Brief:
A small, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone.

Construction:
Actually, I built 2 Yankee kits; one t' replace t' initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. T' first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, but t' second kit, matey, while otherwise identical, shiver me timbers, had a plastic nose cone. Well, blow me down! But both kits featured a paper body tube, die cut balsa fins, shiver me timbers, a short piece o' elastic, matey, a streamer, me bucko, and a decal. Begad! t' quality o' components be excellent, except for t' shock cord, which was comically short on each kit.

T' plastic nose cone was a tight fit, and needed considerable sandin' before it would fit. Begad! T' balsa piece fit nicely but had quite a bit o' grain t' it. I prefer this t' plastic, however. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! At any rate, matey, arrr, it is a straightforward build, and t' instructions seemed t' be somewhat better than normal Estes fare.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose needed considerable fillin' and sandin' t' be paintable. Begad! Ahoy! T' plastic piece was ready t' go right from t' box, once t' shoulder be sanded. I chose t' use automotive primer on t' original, applyin' thin coats and sandin' in betwixt applications t' get rid o' t' spiral and fin grain. Then I applied some black enamel, shiver me timbers, followed with a coat o' clear t' keep t' decals on. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, arrr, this one disappeared soon. T' second kit was simply sanded and sprayed with red and black and was considered finished after t' decals were applied.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launchin' with an A8-3 produced a good, shiver me timbers, straight flight. Begad! I followed this with 2 flights on a B6-6, and t' last one be never seen again. Begad! T' subsequent kit was flown on "A" motors only for a while, ya bilge rat, but I couldn't help tryin' a C6-7. Begad! Begad! We lost it too, but fortunately someone in our club found it and brought it t' t' RSO. Arrr! It has since been modified for 13mm motors, ya bilge rat, and does well enough on an A10-3T. I've never had a recovery failure, but if it did, me hearties, t' thin' is so light weight it would probably recover just fine.

Recovery:
T' supplied shock cord is just too small. Ahoy! After about 6 flights some wear can be seen on t' end o' t' body tube because o' t' shock cord whippin' it. Avast! Blimey! A good thin' t' do would be t' double t' cord length, matey, at least. Also, t' bottom o' t' fins are gettin' crisp, me hearties, though nay quite burnt. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Overall, arrr, though, this is a great flier.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Personally, I prefer t' older balsa nose cone, but t' plastic one will suffice. Avast! Either way, it's a great beginner kit that a kid will have no problem constructing, me bucko, and will deliver many good flights, arrr, so long as you can find it again. But add some length t' t' shock cord!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5