Brief:
Single staged conical rocket that flies on 29mm motors and recovers by a combination o' tumble recovery and shock cord. T' light weight o' t' rocket makes a streamer or parachute unnecessary.

Construction:
T' kit comes in a sealed plastic envelope with two body tubes, namely, a 5 inch length o' 29mm motor tubin' and 5 inches o' BT55 motor mount tubing. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The rocket has no fins. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! There are two plates which are rather like centerin' rings, which t' builder cuts from foam backed board stock. These round plates will hold t' engine mount tubings and center t' assembly inside t' conical shell, which is cut from card stock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! There is additional card stock used t' cut a smaller internal nose cone reinforcement, me hearties, which reinforces t' pointed conical shape and also holds a small amount o' epoxy that serves both as ballast and as tip reinforcement. Arrr! Blimey! There is 36 inches o' 1/16 inch thick round elastic shock cord provided for recovery with t' attachment bein' a paper folded attachment arrangement like those seen in Estes rockets.

T' instructions come with t' components in t' plastic envelope and are neatly typed out with page numbers and greyscale photographs on every page. Arrr! The components requirin' cuttin' are clearly marked on t' foam board and card stock. T' order is clear and logical and t' pictures help visual people like myself t' imagine beforehand what t' project will look like. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' this last end, I provided you with a color photograph o' t' finished product next t' t' 24mm cone also flown, me bucko, but shown on its side t' show its motor mount. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! There is also a 12-inch standard ruler in t' photo t' provide scale.

T' only difficult part o' t' assembly was fittin' t' internal nose cone assembly into t' outer conical shell, and makin' all t' launch rod holes line up. Begad! T' assemblies are made by rollin' and gluin' card stocks and clampin' them together until t' glue dries. Begad! Keepin' them aligned be tricky. Begad! I found that I had t' enlarge t' launch rod holes slightly on t' inner assembly t' match the outer shell. I discovered another slight fit issue with t' motor mount ring that fits aftward into t' conical shell. Aye aye! It seems t' fit too loosely. Arrr! Ahoy! This may be because I cut too much from t' rin' t' bevel it and fit it neatly into the cone.

Also, arrr, t' smaller 24mm cone has tube gaskets that hold t' motor mount inside t' slightly larger BT55 inner body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This 29mm version does not. While t' rocket will nay come apart durin' flight due t' aerodynamic forces, some RSO's may nay like t' inspect rockets that cannot hold together when picked up by t' top.

However, after assembly, arrr, t' rocket came out sturdy and attractive. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose antimatter orange, me favorite color. Begad! It helps with visibility, which, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, as you will read later, mattered a lot!!

Tools needed t' finish t' project are: a new, sharp #11 Exacto knife. Begad! New is best because foam board distorts and displays attitudes when cut with a blade t' least bit dull. Also, white glue, scissors, and 5 minute epoxy. Arrr! Arrr! These can all be had in local hobby stores and even grocery stores.

Finishing:
T' rocket requires no painting, arrr, as t' card stock arrives with a colored outer side o' t' buyer's choice from several options. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Decals were nay used, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but on solid colors like mine could look striking. Arrr! I did paint t' bottom o' the rocket orange t' match t' shell just for t' sake o' art. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' foam board from which t' motor mount plate at t' bottom was made is white. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' paint also helps, matey, in me opinion, if thar are any imperfections in t' cuttin' o' t' foam board, ya bilge rat, like nicks and burrs.

I added a few things o' me own, but for t' beta test, I flew it unmodified first, arrr, then with me additions. Arrr! Blimey! My changes are: T' afore mentioned tube gaskets. A small, matey, shiver me timbers, matey, 12 inch parachute. And t' shock cord mounted nay with the paper mount provided, me bucko, but by a glued knot held in place by t' two foam board tube rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' 29mm version needs a bulkhead inside t' BT55 tube. Begad! Blimey! I will explain later. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Finally, neither cone has actual launch lugs. While lugs might not be necessary, me hearties, I provided them t' protect t' card stock from gougin' by the rods.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first unmodified flights, shiver me timbers, arrr, I brought along t' 24mm version as well. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I flew that one on a C11-3. Avast! Avast! T' delay o' 3 be just about right. Ahoy! I half expected a lateral flight like pyramidal rockets fly, shiver me timbers, arrr, but this cone went straight up and only lateraled slightly. Ya scallywag! T' rocket separated undamaged at apogee and came down about t' right speed, shiver me timbers, but I later added an 8 inch parachute because we fly here on hard desert soils. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Mistake!!! I chased t' rocket in a thermal on the second flight with a D12-3. Aye aye! Holy heatstroke, ya bilge rat, me hearties, Batman! But I got it back undamaged. Blimey! Ahoy! I highly recommend flyin' it as t' manufacturer says, arrr, when he says to use a 6-inch standoff. If you don't, arrr, t' underside o' t' rocket would burn. and foam and card stock couldn't stand that. Aye aye! After these two flights, I added the launch rod and t' added weight didn't hamper performance.

Now, t' t' 29mm cone. Aye aye! Blimey! Don't do as I did. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I flew it in a park, thinking that a cone couldn't gain enough altitude t' drift away. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Wrong!!! Blimey! On a G35-4, the rocket took off with a bang. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! My liftoff photo be only smoke. Begad! Blimey! And the rocket went out o' sight. I had t' rely on a kid with better eyesight t' tell me that t' rocket ended up in a neighbor's yard clean out o' that park. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! That was embarrassin' havin' t' ask t' get it back. Avast! Blimey! I couldn't just sneak over and get it. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I had t' ask for it back because all t' plots thar are concreted off by high fences. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! But it be undamaged, so t' delay o' 4 was adequate. Begad! Blimey! 7 might work as well. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' manufacturer recommends takin' out 2/3 o' t' ejection charge for t' flight because thar's too much provided and it could damage the rocket. Avast! Blimey! T' black powder motors used with t' 24mm version don't have that problem. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Anyway, some RSO's do nay want a modified motor flown, so on my modified flights, I added an epoxied wooden bulkhead t' protect t' internal top o' t' rocket durin' deployment. Blimey! Blimey! I also added a supplemental length of another 36 inches o' elastic shock cord t' allow more stress distribution after usin' t' full provided ejection charge. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I added t' afore mentioned tube gaskets t' hold t' rocket together for inspections. Begad! Blimey! A launch lug be also added within t' launch rod holes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! However, in me infinite wisdom, me bucko, me hearties, I added a 12 inch parachute t' make t' rocket descend more slowly and visibly. When it comes t' heat stroke, ya bilge rat, I'll never learn...on a G25-5, shiver me timbers, t' rocket went out of sight and drifted over half a mile. Arrr! Blimey! Again, though, that delay be fine. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! But with a G40, I found that 7 worked without damage. Begad! Blimey! I'm leanin' towards usin' a 7 delay because many with a 4 second delay seem way shorter than 4.

Recovery:
I pretty much covered this in t' previous sections.

However, me hearties, shiver me timbers, if I had t' change somethin' beyond what I already did, I'd suggest a streamer.

And don't do this when it's 115 degrees out, shiver me timbers, like I did. Ahoy! Brains fry at that temperature! However, arrr, I had a lot o' fun. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
These kits are fun and easy. Begad! A child or adult alike would like it. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! They're bright and unusual. Ahoy! However, me bucko, I don't recommend flyin' in a park for and with greater than a D motor. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! They go higher than you'd think.

I think a streamer is a good addition, me hearties, myself. A parachute may be too much, considerin' t' light weight and potential for catchin' thermals.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5