Brief:
Single stage, scale, high power rocket with parachute recovery.

Construction:
One 48" phenolic body tube, ya bilge rat, a 22" phenolic payload bay, four (4) G10 fins, arrr, three (3) plywood centerin' rings, a 54 mm motor mount, matey, a fiberglass nose cone, me bucko, PML's piston ejection system, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, two (2) 3/8" launch lugs, two (2) PML parachute's (a 60" and a 48") and PML elastic shock chord.

T' instructions were easy t' follow with illustrations for every step. Begad! It was extremely easy t' build, but it took TONS o' epoxy. Begad! Arrr! This wasn't t' kit's fault, though, matey, it's just really big. Everythin' fit well and thar were no alignment issues. Arrr! All was well thought out. Ahoy!

There was only one part o' t' instruction that I didn't understand; how the recovery was expected t' be done. There were two 'chutes, shiver me timbers, t' piston, and a lot of t' Public Missiles elastic (which we wouldn't have used anyway). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! We decided it would be best t' just have t' rocket split at t' middle t' put less stress on t' rocket, arrr, and come down in two pieces.

T' instructions, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, after re-readin' them, arrr, said t' attach t' rocket with the elastic. Here's what it said: "Tie t' parachute t' one end o' t' elastic shock chord. Arrr! Repeat this step for both chutes. T' larger chute and longer shock cord attach t' t' piston and t' smaller chute and shorter shock cord attach t' t' eye-bolt on t' payload section."

One o' t' most important techniques with this kit that was new t' me and my dad both be t' piston ejection system. Ya scallywag! Lookin' at it, I really didn't trust it, but it worked great, much better that I had seen any other system work.

It also taught us a better way t' make fillets, -first, put t' epoxy on, but then, tape down saran wrap tightly on either side o' t' fin or launch lug, and t' you won't have t' worry about it drippin' down t' side o' your tube. Blimey!

Finishing:
T' Rocket is absolutely enormous! It looks awesome, ya bilge rat, but t' spiral groove takes days t' fill. Begad! Begad! We used some putty from Hobby Town, arrr, pretty thick stuff, sanded, me bucko, and you could still see t' groove!

There were no decals t' make t' rocket scale, ya bilge rat, but thar were directions to paint it so. Avast! Ya scallywag! It gives you t' paint scheme with a main black body, ya bilge rat, red fin can and payload, and with t' nose cone and letterin' paint schemes. Ya scallywag! We didn't follow this paint scheme recommendations.

To finish it, we took our first shot at auto paint. Begad! Blimey! Nay knowin' what we were gettin' ourselves into, me hearties, ya bilge rat, we bought t' $70 dollars o' paint, primer, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, and gloss-coat, arrr, arrr, Then we saw that you must spray it on. All in all, t' paint job cost us about $300, o' course, most o' t' expensive stuff is reusable, and we now have t' supplies t' paint a car. Avast, me proud beauty! We did t' rocket Metallic Copper, (Base coat, Clear Coat), with two black metallic stripes. Blimey! If you do use this paint (DuPont Automotive), ya bilge rat, wear a respirator with t' correct cartridges, and have very good ventilation; t' neighbors will get over t' noise. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
They only give you t' smallest recommended motor, arrr, which is a J415, though on the Public Missiles' site, it says you can use any 54mm motor aside from the J90. Arrr! Begad! We flew on a K550-10 for an awesome, ya bilge rat, roaring, matey, me hearties, perfectly straight boost. T' piston worked great, ya bilge rat, and t' rocket broke apart (how we had set it up). Arrr! It said you don't need wadding, matey, but we went ahead and put some under t' piston anyway, just t' feel better. Begad! Sims put it at a little over 3000 feet, matey, so we just went with that. Ahoy!

Recovery:
I liked t' method o' lettin' it break apart. It's nay too tough t' find these pieces! T' chutes brought it down without a scratch, gettin' Level Two certification for me dad, David Wheeler. Well, blow me down! When we recovered t' rocket, there was one shroud-line torn from t' chute. We will probably switch it out with a Rocketman one next time, and attach t' two pieces with some tubular nylon or Keelhaul®©™®. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! T' decent rate was good, arrr, me hearties, but t' smaller chute did loose a shroud line, arrr, so I won't be usin' t' PML 'chutes anymore.

T' recovery system, me bucko, like other PML kits, me bucko, came with a piece o' nylon which attached t' t' motor mount through t' upper-most centerin' rin' and attached the piston t' t' rocket. Ahoy! This was long enough t' let t' piston come out of the rocket about 2 feet. Ahoy! It appeared t' be just a seat belt, arrr, very strong! The elastic be very long and looked very sturdy, arrr, but I've heard numerous times to throw it out and that's what I did (as mentioned above). Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I have no idea o' how strong it is, just what others have said.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Me and me dad really enjoyed buildin' this rocket. Arrr! It is really cool t' own a rocket this big, most people don't even believe it flies, arrr, but it does, and quite well. Begad! T' Pro's o' t' kit are its size, me bucko, quality, me bucko, arrr, and building techniques. Begad! I think I will buy many more Public Missiles kits in t' future. T' Con's were few and small, me bucko, but t' spiral grooves, and t' overall quality of t' parachutes.

Most o' all, it was fun and a neat experience buildin' a kit o' this size. Though it is expensive, you don't really need t' fly it that often, but it's really cool t' show off, and I believe it t' be more fun t' have one giant K flight, that two or three I powered flights. Blimey! It'll also usually get you on the launch highlights page. This rocket be t' first rocket we've used auto paint on, and it looks absolutely stunning, shiver me timbers, but it's really expensive. I think it was worth it though, arrr, we must have gotten twenty compliments on t' paint job alone, not t' mention t' awed faces lookin' at it. Ya scallywag! I strongly recommend this kit to anyone who has a big enough budget; you don't even need an altimeter. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5