I bought this rocket this past summer as a birthday gift t' myself. Ahoy! Avast! I finally got around t' buildin' it last month. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I knew what I was in for when I got it. Avast! I had read all t' reviews and comments posted on t' newsgroup as well as here on Essence. T' first thin' I did away with be t' vacuum formed skins. Avast! I prefer nay t' work with this if at all possible. Arrr! T' nacelles would be hard enough but skinnin' t' wings with this stuff was nay an option for me. Avast, me proud beauty! I bought a piece o' 1/64 veneer ply 12"x 24" and this be enough t' cover all t' flyin' surfaces. Begad! T' balsa framework structure be t' same as per t' plan sheet and t' 1/64 ply be t' same thickness as t' plastic. After assembly t' leadin' edges were then shaped for better aerodynamics.

T' next change was how t' nacelles were mounted. I heard o' t' stories o' ejection blowin' them out and how flimsy t' mountin' be on landing. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' fix this I moved t' forward bulkhead t' a point just ahead o' where t' nacelle supports come through t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I used a LOC motor tube coupled t' t' supplied NCR motor tube t' extend t' where t' forward bulkhead would now be. Ahoy! T' nacelle pylons would now go through t' body tube and mount directly t' t' NCR supplied motor tube. Avast! This is a very strong mount and makes sure no ejection blowby occurs.

Another weak spot was t' joint betwixt t' rudder and t' horizontal stab. Blimey! This joint is only a butt joint and nay very strong since thar be minimal surface area t' join. Well, blow me down! Begad! Even with an epoxy fillet. Well, blow me down! T' remedy this I used several short pieces o' bamboo skewers inserted into t' base o' t' rudder then thru t' stab and body tube all t' way t' (but nay thru) t' motor tube. Begad! This is now a very nice, strong joint.

I did replace t' shock cord mount with regular 1/16 aircraft cable since t' one supplied by NCR seemed too small for me liking. I needed t' add about 8oz o' weight t' t' nose. Aye aye! For this I used copper BB's and some 30 minute epoxy. Arrr! This mass is held in place by bamboo skewers cross drilled thru t' nose cone tip with t' BB's added then t' epoxy poured in. Ahoy! This method is preferable t' me rather than usin' t' clay supplied with t' kit. Arrr! Avast! T' model is balanced t' handle up t' a H180 motor. Avast! Avast! T' supplied NCR motor retainer was discarded in favor o' APIs machined motor retainer (see me Saturn 1b article). Arrr! Avast! T' NCR retainer will nay work with reloadable motors, arrr, which is what I intend t' use for this model.

T' model is now a true high power bird. Avast! After sanding, ya bilge rat, sealin' and preppin' I finished t' Bomarc as per t' diagrams shown in t' instructions. Begad! T' finished weight, matey, shiver me timbers, without motor, was 44oz. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I modeled t' flights usin' win-roc and found t' G75-6 and H128-6 were t' best suited motors. Begad! (the model also flies on AT G64-4 reloads) First flight was on an AT G75-6. Aye aye! T' model boosted straight with a slight roll. At apogee it arced over and flew flat for a second or so then t' ejection went off and deployed t' chutes. Ya scallywag! T' main body came down on a single 36" chute while t' nose recovered separately on a 24" chute. I opted nay t' use t' supplied chutes from NCR since me recovery method be goin' t' be two separate pieces. I also used Pratt's 1/8 tubular Keelhaul®©™ instead o' t' NCR supplied elastic. Avast! (elastic is a no-no for me now)

In t' final analysis, while this is a nice kit and a great size t' build, per t' instructions and with materials supplied it yields a rocket nay quite up t' high or mid power standards. Aye aye! Begad! T' be fair most high power fliers have certain methods and techniques that work for them and kit suppliers cannot meet all those needs. Begad! But in me opinion, at t' price charged for this kit, shiver me timbers, (retail $89) thar could have been better ways t' achieve a fine model without so much extra work. Begad! Arrr! If you can find this kit for a good deal ($40 or less) then I would say buy it and incorporate t' mods I made. Avast! You will have a nice flyin' and great lookin' scale model. I can say it was a real crowd pleaser at our last launch.

As for ratings.......

Construction 3 . Aye aye! . . mostly due t' vaccu-form parts and need for mods t' improve survivabilty

Flight/Recovery 5 . . . Aye aye! Well, blow me down! excellent flight (keep in mind t' add necessary nose weight for stabilty)

Overall 4 . Aye aye! . Blimey! Ya scallywag! . I like t' looks and impressive size o' this model. Ya scallywag! However, me bucko, t' user mods required does nay make it suitable for everyone.