Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Avast! Accordin' t' PML, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, arrr, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), shiver me timbers, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, a heavy-duty nylon strap, arrr, a length o' woven elastic, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Avast! Blimey! Frankly, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, now that I've tried both. Ahoy! Blimey! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, arrr, and use bigger motors. Begad! Blimey! However, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, and H or light I motors, matey, me bucko, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Begad! Blimey! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Arrr! Blimey! T' thin' t' watch is that you sand thoroughly (with coarse grit) any QT parts you are epoxying.

T' instructions for t' kit are pretty basic and straight-forward. There's not a lot you can write up, shiver me timbers, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Begad! Construction steps are logical, me hearties, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Ahoy! Well, blow me down! like makin' sure the piston strap (which is epoxied t' t' motor mount) is nay positioned in a manner t' interfere with t' installation o' t' fins. Blimey! In both cases, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version).

All t' parts fit well, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Aye aye!

No motor retention is provided, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Well, blow me down! Begad! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Avast! Overall, t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket was waitin' for t' epoxy t' cure.

Finishing:
This is where that Quantum Tubin' really comes into it's own. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, shiver me timbers, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! With t' QT, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Blimey! Paintin' was pretty simple. Well, blow me down! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Aye aye! Blimey! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, again sandin' betwixt coats. Ahoy! After that, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Again, I used several coats, arrr, with wet-sandin' between each. Aye aye! Blimey! Then, me hearties, it was necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. Avast! Begad! Blimey! That was it for paint. Well, blow me down! Once it had time t' completely dry, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat.

Now, me hearties, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Blimey! T' replicate this, me hearties, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Aye aye! It adheres well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and looks about right. Also, arrr, me bucko, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Arrr! I chose t' not paint these, matey, me bucko, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Begad! Arrr! So, arrr, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Begad! Ahoy! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, me hearties, and cut out t' strips I needed. Aye aye! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, shiver me timbers, but it's doing fine so far. After that, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I applied t' decals, me hearties, referencin' both t' kit instructions, shiver me timbers, and Rockets o' t' World. These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Avast! Blimey! Finally, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, from G t' I for this rocket. Blimey! My first flight (and only, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Ahoy! Unfortunately, matey, matey, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), shiver me timbers, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Aye aye! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Still... Begad! Begad! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), me bucko, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Avast!

Flight number two be an F50-6, me hearties, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Begad! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Begad! Blimey! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, and took a small chunk out o' one fin-tip.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system in t' kit is a two-piece affair: a thick nylon strap connects t' piston t' t' motor mount. Arrr! T' piston, in turn, matey, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Avast! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, me hearties, matey, and a D-ring. Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, I found that the heat o' t' day had caused t' piston t' fit a bit too tightly in t' airframe, and had t' sand it down a bit t' loosen t' fit. Begad! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and is probably a good size, arrr, me bucko, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Aye aye! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), me hearties, I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, me hearties, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Begad! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Begad! Avast! I'd say it's an excellent kit for anyone who is just movin' up t' HPR, shiver me timbers, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. Blimey! Ahoy! As for pros and cons... well, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! In fact, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, arrr, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5