Brief:
In t' early days o' rocketry if you wanted a rocket that looked like a jet, me bucko, it was a Centuri kit for you. Thrustline's F-19 Night Fighter is a futuristic fighter aircraft styled rocket that once again delivers t' kind of feel that could be found with these kits. T' F-19 boosts on a single 24mm motor and recovers by parachute.

Construction:
All o' t' component o' t' kit were well packaged in a poly bag when I received me F-19 kit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit was well packaged with several others in a sturdy mailin' carton and arrived without damage despite t' best efforts o' t' post office t' inflict it. Ya scallywag!

Included in t' kit are:

• 1 BT-55 Body tube
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord kit
• 1 18" Mylar parachute
• 1 Steel screw eye
• 1 1/8" Launch lug
• 1 1/4" BT-50 Thrust ring
• 2 Black fiberboard centerin' rings
• 1 BT-50 Engine tube
• 1 24mm Engine hook
• 1 1/8" Wooden dowel stock
• 1 Balsa nose cone
• 3 3/16" Balsa sheets (for canopy)
• 2 1/8" x 16" Balsa sheets
• 1 Instructions and fin templates

T' instructions for Thrustline's kits are great. Ya scallywag! T' order o' assembly is well thought out and logical. Blimey! T' F-19 set is no exception. Avast! Ahoy! T' eight pages o' instructions with photos t' illustrate t' steps are easy to follow. Ya scallywag! There are several pages o' fin templates printed on light cardstock.

This kit is definitely nay for t' inexperienced builder. Avast! There are several things that would have been considered "normal" in t' early days o' rocketry that put this kit into t' classification o' a "builder's kit" today. Well, blow me down! Begad! If you are lookin' for a kit that will let you slap its laser-cut fins on and launch it t' same day, ya bilge rat, this is nay it. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down!

T' builder first assembles and installs t' motor mount and Keelhaul®©™® recovery harness. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' main body tube gets marked with t' included body wrap. Aye aye! Blimey! Next comes t' first challenge. T' fins are marked by t' builder onto t' sheets o' balsa and cut by hand. T' builder must be conscious o' the direction o' t' grain. T' suggested direction is marked on t' templates. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Some o' t' fins are fairly small for the thickness o' t' sheets and can be challengin' t' cut cleanly. Ahoy! Blimey! If t' builder doesn't follow t' suggested cutting pattern they could be left short if fin stock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Several o' t' small pieces are joined together t' for t' wings and tail o' t' model. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It is done this way t' allow t' grain t' be aligned as t' give maximum strength t' t' finished part. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After t' win' and tail assemblies are completed and sanded, ya bilge rat, they are attached t' t' airframe.

It be at this point I got an idea about how I'd like t' make t' F-19 more t' me tastes. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! In t' stock kit, the pilot's canopy is attached t' t' main airframe but this looks weird t' me. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! After a couple o' quick emails to Thrustline t' confirm that it wasn't a terrible idea, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I decided t' attach t' canopy t' t' nose. T' kit comes with 3 sheets o' balsa t' be laminated together and carved by hand t' form t' canopy. Begad! Blimey! I suspected (and later it proved t' be correct) that by mountin' t' canopy on t' nose cone I would need additional layers because o' mountin' t' t' pointed cone instead o' t' t' straight tube. Aye aye! Blimey! I cut t' canopy pattern out as close t' t' edge o' t' supplied balsa as possible t' save t' excess for extra layers. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I laminated t' extras on top o' t' canopy after I had it cut. Lots of carvin' and sandin' ensued, ya bilge rat, includin' on t' bottom o' t' canopy t' match t' curve o' t' cone. Ahoy! Blimey! I reversed the teardrop shape so that t' pointy end was in t' front instead o' t' back t' match t' taper o' t' cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' finished canopy mated up t' t' cone nicely but had required a thickness equal t' about five sheets instead o' just three.

