Brief:
Low power rocket booster with streamer recovery and glider flight recovery.

Construction:
Rocket booster is basically an 18mm minimum diameter rocket with a balsa "hook" assembly on it instead of fins. Glider is comprised completely o' balsa. Ya scallywag! Wings and stabilizer are 1/8", fuselage is 1/4" x 1/2". Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

T' instructions were good, except that thar were a few places where t' pictures really didn't match what you needed t' do--I was glad that thar was a detailed picture o' t' "hook" on t' product packaging. Aye aye! I would say that Quest labelin' this a skill model 3 kit is accurate. Avast, me proud beauty! Most kits go up in skill level because o' intricate paint jobs, however, shiver me timbers, this kit required real modelin' skills.

T' balsa in t' kit was nay consistent. Avast, me proud beauty! One win' was nice, tight, strong grained balsa and t' other one was made o' weak, shiver me timbers, arrr, stringy balsa. Avast! T' fuselage be a nice piece o' wood. Begad! I had t' really trace t' parts with me X-Acto knife t' get them out o' t' balsa stock since they were nay punched all t' way through.

T' instructions on trimmin' t' glider were good, me bucko, but when it came t' trimmin' t' booster/glider assembly, shiver me timbers, it took me a while t' figure it out.

I built mine as a true "flat cat," only dressin' t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' wings and stabilizer. I did also massage out t' fuselage per t' instructions. Arrr! Blimey! T' glider flew perfectly with no trimming. Avast!

Finishing:
Finishin' was nothin' special. Avast! Blimey! I gave mine a quick sandin' with 220 grit sandpaper and shot it with 2 coats o' Krylon spray paint. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! I figured that this would help seal t' balsa and increase visibility. I did nay put t' stickers on mine.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
After readin' t' other comments about this glider on EMRR, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I decided t' fly mine on an A8-3 for t' first flight. T' field I use is kind o' small, so I wasn't goin' for any altitude. Arrr! I also added some clay weight t' induce a spiral in hopes o' gettin' t' glider back.

T' rocket went about 200 feet and separation from t' glider was perfect. T' booster came down under streamer and landed about 15 feet from t' pad. I must have added too much weight, me hearties, shiver me timbers, because t' glider didn't spiral, shiver me timbers, arrr, it corkscrewed down. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! It hit nose first in t' snow and kinda rolled. No significant damage! T' nose be a little flattened out though so I sanded it round again in t' field.

Second flight, I took a little bit o' t' clay weight off. Arrr! Arrr! Lift and separation were identical, shiver me timbers, t' booster droppin' 30 feet from t' pad. Begad! T' glider did several nice spirals and stuck its nose into the ground softly about 100 feet from t' pad. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I did nay have a watch, but I would guess t' glide t' be around 10 seconds or so. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!

I didn't have an opportunity t' fly it a third time. I be out o' A8-3s and with t' wind pickin' up, matey, matey, I didn't want more altitude.

Recovery:
Recovery o' t' booster is fine with t' streamer. Begad! Recovery o' t' glider is a Catch-22. If you want it back, you will have short glide times! It is all in t' trimming, me bucko, and t' bigger t' field t' better. Well, blow me down! I would really like to play with this on a big field! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This be a great kit and really delivers on its promises! Blimey! This be t' first boost glider that I have built, and it has left me with a new respect for them. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! I can see t' science behind it and how you could detail yourself t' death with a glider if you were tryin' t' go for maximum glide time. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! Recovery be t' killer on this though. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey!

I actually had a lot o' fun buildin' this kit, me bucko, especially learnin' how trimmin' it affects t' glide recovery. Honestly, I probably won't ever launch this again, arrr, but will hand toss it a bunch! It is a great glider!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5