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

Construction:
Actually, ya bilge rat, 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, ya bilge rat, me hearties, had a plastic nose cone. Blimey! Blimey! But both kits featured a paper body tube, me bucko, die cut balsa fins, arrr, a short piece o' elastic, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a streamer, ya bilge rat, and a decal. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! t' quality o' components was excellent, me hearties, except for t' shock cord, which be comically short on each kit.

T' plastic nose cone was a tight fit, shiver me timbers, and needed considerable sandin' before it would fit. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' balsa piece fit nicely but had quite a bit o' grain t' it. Begad! Blimey! I prefer this t' plastic, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, however. At any rate, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' plastic piece was ready t' go right from t' box, once t' shoulder be sanded. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Then I applied some black enamel, followed with a coat o' clear t' keep t' decals on. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, straight flight. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I followed this with 2 flights on a B6-6, and t' last one was never seen again. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! T' subsequent kit be flown on "A" motors only for a while, ya bilge rat, but I couldn't help tryin' a C6-7. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! We lost it too, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but fortunately someone in our club found it and brought it t' t' RSO. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has since been modified for 13mm motors, and does well enough on an A10-3T. Avast! I've never had a recovery failure, but if it did, shiver me timbers, t' thin' is so light weight it would probably recover just fine.

Recovery:
T' supplied shock cord is just too small. Begad! Blimey! 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, at least. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Also, t' bottom o' t' fins are gettin' crisp, though nay quite burnt. Begad! Blimey! Overall, though, this is a great flier.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5