Brief:
Military Style Sport Rocket with 3x24mm cluster. Ya scallywag!

Construction:
T' kit comes with 2 sections o' high quality, glassine coated BT-80 paper tubes. Aye aye! Avast! T' two body tube sections are held together with a standard modroc tube coupler and centerin' rin' which serves as t' mountin' point for t' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord. T' motor mount is a 3 x 24mm arrangement usin' high quality paper tubes and laser cut light ply centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Begad! All o' t' fins are balsa and are cut from sheets o' 1/8" thick balsa usin' t' supplied templates. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is also a high quality balsa piece. Aye aye! T' parachute that came with me beta test kit is a very nice 24" dia. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! piece made from rip-stop nylon. Arrr! (T' production kits will come with a similar chute except in 30" diameter.)

T' illustrated instructions made construction a breeze. Blimey! Cardstock templates are included for tracin' t' fins onto t' balsa fin stock. Avast, me proud beauty! A body tube marking guide is also included. Well, blow me down! This is a large model rocket, arrr, so be prepared for a lot of sanding. Blimey! There are a 12 fins on this one, shiver me timbers, but it goes together nicely if you take your time. I had no problems at all durin' t' construction. Aye aye! T' quality of t' included parts are very nice. Ya scallywag! I used TiteBond yellow carpenter's glue for most o' t' build. Be sure t' sand off t' glassine coatin' before you attach t' fins. Arrr! This will provide a better glue joint and help keep t' lower fins attached when it lands on recovery.

The one thin' that may be a bit different is that t' instructions recommend coatin' t' fins with thin CA glue. Aye aye! This improves t' strength o' t' balsa, plus saves a bit o' fillin' when it's time t' finish it. Arrr! Avast! I followed the recommended procedure and it turned out great. Just be careful with t' CA fumes when you do this.

Finishing:
T' only special technique on fillin' was t' use o' thin CA as mentioned above. Avast! I then used two coats o' Kilz spray primer, sandin' in betwixt coats to fill t' rest o' t' balsa and body tube spirals. Begad! You're on your own for pickin' a paint scheme as no decals are included. Aye aye! Since this one has a military look t' it, I decided t' give mine a camo scheme. Krylon flat spray paints and a lot o' blue painter's tape were used for t' winter splinter camo pattern on my MIKE IX.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are C11-5's and D12-5's. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' motors are friction fit usin' maskin' tape. Aye aye! I used "dog barf" waddin' t' protect t' chute. This is a BT-80 sized bird so it does take quite a bit. Well, blow me down! T' supplied chute is very nice. Avast, me proud beauty! It folds up neatly and thar be no problem fittin' it into t' large body tube. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! Plenty o' space in this one.

T' maiden flight was at NSL 2004 in Hearne, ya bilge rat, Texas. Aye aye! Aye aye! She flew beautifully on three C11-5's. Well, blow me down! It was me first flight that morning. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! There be a slight breeze out o' t' south. Ahoy! It leapt off t' pad and climbed straight up t' approx. 700 feet. Aye aye! Ejection was right after apogee and t' chute came out perfectly. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! A textbook flight. Blimey! T' flame, smoke and noise from three 24mm black powder motors is impressive.

Recovery:
All o' t' materials in t' recovery system are first rate. Ahoy! T' shock cord consists o' a heavy Keelhaul®©™® thread attached t' a centerin' rin' mounted midway up t' length o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rin' acts as a 'sort-of' baffle, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, plus it keeps helps keep the parachute toward t' top o' t' rocket durin' flight. T' Keelhaul®©™® thread is attached t' a very long piece o' elastic which is tied t' a screw eye in t' nose cone. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' chute comes pre-assembled with a snap-swivel, and is made of rip-stop nylon and Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines.

T' beta kit that I built came with a 24" dia. Avast! Aye aye! chute. Begad! Durin' me test flights, me hearties, I estimated descent at 15 ft/sec, maybe a bit more. Avast, me proud beauty! It seemed t' come down a little too quickly, and t' manufacturer has decided t' supply the production kits with a 30" chute instead, shiver me timbers, a good move in me book. Ya scallywag! My second flight on D12-5's and t' 24" chute landed on a gravel road and resulted in a cracked fin, me bucko, matey, me bucko, however that was easily repaired.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
In typical ThrustAero tradition, this is a "builder's" kit. Aye aye! The quality o' materials is first rate, ya bilge rat, but you must be prepared t' cut your own fins and have a little imagination when it comes t' finishing. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' end result is a very handsome rocket that commands attention at t' flight line. Blimey! I love cluster rockets and this is a tough lookin' rocket. Ahoy! It absolutely roars off the pad on three D12's. Avast! It has a large profile in flight and is very stable as it goes up. Arrr! I can't think o' any CONs t' this kit...

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5