Brief:
T' Space Ark was t' spaceship that took t' lucky few people t' a new world in t' 1951 classic movie When Worlds Collide. Ya scallywag! This perfect replica kit fits well in t' your collection o' "retro" kits or anti-3FNC kits. This kit flies on G and H motors and comes with a nice nylon (oversized) chute.

Construction:
This kit looks deceptively simple t' build. Begad! There is one body tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a nose cone, ya bilge rat, me hearties, a tail cone, ya bilge rat, matey, a motor mount and some fins. Arrr! It does come with a nice nylon parachute and even a sample o' their "Bod Wad" ejection wading.

T' fins, rudder, and wings are made o' nice aircraft plywood. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! T' nose cone and tail cone are made from sturdy plastic. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! This kit has nice pre-shaped fin pods. Ya scallywag! Blimey! (All spaceships from t' 50's had t' cheesy fin pods that did absolutely nothing.) Roundin' out t' parts list is a set o' decals and a nice nylon chute.

Read this directions before you start. Arrr! I know you have heard this before, but this time, do it. Blimey! This does nay go together like anythin' I have ever built and I almost got caught a couple times. Ya scallywag! When it says t' put t' motor mount in with t' recovery strap facin' up, matey, do it. You will be sorry if you don't.

As with all Pemtech kits, t' instructions are written like a great Mel Brooks movie with tons o' tongue in cheek humor. Aye aye! Arrr! That aside, they are well written and come with several pages o' full color pictures.

OK, arrr, I deviated from t' destructions in a few areas. Blimey! It's nay that I know better, shiver me timbers, it just that I like t' do things different. Besides; it's me rocket and I can do what ever I want. Aye aye!

The kit comes with a nifty motor retainer, however, matey, I chose nay t' install it. Arrr! Blimey! This made for an easier build and allowed for more motor options.

I also didn't use t' expandin' foam. Blimey! Blimey! Since t' fins in t' boat tail are epoxied directly t' t' motor mount, I figured that t' foam will only add weight. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! (Besides, shiver me timbers, I didn't have any.) I used a thick epoxy containin' colloidal silica for this and applied heavy fillets for good measure.

I don't like brass lugs. This kit comes with a great 1/4" x 3" long brass launch lug. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I didn't use it and went with a cardboard one instead. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

I'd say t' most difficult part o' t' build was cuttin' t' slots in the tail cone for t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! T' HDPE (plastic for you non-chemists out there) is tough t' cut cleanly. Well, blow me down!

Finishing:
Finishin' be nay too bad. If you have ever done t' heavy plastic nose cones you know what you're in for there. T' body tube didn't match too well with the tail cone and nose cone so I had t' use a little filler there. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't attempt to paint it with t' chrome paint that is seen on their website. Well, blow me down! I just used Rustoleum Metallic Silver for it. Avast! It comes with some really groovy decals, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I didn't put them on until after t' first flight.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a G40-7W. Avast! I think it was slightly underpowered because it did a corkscrew kind o' thin' on t' way up. Avast, me proud beauty! A G80 would have been more appropriate. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' delay was long but nay too bad. Ahoy! Begad! Recovery be otherwise perfect. Well, blow me down! H242T was used for t' second flight. Ahoy! This thin' ripped off the pad with authority. Ahoy! Aye aye!

Recovery:
I didn't think I would ever see it again, me bucko, but as good rockets sometimes do, me hearties, it drifted back within 500' o' t' pad under a full chute. Ya scallywag! That was a great flight but I don't think I'll do that again.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really like this kit. Begad! Like t' 3FNC I have from Pemtech, arrr, it has the retro-classic look t' it and really stands out in me collection. Ahoy! It's tougher to build than some kits o' its size, but it's well worth it.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5