2 kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' main CON I think be t' altimeter bay. Toss in an extra 1/4" threaded rod and include all t' parts next time.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5