Brief:
T' Sunward Mini Moondance is an easy t' build Level 1 rocket kit. It has four bat win' shaped fins and uses streamer recovery. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It flies high and straight.

Construction:
T' kit contains t' following:

• 1 - 8" Body tube
• 1 - Plastic nose cone
• 2 - Engine centerin' rings
• 1 - Engine thrust ring
• 1 - Engine tube
• 1 - Metal Engine hook
• 1 - Sheet o' decals
• 1 - Launch lug
• 1 - Rubber band shock cord
• 4 - Laser cut balsa wood fins

T' instructions were very easy t' follow. They came printed, two-sided on two 8 1/2" x 11" sheets o' paper. Aye aye! There were three pages o' instructions and t' last page had the warranty and safety code information. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' assembly order was logical. Ahoy! Begad!

I only deviated from t' included instructions in usin' Keelhaul®©™® cord attached t' round elastic cord in place o' t' "rubber band" elastic cord. Begad!

I attached t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' motor mount as shown in t' pictures. Blimey! I then tied t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' round elastic band, ya bilge rat, trimmed t' ends and applied a small amount o' Tight Bond II glue t' t' knot. Ya scallywag! T' round elastic was then attached t' t' nose cone.

T' bat shaped, laser cut fins are cut well and t' quality is pretty good, me hearties, except for t' fins bein' on t' thin side. Avast! They were about 1/16" thick. Blimey! Aye aye! If buildin' this kit with kids, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it would be good t' stress bein' careful nay to break them when sandin' and finishing. Avast, me proud beauty! Though they were thin, they were quite straight and nay warped at all.

I used an Estes tube markin' guide t' mark t' tube for t' four fins. Arrr! Ahoy! T' rest o' t' construction involved gluin' in t' motor mount, gluin' t' fins on, shiver me timbers, attachin' t' elastic t' t' nose cone, me bucko, tapin' on t' streamer and gluin' t' launch lug t' one o' t' fin joints.

I would have given t' Construction 5 points if t' fins were just a bit thicker and Keelhaul®©™® had been included for a shock cord. Begad! I am just nay a fan o' t' rubber band shock cords. Arrr! However, I'm sure they would have worked fine on this rocket, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, especially because o' t' light weight.

Finishing:
T' picture in t' package showed a purple rocket with black fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Because t' decal be purple I decided t' paint t' body tube yellow and t' fins and nose cone gloss black.

At first I was wary o' t' decals that came in one large sheet and had t' be cut out. Avast, me proud beauty! But after cuttin' them out and applyin' them, I am pretty impressed. T' quality is actually quite good. Ya scallywag! Begad! t' decals have even stood up great after several launches.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew t' rocket for three flights t' prepare this review.

Estes motors, waddin' and igniters were used for all three flights. Avast!

T' retention was provided by t' metal engine hook included with he kit.

We flew on A8-3, me hearties, ya bilge rat, B6-4 and C6-5 motors. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! each time, t' rocket had a very straight up flight, even in slight winds. I was quite surprised how high it went on t' A8-3 motor. Begad! T' B6-4 was so high we were grateful just t' get it back. T' rocket kept landin' so close t' t' pad that we decided t' send it up on t' C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! T' C6-5 flight be too high for us t' see where t' ejection took place.

Recovery:
PROS: Included components are fine and would have been easy t' assemble. T' substitute Keelhaul®©™®/elastic cord I used worked great. Aye aye! Begad! Recovery actually went quite well with t' included 38" streamer.

CONS: Even with t' decent recovery, ya bilge rat, one o' t' fins cracked durin' t' first landin' after t' A8-3 flight. Ahoy! I believe that has more t' do with t' very thin fin material and t' pointed shape o' t' fin tips than any flaw in recovery method. Aye aye! We glued t' cracked fin at t' field with some thick CA and let it set while we flew a couple other rockets. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' fix held fine for t' 2nd and 3rd flights.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Good price, matey, ya bilge rat, excellent flier, easy t' build, looks sharp

CONS: Slightly thicker fin material would be nice, shiver me timbers, maybe 3/32".

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5