Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Avast! Ya scallywag! Army's first guided missile. Ahoy! I got t' Aerospace Specialty Products catalog by sendin' e-mail t' them. ASP has some really cool products, especially for NARRRRR people gettin' into competition. Blimey! It's a basement business, me hearties, so don't expect call center answerin' systems and full blown retail convenience. Aye aye! I bought a couple o' Mylar chutes and decided that I'd give one of their kits a try. Ya scallywag!

It's a good solid kit. Quality BT50 size tube with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchor, balsa nose cone and basswood fins. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It comes with one o' their 12" mylar chutes. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! All in all it's a pretty straight forward and simple kit. Ya scallywag! I'll let you know how it flies later. I'm sure this is typical o' ASP, arrr, so I can comfortably recommend them. I will definitely buy more stuff from them in t' future.

Quality Scale Kit...
This is a scale model o' t' US Army's first guided ballistic missile. Avast! Blimey! The Corporal missile was developed about t' time and by t' same folks who developed t' WAC Corporal soundin' rocket (hence t' name similarity). This kit has a minimum level o' detail and no documentation, shiver me timbers, so you'll have t' dig that up yourself. It's a great flyin' rocket.

Construction:
Construction is pretty straight forward. Begad! It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. Avast! The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. T' decals are t' peel and stick on type. Blimey! If you've spent time buildin' paper and wood models, ya bilge rat, matey, this will be a snap. Otherwise, it makes a great first kit. Well, blow me down!

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. I also glassed t' fins. It resulted in a hard, smooth surface. Begad! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. T' 18 mm tube is inside a 24 mm tube and t' two tubes are flush, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Ahoy! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, shiver me timbers, so this rocket is a good candidate for a drag separation, so you'll want t' coupler t' fit snug too. Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, or motor ejection. Avast! Aye aye!

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. T' reason I used epoxy be I could get a strong bond, ya bilge rat, but I had some time t' work with it. Begad! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. Aye aye! I placed t' body tube on t' this. motor such that t' fins would just touch t' cardboard. Well, blow me down! Begad! I was hopin' that I could set t' four finned rocket on a flat surface and it wouldn't rock. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

I finished all t' balsa parts t' same way. Ahoy! Ahoy! I applied 2 coats o' sanding sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Well, blow me down! Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it was as thick as very thick syrup. Blimey! I painted this on t' balsa parts. Avast! There was no sign o' grain after this. Aye aye! I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! This isn't really a payload rocket. Ya scallywag! Payload area is filled with clay. Aye aye!

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, me hearties, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. Ahoy! When this was done I carefully applied t' decals. I'm quite pleased with t' results. Won't win any contests, but it looks really nice.

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). Ahoy! I deduct a half point for t' lack o' a motor clip and a half point because thar be nay scale data for t' rocket included. If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, ya bilge rat, it would be perfect. Well, blow me down!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, B and C motors. Avast! It would handle t' D motors just fine, but it would go very high, matey, me bucko, very fast and be hard t' track. Ahoy! T' C motor gets it way up there. It flies very straight, even in windy conditions. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Well, blow me down!

T' supplied parachute is fine, in fact I'm kinda in love with t' ASP mylar chutes. I attach a snap swivel from a fishin' supply store and use t' ASP parachute on all me model rockets. Ahoy! That parachute has been through a lot. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Get a red one.

It's a fine flier. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very pretty rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' value for your loot if fantastic. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It flies well, matey, matey, high and straight every time. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's large enough that you can just see it a t' end o' a C6-5 boost. Ahoy! Blimey! T' take off is nice and slow with t' A motor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5