Brief:
A simple, shiver me timbers, cheap, me hearties, me hearties, and relatively good lookin' kit for beginners.

Construction:
T' kit came with:

• 1 Nose cone
• 1 Nose cone shoulder
• 1 Body tube
• 4 Precut balsa fins
• 1 Long Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 1 Nomex protector
• 1 Streamer
• 1 Motor block
• 1 Launch lug
• 1 Sheet o' decals

First off, ya bilge rat, start by attachin' t' shock cord t' t' motor block with a knot. Begad! I deviated a bit from this step and cut out a small notch into t' outside o' t' motor block for t' shock cord t' rest into. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Without t' notch, t' Keelhaul®©™ would make it a very tight fit and t' place where t' shock cord was tied would show up as a bulge in t' body tube. Arrr! Begad! Then, test fit and glue t' motor block into t' body tube. Aye aye! Insertion o' t' motor block is via a spent motor case. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' motor should have about 1/4" o' overhang. Blimey! Next, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, cut out t' fin wrap and apply it t' t' bottom half o' t' body tube. T' directions state t' align one side o' it with t' pencil line drawn down t' body tube (the directions make it seem that t' body tube was supposed t' come with t' line; well this one didn't, shiver me timbers, arrr, but t' line was smartly drawn with t' help o' a door jam) and gradually apply it around t' entire body tube. Avast! Begad! After applyin' t' fin alignment wrap, ya bilge rat, cut out t' payload section decal and apply it t' t' top o' t' body tube, usin' t' same method that t' fin wraps used. Begad! Next, me hearties, apply t' fins with white glue. T' fin wraps have lines runnin' vertically down servin' as fin guides, shiver me timbers, makin' it more builder-friendly, especially t' t' beginner. Arrr! I noticed that t' fins were ridiculously thick, matey, compared t' t' size o' t' rocket. They were 1/8", matey, arrr, but I found out that t' thickness helped more precise alignment o' t' fins, once again makin' it more builder-friendly. Well, blow me down! Instead o' usin' white glue t' apply t' fins, I used CA. Ahoy! Then, t' instructions have you move onto t' nose cone, but I went ahead and filleted t' fins first so I have somethin' t' do while they dry. But before t' fillets, ya bilge rat, I decided t' toughen up t' fins by soakin' them with CA. Begad! I usually use wood glue for all me fillets, includin' mid power builds, but I went with t' instructions and used white glue, probably for clear fillets as this rocket doesn't need any finishin' besides decals. Begad! While t' fillets are wet, press t' launch lug into one o' t' fillets and let it dry. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Now for t' nose cone: somethin' I really didn't like about it be that it is absurdly thin. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It can be easily crushed or torn with little force. Test fit and glue t' nose cone shoulder into t' nose cone, with about half o' it inside t' nose cone, me bucko, me hearties, me hearties, makin' sure t' hole on one end o' t' shoulder (used for shock cord attachment) is on t' outside. I could only get t' shoulder about 1/4 t' 1/3 o' t' way in t' nose cone without deformin' it. Avast, me proud beauty! Thread t' shock cord through t' Nomex cloth, shiver me timbers, streamer, me bucko, and then t' hole in t' nose cone shoulder, matey, in that order. Aye aye! Tie t' shock cord onto t' hole for a secure fit. Aye aye! With this set up, t' nose cone had a very tight fit, so I pressed t' area o' t' shoulder where t' shock cord was attached in, matey, formin' a shape that resembles Pac Man.

PROs: T' kit is easy t' build with minimal supplies and most o' t' components or o' high quality.

CONs: T' nose cone can be o' higher quality.

Finishing:
T' fins can be colored in with a marker, one fin colored red and t' others black, but I decided against it. Avast! I thought t' rocket looked fine t' way it was, me bucko, and I was probably goin' t' lose it any way. Besides colorin' t' fins, ya bilge rat, t' decals supplied were t' only other form o' finishing, but they were applied in t' beginnin' o' t' build, unlike most rockets.

PROs: Very simple, me hearties, fast, me bucko, and easy t' finish.

CONs: May be a bit too simplistic, although for t' more experience people, more time can be put into finished for a better and higher quality finish.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Preperation for flight is very simple. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Lay t' heat protector over t' body tube and push it into t' tube. Ya scallywag! Fold up t' streamer and push that into t' tube as well, along with t' shock cord. Blimey! Blimey! Put t' nose cone on and install t' motor, and it's ready t' fly. Aye aye! I liked t' fact that t' kit came with t' Nomex®, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, even though it's such a small kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' first flight used an A3-4T, me bucko, me bucko, usin' a Quest motor case with t' nozzle drilled out and t' crud cleaned out as an adapter. Begad! It went very high, ya bilge rat, considerin' t' motor, me hearties, in a short amount o' time. Begad! It reached apogee at about 450 feet and t' streamer popped out. Aye aye! It came down about 250 feet from t' pad. T' second flight was with a B6-4, ya bilge rat, and I made it a tighter fit than t' previous flight. Avast! I also replaced t' supplied streamer with a fluorescent orange streamer about one inch wide by about five feet long, shiver me timbers, since it was hard t' spot at just 450 feet. Begad! It went higher and faster than t' previous flight t' about 800 feet. Avast! Blimey! When t' streamer deployed, arrr, it was very easy t' see and I was glad that I replaced t' streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It came down about 200 feet from t' pad.

PROs: Flight prep is very fast and it is a blast t' fly, despite its small size.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
On t' first flight, arrr, me hearties, matey, t' rocket came down relatively fast and landed on t' air strip (as I be launchin' from an abandoned air base). Blimey! Blimey! One fin be slightly damaged, me bucko, but it wasn't bilge-suckin' enough that I had t' repair it. A little sandin' t' get it smooth did t' trick when I got back home. T' motor and t' adapter also kicked upon ejection. Ahoy! Blimey! On t' second flight with t' longer streamer, arrr, it came down slightly slower than t' previous flight, and I was satisfied. Arrr! Blimey! T' motor also did nay kick as I had made it fit tighter than before. Blimey! Blimey! Its third flight was in me backyard. Aye aye! Blimey! I used an A10 and taped 0.5 oz o' fishin' weights t' t' shock cord t' weight down t' rocket for a lower flight. Blimey! Blimey! T' streamer melted together at t' end, shiver me timbers, but t' Nomex probably didn't work because I didn't repack t' laundry before launch--it was packed up in t' rocket for about a month. Avast! Blimey! T' only bilge-suckin' part is that it's a bit difficult t' fold up t' five foot long streamer in t' wind.

PROs: T' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord and Nomex heat protector, both supplied in t' kit, worked perfectly and help t' lower t' require maintenance, which isn't really necessary in t' first place.