Brief:
I built t' Zip quite a while back as a beta test for Red River Rocketry prior t' t' actual kit production. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It flies on 13mm motors and uses streamer recovery. T' Zip is a beautiful model that is excellent for flyin' on small fields.

Construction:
Not much t' it! You get a small BT-5, nose cone and motor block, arrr, plus launch lug, arrr, shiver me timbers, Keelhaul®©™® cord, me bucko, matey, mylar streamer and tape disc, me hearties, silver trim Monokote and some zippy decals. Ahoy! My kit be a pre-production version so the fins were actually drawn out onto t' balsa and had t' be cut out. Avast! Well, blow me down! Also, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone was resin cast with a plastic insert for t' base. Avast, me proud beauty! I believe t' production version has laser cut fins and t' nose cone is balsa with an eye screw for shock cord attachment.

Mark t' fin lines on t' body tube usin' t' provided template, shiver me timbers, install t' motor block with a spent motor casing, me hearties, and attach t' fins. Arrr! Next, cut out t' small paper shock cord included on t' markin' template and install the shock cord. Begad! Finally, me hearties, arrr, glue in t' base t' t' nose cone, arrr, attach t' shock cord and tape t' mylar streamer onto the shock cord usin' t' tape disc.

Finishing:
I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' seal t' fins prior t' attachment and sanded smooth. Elmer's white glue was used for fin fillets. I put on a couple o' coats o' Krylon primer, sandin' betwixt coats, matey, shiver me timbers, and then finished with Krylon gloss yellow on t' entire rocket. With t' trim Monokote and decals applied, t' rocket looks fantastic.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I only got t' fly it twice. Begad! First was on 1/4A. Blimey! It zoomed up arrow straight, but I didn't see it eject. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It came down fine on t' small mylar streamer. Next time, me hearties, I be a small park after our monthly meeting, me bucko, and John Dyer o' Red River Rocketry and I decided t' drag race our models. Avast! I had only brought 1/4A motors, me hearties, but he wanted t' fly on 1/2A motors. Aye aye! I thought that was insane, me hearties, me hearties, but another club member offered t' swap me 1/4As for a pack o' 1/2As he had. Oh well, ya bilge rat, I thought, me hearties, it'll be one great flight! There was some problem with t' motor though as you can see in t' launch photo. T' exhaust on me motor is much smaller than t' exhaust on John's. Begad! Ahoy! It didn't travel very far and broke a fin on impact, with t' streamer ejectin' after it hit t' ground. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I don't remember if John got his back or not. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I know it Zipped out o' sight real quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! I was lucky t' catch t' rockets just before leavin' t' pad.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket is very nice and can be totally completed in one day or only a few minutes if you don't paint it. Aye aye! Although small in stature, me hearties, me hearties, t' Zip is big on looks!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5