I hit one "gotcha" with this kit, ya bilge rat, which came up with t' win' assembly. Arrr! T' supplied 1/8" dowel that is used t' reinforce t' win' tips and add projections t' t' ends o' t' tail fins was too short. Ahoy! I be holdin' a runnin' email dialog with John from Thrustline at t' time. Arrr! I'm sure I could have asked him for a replacement piece of dowel, but I had enough in me parts bin t' keep on buildin' without t' delay o' havin' a small piece o' dowel sent cross country. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Thrustline's customer service is great, so I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem if I had need to have it sent though.

Finishing:
There is a lot o' sandin' and fillin' required for all t' balsa in this kit. Ahoy! T' balsa for t' kit is top notch (firm and tightly grained), but thar be lots o' it!

I used me standard procedure for finishing. One light coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish on t' balsa and t' tube spirals. T' tubes barely had any spirals, me bucko, so they were a breeze t' finish. Begad! Blimey! After sanding, arrr, t' whole kit got a good heavy coat o' Kilz primer and got another round o' sandin' t' get it ready for paint.

This kit reminds me o' t' US Navy's F-18 Hornet so I set about lookin' for an interestin' paint scheme on one. It seems t' Hornet only comes in two paint schemes: Blue Angels and blah grey. Aye aye! After a bit o' searching, me bucko, I decided upon a camouflage scheme similar t' t' one used on t' Russian SU-34/35. Blimey! I started with an undercoat o' white and freehanded t' colors t' t' top o' t' aircraft afterwards. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Lastly, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' canopy be carefully masked and painted.

There are no decals for this kit. It might have been nice t' have some but with me paint scheme, me bucko, they would be a bit superfluous. Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I decided t' go with t' larger o' t' two recommended motors, a D12-5. Aye aye! Begad! T' weather was nice and calm--perfect flying conditions! T' motor clicked in solidly with t' stock engine hook. Begad! Avast! A quick handful o' "dog barf" wadding and a fold o' t' chute finished t' prep o' t' model for flight. Ahoy! T' model leaped off t' pad and boosted perfectly straight, rollin' slowly on t' way up. Ya scallywag! T' ejection went off perfectly at apogee and t' rocket landed quite close to the pad. Arrr! Blimey! T' slight breeze pulled t' chute o' t' F-19 and it fell onto its top on landing. Ya scallywag! T' top o' one o' the vertical stabilizers broke off cleanly.

After a touch o' super glue, me hearties, me bucko, t' Nightfighter was ready t' fly again. T' prep be just as simple for t' second flight. This time, t' model weathercocked slightly, rollin' again on boost. T' wind had come up a bit since t' first flight, causin' it t' drift a bit on t' semi-large chute. It landed just outside t' border o' t' flyin' field, shiver me timbers, arrr, right at t' edge o' t' water. Arrr! This time it landed right side up without damage.

Recovery:
T' shock cord on this kit is Keelhaul®©™® and elastic that is attached t' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' parachute kit came with a snap swivel. I was a little leery o' the elastic cord as it was somewhat thinner than I am used t' using, but it seems t' be durable enough for t' model. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

T' chute may be a little large for t' model on a small field, but it does come down nice and gently, which is good with t' large wings. Begad! Blimey! After two flights t' recovery system is showin' only normal, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, expected wear and tear. After readin' reviews o' previous Thrustline kits, arrr, ya bilge rat, I added a couple o' wraps o' maskin' tape t' t' Keelhaul®©™® even with t' end o' t' body tube t' prevent zippering. Begad! Well, blow me down! This be t' simplest answer that I have heard o' with this style o' recovery harness, me bucko, and it seems t' work well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a somewhat challengin' kit t' build, me hearties, but t' end result is very rewarding. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' kit requires craftsmanship that reminds me o' how kits used t' be 30 years ago. Aye aye! Blimey! It be nice t' take a trip back t' t' days before t' "major manufacturers" dumbed down t' rocketry experience t' t' lowest common denominator. I enjoyed t' conversation that I had with John from Thrustline and t' encouragement that he gave me t' customize t' kit t' me tastes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Great customer service in a day and age where one gets used t' receivin' very little help from an outsourced, arrr, arrr, overseas customer help line.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5