Brief:

A lightweight, shiver me timbers, matey, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design.

Construction:

T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. As such, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, me bucko, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, arrr, though I couldn't tell until t' package was open. Ya scallywag! T' kit featured a length o' 18mm tubing, matey, a very unusual plastic nose cone, a very good mylar parachute, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, a laughably short shock cord, me bucko, and a bit o' grainy, flimsy balsa. Avast! Avast! Motor retention is simply friction fit, with a paper motor block inside t' body tube. Ahoy! Hardly earth-shatterin' stuff here, shiver me timbers, arrr, but different enough t' be interesting.

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, one for assembly, me bucko, and one set for flight. Arrr! Unfortunately, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Regardless, t' instructions are logical, matey, shiver me timbers, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Well, blow me down! T' fins, while grainy and a bit flimsy, shiver me timbers, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, and featured good, straight lines. Begad! Ya scallywag! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Begad! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, arrr, this one featured a loose nose cone. Ahoy! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, and lightweight, but surprisingly durable. T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, shiver me timbers, yet so far they've held up. I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, me hearties, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Blimey! Begad! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! As I mentioned earlier, t' body tube be crushed in t' center, arrr, shiver me timbers, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, had less o' a spiral, ya bilge rat, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, me bucko, and thus, me hearties, me bucko, t' nose cone fit perfectly. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Blimey! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, shiver me timbers, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, in triple t' rocket's length. T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, matey, and works well in this case. Ya scallywag! But a word o' caution - make sure it doesn't stick out too far! Nay much room in thar for a parachute.

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, I just painted this one as-is. T' much higher quality ASP tube was already white, shiver me timbers, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Aye aye! As a result, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, which was intentional. Well, blow me down! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Blimey! Overall, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, yet strong rocket that looks great. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, and it won't fit anymore. Arrr! So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. Ya scallywag! No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, don't try an "A" motor at all. Begad! In fact, matey, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, even with a cackle fruit aboard, me bucko, and flights will be great. Begad! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but nay enough t' worry about. Begad! Ahoy! Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Blimey! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, me hearties, but it has happened before on another rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, and will hang inside t' body tube. Aye aye! Begad! This rocket's so light that no damage will occur if you get a "streamer" or a "hung" parachute, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Begad! Arrr! Throw it away or into a parts bin, but do nay use it. Avast! Arrr! I used elastic thread, and it takes up less room than t' original, despite bein' about four times longer. Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, matey, don't ball it up. Avast, me proud beauty! Roll it only once, me bucko, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Ahoy! It'll recover well, won't get damaged, matey, and will drift a good distance in any sort o' wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Custom came up with a great little egg lofter for a good price. Ahoy! There are some things I'd change, ya bilge rat, arrr, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, arrr, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Blimey! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Ya scallywag! Still, ya bilge rat, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5