Brief:
Single stage piggy back boost launch glider design with two gliders. Ya scallywag! T' glider's wings act as rocket fins durin' boost then separate usin' t' ejection charge t' deploy t' gliders. Aye aye! T' rocket booster body recovers with a streamer.

Construction:
T' kit includes 4 body tubes. Two larger ones are for t' booster and two smaller tubes for t' glider fuselages. Begad! Also supplied are 3 plastic nose cones and vacuum formed thin white plastic parts t' hold t' nose and tail o' each glider in alignment on t' booster body tube.

There are good instructions that are easy t' follow in t' kit. No special tools are need for this kit. Ya scallywag! Care must be taken durin' construction o' t' glider wings. Avast! T' win' tips angle downward from t' main win' section and alignment is tricky. Arrr! T' kit supplies a template t' get t' angle just right and it is glued usin' tape on a flat surface. Avast! Arrr! T' only other tricky part be t' alignment o' t' upper glider nose mount. Both o' these must me positioned correctly so that t' nose o' both gliders fit in and are held in position for launch. T' plastic is thin and has t' be trimmed so that they don't interfere with each other as they wrap around t' body tube. Ahoy! Build t' gliders before gluin' upper separation mounts in place so that you can check for proper alignment when gluing. Ya scallywag! I found this white plastic hard t' work with, shiver me timbers, as regular glue didn't stick very well and I had t' use some 5 minute epoxy. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' bungee cord was small and short. Ahoy! All together it be a pretty good kit and it went together in about 2 days time, matey, nay includin' finishin' and decals.

Finishing:
Model was painted with Testor's white spray paint from a small can. Aye aye! Ahoy! This stuff looks good but is way too heavy for t' gliders!

On setup for launch, matey, make sure gliders are lined up vertically and with each other. Begad! Havin' said that, matey, arrr, after many launches it doesn't appear t' be all that critical for a good boost.

I recommend leavin' t' paint off o' t' gliders and just colorin' them with a bright color magic marker and then one or two coats o' 50% thinned AeroGloss model airplane dope t' add water resistance.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' best flights I've had are on a C6-5 because all o' t' paint and epoxy repairs. Arrr! Use plenty o' waddin' so that t' bungee cord and streamer do nay burn or melt. Avast! Blimey! T' cord and streamer fit closely t' t' engine.

I have used C6-3 and C6-5 on t' A.R.V. Aye aye! Condor with good trajectory every time.

Test fly your gliders by hand before launch and use t' clay provided in t' kit t' balance them just right. One o' me gliders flys great and t' other one always tightens up into a spiral descent despite numerous attempts t' balance and trim it with t' clay. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Again, I should nay have painted t' gliders!

Recovery:
T' upper and lower body tubes fit together tightly so that thar be a real pop on ejection. On t' very first launch, t' short shock cord pulled loose from its mount. Ahoy! Begad! It is probably short t' prevent tanglin' with t' gliders but after riggin' a longer cord with rubber bands usin' a hole in t' side o' t' lower body tube and a knot, matey, I had no problems. Ya scallywag! T' body tubes still slam together and collapse t' tube openings on every launch.

When launchin' you need at least two people and preferably three or four with one person assigned t' trackin' one glider each and one t' t' booster. It is very cool when they all separate at apogee! Lots o' stuff happening.

After more than 10 launches on this model, matey, it looks pretty rough! T' body tubes are wrinkled and t' upper glider mounts have broken/come unglued and been repaired with fiberglass cloth and epoxy. After one launch, me hearties, t' engine stuck in t' engine mount and had t' be extracted with pliers causin' damage t' t' lower body tube area and lower glider mounts. This was repaired with 3/4oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Begad! T' streamer has numerous burn holes and melt spots. Begad! T' glider nose cones have brown dirt on t' tips from kids "test gliding" after recovery. Avast! T' tiny launch lugs have been glued, replaced, me hearties, and re-glued.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' A.R.V. Condor is a really fun! It is a good kit with well written instructions. Begad! T' best part o' this model be t' recovery! Watchin' t' gliders circle slowly over head is way cool!

T' only problems are that you need three people t' track all t' descendin' objects at once. Nay a good idea t' fly this on in any kind o' wind, matey, matey, unless you have a really big field. Also t' shock cord needs t' be longer. Avast, me proud beauty! Perhaps t' fit betwixt t' body tubes could be loosened up t' ease t' shock o' ejection a bit.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5