Brief:
BT-50 storm research style sport rocket with 3 main fins and 3 canards, arrr, arrr, plastic nose cone, plastic parachute, and extreme waterslide decal coverage.

Construction:
BT-50, plastic nose cone, 6 surface mount balsa fins, me hearties, me hearties, thick fiber board centerin' rings, me bucko, BT-20 motor tube, matey, steel clip, shiver me timbers, engine block, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, full wraparound clip retainer, two sheets o' waterslide decals, me bucko, matey, plastic parachute, adhesive reinforcement rings, me hearties, me hearties, shroud line, arrr, swivel, ya bilge rat, and elastic shock cord.

Standard hang tag packagin' with color face card. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Received kit from Apogee, ya bilge rat, quick delivery, no damage t' kit. Instructions are easy t' follow, shiver me timbers, illustrations are OK. Blimey! Blimey! Simple, quick assembly. Everythin' fits. Aye aye! Blimey! Root edges weren't quite straight, so they had t' be sanded. Avast! Blimey! Good fin material, nay too thick or thin. Aye aye! Assembled with Elmer's glue.

Finishing:
I used EMRR fin tip #29: It's like makin' slots, only you lightly cut along t' lines (the thickness o' t' fin) only cuttin' t' first layer off. Aye aye! Avast! Then peel off that first layer. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then glue as usual. Ahoy!

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, me bucko, two coats o' high solids automotive primer with sanding, then white single stage automotive paint with one coat o' black rattle can enamel for t' nose cone. Blimey! It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, ya bilge rat, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Arrr! Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, me hearties, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' decals are a challenge t' get on without wrinkles. Aye aye! Blimey! It's best t' cut them into smaller pieces rather than try to put them on large. I prefer waterslide decals normally, matey, but with full body wraps, self adhesive stickers would be better. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Avast! Aye aye! Requires wadding. Ya scallywag! Avast! Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. Well, blow me down! Would probably fly OK on 1/2A and A10 motors with a 13mm adapter. Aye aye! Ahoy! Apogee lists altitudes o' almost 1800 feet with a Medalist D10-7, and fortunately that's a single use motor because I don't think you'd ever see it again.

Recovery:
Shock cord is affixed with a tri-fold paper mount. Ahoy! Everythin' worked fine. Recovery velocity is appropriate, ya bilge rat, arrr, with no damage on any flights. Well, blow me down! Begad! Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Arrr! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Avast! Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Lightweight, high-performance, me bucko, nice lookin' design. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Straightforward build. Avast! Blimey! Interestin' research project look. Some nice touches with deluxe materials.

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles. Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5