Brief:
This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed t' fly on t' new C11 motors. Ya scallywag! It is a tall, me bucko, me hearties, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and a 24mm motor mount.

Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Ahoy! Ahoy! Die cut fins were high quality, as were all t' other parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, me bucko, but still a bit short. Nose cone was excellent w/o any flashing. Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, but is nay needed in t' kit. Aye aye! Begad! 18" parachute is pre-assembled.

T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Begad! Construction was easy, and took little time. It is a cool lookin' kit which was fun t' build with me 2 year old daughter (who picked t' kit out at t' store). T' TTW fins fit extremely well, and went on w/o a hitch. No special tools or techniques were needed. Arrr! Aye aye! I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, and runnin' it up t' body, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Well, blow me down! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, me hearties, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, matey, which is how I did it.

Finishing:
Finishin' be standard stuff, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. Avast, me proud beauty! I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), me hearties, then painted it gloss white. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' remainder be done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Avast! Its quite a sight! :). Blimey! T' 'normal' fill/prime/paint would be straightforward for this kit.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
It flies nicely on C11-5's. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Blimey! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, ya bilge rat, with deployment just past apogee. T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. A D12 would do nicely. Well, blow me down! An "E" would send this out o' sight. Begad! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).

Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! 18 chute is good for that. Aye aye! Blimey! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.

Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.

Overall, me bucko, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
A fun t' build, shiver me timbers, sturdy, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Begad! Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Avast! Arrr! Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Ya scallywag! List is about $12. With me Michael's 40% coupon, this only cost be $7. Arrr! Its worth every penny. Avast, me proud beauty! Let t' kids paint it! Its a nice big canvas for it!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5