Brief:
This is semi-scale sport model based on NASA's Max Launch Abort System (MLAS). Begad! Arrr! It is quite stubby, matey, shiver me timbers, bein' 3.5" in diameter and a mere 9" long. Avast! It has only one recommended motor, me hearties, t' B6, arrr, me bucko, and recovers in two parts on three parachutes.

NOTE: Two RockSims were submitted. Begad! Avast! One be t' stock build and one has added nose weight. Arrr! You should assess the stability o' your own model.

Construction:

Parts included in t' kit:

• One 3.5" D v 5.5" L tube
• One nosecone shoulder ring
• Three laser cut rings for t' motor mount and nose cone shoulder
• 18mm motor mount (tube, block hook)
• Keelhaul®©™® and elastic cords
• Three plastic 'chutes
• Two sets o' four laser cut fins
• 1/8" lug
• Lag bolt
• Decal set
• Two foam MicroMaxx cones

T' build requires t' standard sandpaper, arrr, hobby knife, wood filler, wood glue. Arrr! Aye aye! Foam safe white and black paint is also needed.

T' 10 pages o' instructions are well written and are excellently illustrated. They include a markin' guide for t' motor mount, me hearties, a ruler that you can cut out if you don't have one lyin' around and, arrr, o' course, a fin markin' guide.

T' parts come securely packaged in a box vs. a plastic bag. This protects t' wide, shiver me timbers, thin walled body tube, and helps both you and t' environment. Well, blow me down! T' box can be recycled into a reusable range box. At least, so sayeth t' sticker on t' end.

T' motor mount assembly is standard, usin' both a thrust rin' and a motor hook. Two centerin' rings are provided. T' lower rin' has cutouts t' save a some weight. T' Keelhaul®©™® cord is tied t' t' mount prior t' t' installation o' t' top ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I used a *small* dab o' 5-minute epoxy t' secure it.

T' body tube is quite thin for its size and I had concerns about squashin' it along t' way. I'm glad t' mount didn't grab while I was insertin' it into t' glue smeared tube. It survived me clumsy buildin' skills but concerns about flight durability remained.

T' fin preparation and installation are also typical - sand, me bucko, matey, mark, glue (double glue joints are specified). Begad! Arrr! The instructions have t' fins filled after they are installed but I prefer t' do this prior t' installation.

T' nose cone assembly consists o' t' foam capsule, a shoulder and a laser cut cardboard bulkhead. A heavy lag bolt is installed in t' tip t' provide t' required nose weight. Well, blow me down! Arrr! This bolt is also t' attachment point for t' nose cone's parachute. Begad! A second, shiver me timbers, very thin Keelhaul®©™® cord is tied around t' bolt and is fed into t' body when t' 'chutes are installed. Arrr! Begad! Attachin' t' cord t' t' bolt should keep all t' parts together on recovery and will allow t' cone t' come down base first. Avast! Blimey! T' final step is to install t' faux thrusters on t' nose (which were faux on t' real thin' too). Avast! Here, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you split t' two foam MMX cones, sand t' fit, me bucko, arrr, and glue them on t' capsule.

Finally, you also have t' assemble and install t' three plastic 'chutes. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I added a length o' elastic t' each of t' nose cone 'chutes t' act as separate risers.

Finishing:
Prior t' painting, shiver me timbers, you are instructed t' fill t' cone with thinned wood filler, me bucko, matey, which I did. Aye aye! Blimey! T' entire model is then supposed t' be painted with foam-safe paint. Blimey! Blimey! I chose t' paint t' lower part with 'regular' paint and t' cone with brush-on acrylics. Arrr! Blimey! I ended up usin' t' paint that I had on hand.

T' body was spray painted and t' fins were painted with brush-on. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I don't like sprayin' such small areas. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! The instructions also say t' cover t' entire body with a plastic bag, expose t' fins and mask them off. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Since I didn't spray them, matey, I just masked with plain old blue maskin' tape.

Maskin' t' cone was t' most complicated part o' t' process for me since t' surface o' acrylic paint be not perfectly smooth and I had a fair amount o' bleeding. I should have painted on a layer o' t' base coat before adding t' black trim.

T' kit provided quite a few decals includin' stripes, rivets, me hearties, fin numbers and logos. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions do a great job showin' where t' position them. I HATE IT when you have a sheet o' decals and have t' guess where they go. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Make sure you look at them carefully t' separate t' individual items (for example, t' numeral 'I' decals were individually positioned on t' paper but some o' t' other numbers were attached t' one another). Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' decals were tough and came off their backin' smartly and easily. Avast! Begad! Blimey! As usual for me, me bucko, matey, I had some positionin' problems and little ones tended t' stick immediately. Arrr! Blimey! I'll chalk this up t' operator error.

T' overall results are that t' rocket looks great as long as you back far enough off. But I like it! All these issues are mine and nay t' kit's. Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Prep was more complicated than your typical LPR bird. I added t' specified waddin' and laid in t' 'chutes in the order specified. Avast! Avast! T' body's 'chute went in first followed by t' two capsule chutes. Avast! Begad! I opted for t' B6-4 vs. a -2 because that's what I had. Arrr! Aye aye! My RockSim model, arrr, which uses t' as-built mass and CG, matey, says t' -4 was a better fit anyway.

Well, matey, it rose about 20' then arced over and core sampled. Aye aye! Blimey! It's path seemed t' be perpendicular t' t' 7-8 mph winds. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' good news: t' soft foam cone be muddy but nay dented, t' body tube was intact and all 8 fins stayed on. T' ground was soft but t' kit was sturdier than I expected.

I wanted t' try an Estes C6-5 but be nervous about usin' a heavier motor, arrr, so I kludged up some nose weight. Well, blow me down! I won't embarrass myself with t' details but it DID involve bubble gum (but no bailin' wire or duct tape). Blimey! In me haste, I didn't check t' CG for future reference. Ya scallywag! T' boost was good with some weather cocking. Arrr! Begad! Success! T' nose weight unit was lost at ejection but I since recreated it as best I could. Avast! Begad! It was around 0.3 oz.

Recovery:
Ejection on flight #2 was a bit late due t' t' weather cocking, matey, but nay bad. One o' t' two nose cone 'chutes tangled, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but one is enough for a soft landing.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I liked short stubby rockets and fell in love with t' MLAS after seein' its launch photos and videos. Blimey! This is a very semi-scale representation, ya bilge rat, but I like it too!

T' motor mount, arrr, me hearties, laser cut fins, and recovery system are fairly standard. Paintin' is a little more complicated than most, ya bilge rat, but I seldom consider finishin' when I think o' skill levels. Begad! Begad! There are a lot o' decals and their quality is good. T' three 'chutes make prep a little more complicated, shiver me timbers, but still nay difficult. Begad!

T' negatives are a thin walled body and marginal stability. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Quest will likely say that me buildin' skills or the wind led t' t' problems with t' B6 flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Even with these issues I like t' kit and it was refreshin' t' see someone go out on a limb and offer such a kit. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Despite me low rating, I recommend buyin' one..or two. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

I have added some weight t' me nose and will try her again at t' next launch. Avast! I went ahead and submitted the review since this could take a while.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5