Brief:
T' USR Miniroc 1.2 is a small 29mm minimum diameter rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is a 3FNC style rocket with swept fins and overall a fairly attractive profile. It should be able t' fly on anythin' from C t' G power and USR suggests flyin' it on an H motor as well. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket is very stout, considerin' t' light weight and small size. Ahoy!

Construction:
T' kit came with 4 pages o' adequate but limited instructions givin' useful diagrams and details on construction and flying. T' instructions also suggest that t' Miniroc 1.2 might be good for egg loft and flexwin' competition events. Ahoy! Blimey! T' manufacturer did not, shiver me timbers, I think, matey, adequately mangle individual sets of instructions.

After goin' over t' parts list in t' instructions, I discovered t' kit was missin' three parts--1 o' 2 body tube couplers (CT-11-9-2), matey, 1 shock cord (SC-5), shiver me timbers, and 1 streamer (SM-3). Aye aye! This be t' first time that I had purchased a kit with parts were missing, and as a result I was suspicious that somehow I had lost these parts when I opened t' kit. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rocket uses a balsa nosecone and 3 nicely cut plywood fins that appeared t' be o' good quality but one was warped. Avast, me proud beauty! All other components appeared t' be in good shape. Despite t' missing parts and warped fin, shiver me timbers, I decided t' proceed with buildin' although these two factors reduced me enthusiasm for USR kits. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I elected nay t' contact USR to discuss these failings.

I built t' rocket per t' instructions except usin' 5-minute epoxy throughout construction. Avast! Ahoy! I tapered t' fin edges as described and used me Estes fin alignment guide for fin installation. Begad! This is a minimal diameter rocket and the instructions suggested surface mounted fins. Begad! I think that this should be fine. Aye aye! After tackin' t' fins in place with epoxy, I gave them a nice fillet. Blimey! I cut t' ¼ inch launch lug on an angle as suggested and gave t' lugs a fillet as well.

For construction o' t' upper payload section o' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, the instructions say t' glue t' payload plate into t' payload tube with the beveled side forward. Begad! Arrr! T' plate did have a crudely beveled edge that was ragged, me bucko, but this method o' installation was irrelevant considerin' that the plate needed t' be sanded down t' about ¾ o' its original diameter just to fit in t' tube. By that point t' beveled outer edge was long gone. Avast! Blimey!

T' recovery system calls for a ¼" elastic shock cord t' be glued into t' main body tube usin' t' 3-fold paper method. Begad! I installed it as described, usin' 6 feet o' ¼" elastic shock cord that I had lying around.

I could nay build t' 24mm motor adapter as described since t' coupler tube intended for this purpose be missing. Ya scallywag! Begad! When needed, shiver me timbers, matey, I used a different one that I had on hand.

PROs: T' kit parts are stout. Avast! Aye aye! Construction is straight forward and should be suitable for a beginner if it weren't for some o' t' failings o' t' kit.

CONs: T' kit had 3 missin' parts that cost me a couple o' bucks to replace. Well, blow me down! One fin be warped. T' instructions are cobbled together from those of other kits and nay properly edited. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' payload bulkhead plate did nay fit properly.

Finishing:
I did nay fill t' grain o' t' balsa nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! After painting, it was fairly smooth. I think I would use a plastic nose come if I were designin' this kit. T' body tubes were very smooth so I did nay consider fillin' spirals. Arrr! I sprayed t' rocket with a single, shiver me timbers, thin coat o' automotive primer, gave it a brief sanding, then added a single coat o' "hammered gray" automotive spray paint. Ya scallywag! I then used maskin' tape t' add stripes with single coats o' red and blue "hammered-look" paint.

T' finished rocket weighed 106 grams (without a 24mm motor adapter). Begad! I substituted 5-minute epoxy for construction throughout instead o' the recommended yellow wood glue, perhaps addin' a few grams. Avast! T' final weight listed on t' kit pack is 40 grams and t' USR web page lists final weight at 40 grams also. Aye aye! I found this t' be ludicrous. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I was suspicious o' this before construction, shiver me timbers, matey, so I weighed some o' t' components as I was building. Well, blow me down! For example, t' screw eye (part SE-1), matey, small plywood bulkhead (payload plate PP-11), me bucko, and 6-inch airframe tube for t' payload section (part B-11-6) together weighed 26 grams before gluin' them together. Arrr! Arrr! I did nay note t' weight o' all other parts, but considerin' that t' payload section (which is ½ the length o' t' lower body) together with t' streamer (11 grams) weighed 37 grams before construction, I don't see how it is possible for this kit t' be built at t' manufacturer's claimed weight. Ahoy! Avast! I feel that if I had been extremely conservative in me use o' glue and paint, I might have been able t' finish this rocket at 90 grams. Ahoy! USR should reevaluate its weight estimates. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I think that a better value can be found in kits from other manufacturers.

PROs: Paintin' was a snap. Ahoy! I chose nay t' follow USR recommended color scheme which is hard t' visualize given that USR shows only black and white drawings and/or photos o' their rockets on their website. T' instructions only include line drawings o' t' rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! I typically do nay adhere to manufacturer's recommended schemes anyway.

CONs: I chose nay t' apply t' USR decals that came with t' kit. They are less decal and more simply label, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, givin' t' name o' t' rocket. They do not appear t' me t' be t' sort o' thin' you would add t' a rocket if you were really interested in dressin' it up, me hearties, however, t' decals might be useful to have in t' event o' a judgin' competition t' remind people o' t' name o' the rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' final weight o' t' rocket as described by USR is impossibly low.

Construction Rating: 1 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew Miniroc 1.2 on a D12-7. I used 6 sheets o' Estes paper waddin' and packed t' streamer as I normally would. Arrr! This amount o' waddin' be very substantial, me bucko, given that one has only about 9 inches o' 29mm tubin' into which to fit everything. Arrr! One wrap o' maskin' tape provided a good fit o' t' payload section coupler t' t' lower body tube. Blimey! Begad! I added 2 wraps o' maskin' tape t' the nosecone shoulder t' give a very tight fit, as I did nay want t' glue it in nor lose t' nosecone. Blimey! Ya scallywag! My son added 1/8 o' a saltine cracker and me daughter added a single red desert flower in t' payload section. Begad! Arrr! These were meant as gifts to any aliens that might happen upon t' rocket in flight.

T' boost be t' quite a nice altitude. Ya scallywag! Ejection be at apogee. Ahoy! T' motor was kicked out and t' shock cord burned through right at t' glue point. Ya scallywag! The streamer gave good fast recovery t' t' payload section, me bucko, shiver me timbers, while t' main body tube plunged straight down. Avast, me proud beauty! T' body tube took a 3 inch core sample o' the desert dirt and t' rocket remained in t' upside-down, stuck-in-the-ground position. Avast! Begad! Upon inspection, t' rocket suffered essentially no damage other than the failed shock cord. Blimey! This is a testament t' t' rugged nature o' t' tubing that USR supplies with t' kit.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system clearly wants for some sort o' a Keelhaul®©™® leader cord. Ahoy! Arrr! T' 3-fold paper glue-in method should still work fine though. Begad! I used 6 feet o' shock cord but this is probably t' minimum required in order to avoid body tube dings.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Miniroc 1.2 flies nicely and is built o' rugged stock. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Despite this, I gave the rocket a low ratin' because o' t' missin' parts that typified my experience with USR. Begad! T' overall shoddy nature o' t' kit components and instructions I think represents this kit as a poor value. Avast!

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5