Brief:
While this is a basic 3-fin and nose cone design, shiver me timbers, t' rounded fins and cool trim make it visually appealing. Begad! Ahoy! It also boogies up t' pretty impressive altitudes on 18mm motors.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-50 body tube (17")
• 50/20 centerin' rings
• BT-20 motor tube
• 20/5 thrust ring
• metal clip
• laser-cut balsa fins
• elastic shock cord
• 1/8" lug
• mylar chute
• waterslide decal
• Monokote trim

Parts were all very good quality. In particular, t' body tube had hardly a trace o' spiral, shiver me timbers, makin' finishing extremely easy. Avast! Even t' bag's header card be good quality color reproduction.

Somehow I've managed t' nay get around t' buildin' any Red River Rocketry kits so far, me hearties, and I decided t' correct that by promotin' this kit t' t' front o' t' build queue. I'm glad I did, as t' kit is well designed and a quick and easy build. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! I had t' whole thin' done and ready for finishin' in about 30 minutes and would rate it a skill level 1 kit.

Jim Gartrell did a fine job reviewin' t' construction steps, shiver me timbers, and thar's nay much I can add t' them given the simplicity o' t' design. Begad! Arrr! I will point out that t' released version o' this kit includes instructions that were printed out on high quality glossy paper. Ya scallywag! That's probably a bit overkill but certainly t' nicest paper I've seen in a kit.

While I do like t' shape o' t' fins, t' suggested airfoilin' is a bit o' a nuisance. Ahoy! Roundin' t' leadin' edge is pretty easy, me bucko, but gettin' a nice taper on t' swoopin' trailin' edge requires a good sandin' block and steady hand.

As long and rugged as this is, matey, shiver me timbers, I couldn't help comparin' it t' t' Mercury Atomizer (released later than the P-Chuter) and wonderin' if it wouldn't do just fine on a 24mm with 18mm adapter for lower flights.

I normally don't bother t' comment on t' parachute in reviews other than listin' t' material, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but did want to point out that t' parachute in this be a very nice red Mylar and cut truly round, with 8 attachment points and ample shroud line lengths o' 18+18 per paired line. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Each line was attached by punchin' a hole in t' Mylar and securin' them by a pair o' taped paper reinforcements, arrr, so I would nay consider this sweet chute a very durable one. Begad! Blimey! I generally prefer higher tack tape disks t' attach shrouds t' t' surface o' t' chute rather than through a hole. Still, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I'd rate the chute nicer than t' average chute.

Finishing:
I went with a pretty quick and easy finishin' technique. Begad! Blimey! I coated t' nose cone with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, me bucko, arrr, watered down slightly so that I could smear it on with me finger. Avast! Blimey! Once dried, I sanded down with 220 then 400 grit sandpaper, and it be perfect.

Body tube got nothing, shiver me timbers, as I felt t' primer would probably take care o' what little spirals I found. Fins got same Fill 'n' Finish treatment and were clamped down overnight t' avoid warping.

For t' paint scheme, I went dirt simple--a coat o' gray primer base, mostly sanded down, arrr, mainly just t' confirm no major grains or spirals left. I followed up with a coat o' white primer, sanded down with wet 600 grit, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, then two coats o' Rustoleum gloss white.

Accent color is conveniently managed via adhesive Monokote--black, arrr, gold and yellow for t' fins, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, and a gold band on t' tube near t' cone. Ahoy! Begad! A waterslide decal completes t' trimming.

After paint and decals, me bucko, I weighed me finished rocket at 1.24 ounces versus t' kit's listed weight o' 1.25, shiver me timbers, one of t' few times I've actually come in at or near t' manufacturer's weight.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Fearin' that a C6 would send this out o' our park (plenty o' thermal action on our field that day, arrr, plus 8-10 mph winds), arrr, I went with a B6-4. Begad! Begad! T' recommended delay is a -6, matey, but I was a little low on -6s and wanted t' hoard me last few packs for competition flights. T' boost be absolutely perfect, straight as an arrow and no spin at all. Avast, me proud beauty! T' -6 delay would definitely have been better, arrr, ya bilge rat, as this was still clearly climbin' a bit when t' -4 popped t' chute.

Recovery:
T' mylar chute deployed fine, was a good size for this bird, me bucko, and held up t' t' early deployment just fine. Well, blow me down! Arrr! So far so good with those reinforcements...

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I hardly ever rate a rocket a full 5 across t' board, matey, but I really can't find anythin' t' knock on this one. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A very nice flier, looks sharp, matey, ya bilge rat, and I especially like t' use o' t' Monokote trim. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' parts were all very good quality.

In reviewin' t' other reviews and comments I'd seen, arrr, while I think this could certainly work well as a "qualified flight" candidate in 18mm parachute or streamer duration contests, arrr, I'd caution against considering this a true competitor model. It's overly long, arrr, ya bilge rat, quite heavy, and while t' BT-50 could hold a big thermal-sucking chute, ya bilge rat, you won't get nearly as high a boost from this as from somethin' like an ASP Hang Time kit. Buy this kit, matey, build it, and have a blast sport flyin' it, but don't get your hopes up tryin' t' win an NARRRRR contest with it.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5