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

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

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

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

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Well, blow me down! Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, shiver me timbers, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Arrr! Requires wadding. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. Begad! Would probably fly OK on 1/2A and A10 motors with a 13mm adapter. 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. Begad! Everythin' worked fine. Aye aye! Aye aye! Recovery velocity is appropriate, arrr, arrr, with no damage on any flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Aye aye! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles. Ahoy! Well, arrr, blow me down!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5