Brief:
Well, it took me so long t' fly this rocket that thar are already a couple o' good reviews. Avast, me proud beauty! But since I already had started me review, me bucko, arrr, I might as well offer me opinion too.

Earlier this year, matey, shiver me timbers, LAUNCH Magazine commissioned Semroc t' produce a kit based on t' missile depicted in their logo. Blimey! Begad! T' result is the LAUNCH Missile (i.e. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' Rocket that Launched a Magazine). Arrr! T' first 300 kits were reserved for LAUNCH subscribers. Arrr! As you can see, me hearties, I got one.

T' LAUNCH Missile is a 4FNC kit that flies on 18mm motors and is recovered by parachute. Begad! T' main distinguishing feature is a ribbed tail section and t' custom decal set.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' 1.34" diameter main body and a 0.759" diameter payload. Aye aye! T' nose cone and transition are balsa and were very smooth. Blimey! T' balsa fins, me hearties, centerin' rings, and tail cone vanes are all precision laser-cut. Ya scallywag! The nominally 18mm motor mount includes both a sprin' hook and cardboard block. Arrr! Recovery is handled with a Keelhaul®©™® leader, a elastic cord, and a plastic chute. Begad! Blimey! These are connected t' t' transition with a hefty screw eye, which undoubtedly also is used for nose weight.

T' motor mount assembly is assembled like any other mount. T' slit for t' sprin' hook was pre-cut in t' mount. Semroc instructs you t' tie a loop in t' Keelhaul®©™® cord and hook it under t' motor hook. Blimey! Avast! T' cardboard block sits in t' end o' t' motor tube and abuts t' tab on the motor hook. Begad! T' motor hook is held down with a pair o' centerin' rings. Aye aye! Blimey! T' aft rin' is slotted t' mate with tabs on the laser-cut vanes. Ahoy! I am so happy they invented lasers! These tabs fit nicely and made t' installation o' t' vanes a snap. T' only 'extra' I did was t' wick some thin CA into t' thin tips o' t' vanes once they were attached. Begad! Aye aye! Once dry, me bucko, t' mount is easily inserted into t' main tube,

T' four fins and launch lug are positioned via a markin' guide in t' instructions. Arrr! T' elastic is then tied to the Keelhaul®©™® cord and t' screw eye.

Finishing:
I 'painted' mine with white primer covered with a clear coat t' make a semi-gloss finish. T' kit comes with decals, which I also coated with a clear coat before application. Avast! Begad! These went on fine except for t' inverted-U shaped decals that were t' fit over t' root o' each fin. It appears that I am nay alone here. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' edge o' a couple o' these flipped on themselves and it was difficult t' straighten them out. Aye aye! As a result, shiver me timbers, I removed them all.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I used a piece o' Quest waddin' crumpled into a ball and some dog barf. Begad! Unlike many o' me models, arrr, I decided t' use the stock chute. Since t' wind was brisk, I decided t' fly t' Launch Missile on a B6-4. Aye aye! Blimey! T' boost was quick and straight considerin' t' wind.

Recovery:
Eject appeared t' be at apogee and t' stock chute did its job.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this rocket look nice and t' quality o' t' kit is typical Semroc. Ahoy! And I can't beat t' price! Given a calmer day, I'll might try a C6 motor...but t' B6 is a really good choice for this small rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5