Brief:
A high performance, contest quality helicopter rocket. Well, blow me down! No burn strings here!

Construction:
Materials were strictly top shelf. Body tube, me bucko, vacuformed nose cone, me bucko, arrr, balsa fins and rotor blades. Especially important be t' molded hub and piston. Ya scallywag! You might consider buyin' this rocket just for t' quality parts. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions are very good and lead you through logical. T' trickiest steps concern makin' sure you don't glue t' fold-in-half rotor blades t' themselves. Avast! Blimey! Assembly is straightforward, though intricate. When you're done t' rocket will look insanely tiny and light and make you think o' competition records that will fall, but thar be a catch...

T' instructions are very thorough, as you would expect, me bucko, from Apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! The rotor blade fold in half lengthwise and are set up on a template. Aye aye! Begad! Take great care that you get t' hinge side and t' elastic sides correct. Avast, me proud beauty! T' keep the edges o' t' rotor blades from stickin' along t' seam, arrr, Apogee suggests vaseline carefully applied t' t' joint. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Excellent suggestion. Blimey! Begad! Also take care to trim t' dowel that runs up t' middle t' t' proper length. Arrr! This model should be easily built with t' tools and glue that you already have for other rockets. Begad! This is NOT a beginner's rocket.

Finishing:
This is a contest rocket, me bucko, finishin' is nay a great idea. However, somethings will help it's visibility. Begad! Try usin' magic markers and/or highlighters t' add color. Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight is where this rocket has problems. It is simply unstable if thar's any wind. Well, blow me down! My Micro Whirl-A-Tron and several others have looped when they flew. Aye aye! The basic dimensions o' t' rocket are those o' t' Centrix, matey, which flies great, but the cast piston moves t' CG too far back t' make this rocket anythin' but a Micro Loop-A-Tron in t' wind. Ahoy! Two flights with Apogee 1/2A2-4 motors and 1 with 1/4A2-4 all looped durin' t' afternoon lull at NARAM 42. Ahoy! I saw a few other's fall into t' same trap. Avast, me proud beauty! I did see one that worked, but t' flyer had extended t' fin span by 3/4". Prep is easy, fold t' rotors, me bucko, place them against t' dowel, me hearties, me hearties, slip t' piston down until t' toothpicks are inside the booster body tube. Ya scallywag! Go fly. Aye aye! Avast! This is one o' those designs that might spit the motor. Tape it in good.

Recovery:
This thin' really hangs on t' rotors. If a lighter weight alternative could be found for t' cast piston, shiver me timbers, it would do even better. Begad! You will be utterly stunned how high this gets on a 1/2A motor (if you've lengthened t' fins). Ahoy! Blimey! This is not an incredibly rugged rocket because it is intended for competition use. Begad! Blimey! In contest rockets, if they last more than 3 or 4 flights, they're over-built and therefore too heavy. Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I saw two mods o' t' Whirl-A-Tron that made them fly in a straight line. Ahoy! First you extend t' fin span. Ahoy! Second, me hearties, add a rin' o' cardboard around t' fin tips. In both cases, t' rocket flew very straight, me bucko, and very high. Begad! Due t' t' piston, prep is fast and easy. Aye aye! This gives you an advantage in competition because when the air is good, ya bilge rat, you can fly, recover and fly quickly. Ahoy! Also burn strings tend to get hung up on rotors and such. Begad! T' rocket is light, streamlined and very competitive. Arrr! You'll learn some good techniques just buildin' this rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5