Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Accordin' t' PML, arrr, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, matey, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, shiver me timbers, 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. Frankly, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, matey, now that I've tried both. Begad! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, shiver me timbers, and use bigger motors. However, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, and H or light I motors, then QT is by far t' way t' go. I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, matey, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! There's not a lot you can write up, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! In both cases, I build the kit stock, shiver me timbers, me bucko, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Avast! Blimey!

All t' parts fit well, matey, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

No motor retention is provided, me bucko, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, arrr, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Blimey! Overall, matey, 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. Aye aye! When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Begad! Avast! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Avast! Begad! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Avast! 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, ya bilge rat, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Well, blow me down! Again, arrr, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Avast! Then, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, it was necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. Aye aye! That was it for paint. Ahoy! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Begad! Aye aye!

Now, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Ahoy! T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Aye aye! It adheres well, arrr, and looks about right. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, arrr, matey, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. I chose t' not paint these, me bucko, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! So, me hearties, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Blimey! Begad! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, matey, and cut out t' strips I needed. Avast, me proud beauty! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, ya bilge rat, matey, but it's doing fine so far. After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, shiver me timbers, and Rockets o' t' World. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Finally, 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, shiver me timbers, from G t' I for this rocket. My first flight (and only, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Avast, me proud beauty! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. T' nose, me hearties, shiver me timbers, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), 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, me hearties, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Still... Ahoy! Arrr! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path.

Flight number two was an F50-6, shiver me timbers, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Avast! Blimey! 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. Blimey! Blimey! Boost was nice and straight, ya bilge rat, and t' flight was nominal. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only downside was t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, arrr, 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. Begad! Avast! T' piston, in turn, shiver me timbers, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Ahoy! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, arrr, ya bilge rat, a slotted bulkhead, and a D-ring. Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Well, blow me down! Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, arrr, 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 hearties, and is probably a good size, shiver me timbers, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), me hearties, ya bilge rat, I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5