Brief
T' Machbuster is a great lookin' kit that is straightforward t' build, me bucko, has outstandin' performance and is inexpensive t' purchase. It uses 24mm motors from D12's through G55's with parachute recovery. Blimey! With F and G motors t' rocket will break t' sound barrier and reach 900 miles an hour with t' G55's.

Construction
T' kit arrived t' day after I ordered it. Arrr! Blimey! (Ok I only live about 10 miles from t' factory!) Out o' t' package all o' t' parts were present and accounted for. Avast! T' kit assembles easily from t' instructions. Avast! Ahoy! Some sandin' on t' nose cone is required t' get it t' fit properly. T' body tube is a very tough (nearly bullet proof) fiber phenolic, nay t' typical rolled tube. T' nose cone is a thick and very tough molded plastic. Fins were G10. Ahoy! T' shock cord is Keelhaul®©™ as are t' chute's shroud lines. T' chute itself is a small white ripstop nylon. Well, blow me down! Begad! Directions were complete and easy t' follow. Arrr! T' body tube be preslotted for t' fins which were no problem t' mount. Be sure t' make epoxy fin fillets as this rocket is goin' t' go very fast. Avast! Begad! Also most importantly I had t' change t' launch lug. Begad! T' one supplied is TOO small. Blimey! T' rocket will bind on t' launch rod goin' up with t' lug supplied. I also added a second shorter (1/4" long) lug at t' end o' t' rocket. Begad! This seems t' work well, me bucko, and though it isn't required it does seem t' stabilize t' rocket better. Aye aye! At t' point where t' shock cord anchors t' t' inside o' t' rocket body I made a couple o' extra loops around t' anchor and used slow settin' epoxy for maximum strength.

Finishing
I painted t' kit t' match t' factory design and with t' decals it looks super sharp. Avast! Blimey! No special finishin' requirements t' note.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight
T' Machbuster flies with wide range o' motors. Arrr! Aye aye! T' smallest bein' t' D12 and t' largest be t' G55. Avast, me proud beauty! I have flown it so far with both D's and E's with very good results. Well, matey, blow me down! T' motors are a friction fit style mount and t' key here is t' make t' fit a tight one.

Rocketvision supplies a Nomexpatch t' be used as permanent waddin' material. Though it works well it can get crusty from use and pose an impediment t' ejection. Begad! I use several swatches o' disposable waddin' and it seems t' work fine.

My first flight on a D12 was nay so good. Aye aye! I am nay sure what happened but as soon as it left t' launch rod it took off in cruise missile mode about 40 feet off t' deck. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I found it about 200 yards away none t' worse for wear. Avast! I suspect t' small launch lug bound a bit on t' rod. Arrr! However I did talk t' another rocketeer with a Machbuster who had t' same problem. Ya scallywag! He added a small weight t' t' nose which seemed t' help. Well, me hearties, blow me down! After changin' t' launch lug and addin' about .3 oz t' t' inside o' t' nose t' next launch on a D12-7 be picture perfect. Ahoy! Straight as an arrow and chute deploy right at apogee. On D's at sea level it should do around 1300 feet. Ahoy! It is a mover even on D's.

Next flight be on an E30-7. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This was quite impressive. Begad! This rocket is very fast. Aye aye! Blimey! It was off t' pad and out o' sight smartly until we located t' trackin' smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! Chute ejection was perfect. On E's t' altitude should be approximately 3300 feet. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' next flight will be on G55-15's T' rocket should exceed Mach One and 6000 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Trackin' this one will test t' eyesight.

Recovery
Shock cord is Keelhaul®©™. Avast! Blimey! Great for toughness and flame resistance. But bad for any kind o' elastic give. Well, blow me down! Blimey! So far it has worked very well. I changed t' color o' t' chute t' bright yellow and made it slightly bigger both t' increase visibility and slow t' descent slightly. Begad! (I fly it in t' desert with lots o' room and t' occasional rock) Flyin' t' rocket in fields with soft ground a streamer would be fine. Begad! Well, blow me down! With t' G55's thar be very little room for t' stock chute let alone t' waddin' so it helps t' tuck some o' t' shock lines into t' nose cone.

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Summary
This kit has been one o' t' most enjoyable rockets I have built. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This be me first high performance (Mach one plus) kit. Aye aye! I learned a lot about sturdier materials used in high performance rockets and t' motor/ delay combinations required for such a small rocket t' keep it together after t' recovery system deploys.

Awesome product. Great rocket. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Incredible quickness goin' beyond Mach one. Beautiful appearance and ease o' assembly. Avast! All for about $20. Ahoy! How can you beat that?

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5