Brief:
A very basic 3FNC rocket that doesn't quite perform as advertised. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Supposedly the rocket will feature helicopter recovery at motor ejection, but doesn't.

Construction:
T' basic kit consists o' a short piece o' 18mm body tube, me bucko, a real balsa nose cone, a sheet if pre-cut balsa fins, matey, a launch lug, shiver me timbers, decal, and 3 wooden dowels. T' kit is very similar t' t' Rogue Gnat, me bucko, arrr, but larger and with wooden dowels. Arrr! Blimey!

T' instructions were about as simple as they could get, ya bilge rat, arrr, me bucko, and were pretty easy t' follow if I had chosen t' do so. Ahoy! Arrr! This kit is so simple instructions are not required. Well, blow me down! Begad! Everythin' fit perfectly, t' balsa was a better grade than I've ever seen from Custom, and t' assembly steps were in a somewhat logical order. Most basic model buildin' tools would suffice; however, arrr, you could get by with nothin' more than a piece o' sandpaper and some Elmer's wood glue. Begad!

There are only a couple o' CON's: T' body tube seems a little thin when compared t' other kits, me bucko, and t' instructions mentioned nothin' about why the rocket was supposed t' spin on recovery. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I would have t' deduct points for the fact that this rocket will nay spin, ya bilge rat, matey, twist, or tumble if it is built per the instructions. And since t' instructions never give any indication o' why it is supposed to, shiver me timbers, it could be confusin' for a beginner. Begad! This thin' simply lawn darts. Ahoy! Begad! T' alleviate t' lawn dartin' tendencies, matey, I sanded each fin into an asymmetrical airfoil, arrr, in hopes that it would induce spin. Begad! I figured that the rocket would be travellin' too fast on t' way up for t' airfoil t' induce any spin, since t' airfoil would stall, shiver me timbers, but on t' way down, it should be going slow enough for t' airfoil t' induce a low pressure region that would induce "lift", thereby spinnin' t' rocket. At least it was good in theory.

Finishing:
Finishin' this rocket in t' suggested paint scheme o' black looked a little drab t' me, so I went back and coated t' upper half and one fin o' t' rocket with Elmer's Squeeze Creations we had layin' around t' house. Basically, ya bilge rat, this stuff is colored glue with glitter in it, me hearties, and goes on like glue. So, shiver me timbers, arrr, after coatin' t' upper with red and t' lower with gold, me hearties, I now have a highly visible rocket that sparkles in t' sun. Begad! Begad! T' glue also added a little more strength.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Custom recommends a really low powered 18mm motor. Blimey! However, matey, I prefer t' use a 13mm A motor with an adaptor, since they are a little cheaper and come in a pack o' 4 instead o' 3, me hearties, so thar's a little bit o' savings there. Aye aye! OK, so I'm cheap. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

Preparation for flight couldn't be easier: Just pop in a motor, matey, add the ignitor and launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Motor retention is friction fit, shiver me timbers, with t' nose cone acting as t' motor block. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' motor is supposed t' eject, me hearties, and by some mythical process, t' rocket is supposed t' spin comin' down, though Custom never addresses t' issue. Expect straight, rapid flights on a low powered A sized motor. Blimey! I wouldn't launch it on anythin' larger than a B6-6, me hearties, matey, arrr, or you'll never see it again, even if covered in glitter. Well, blow me down! But t' thin' needs t' be built as sturdy, because it'll lawn dart every time. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! My little airfoil experiment is a mixed bag o' success and failure; it'll induce some spin, arrr, but t' fins are too small and thin t' produce anythin' like what Custom describes on t' package. My suggestion is t' cant t' fins a few degrees off center, me hearties, inducin' spin. Begad! The recovery will make for a "heads-up" launch every time, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and is why I rated flight so low. If it weren't for t' lawn dart, ya bilge rat, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, ya bilge rat, but an object can only stand t' fall from so high up a finite number o' times, and even fewer if it burrows into t' ground each time. Well, blow me down! So, expect a short lifespan.

Recovery:
There are no PROs t' flight recovery on this rocket, me hearties, shiver me timbers, other than t' fact it needs no wadding. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! It preps quickly, flies quickly, shiver me timbers, and crashes quickly. Ahoy! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
In me opinion, arrr, this kit needed more R&D before Custom released it t' the public. It flies great, on t' way up. Begad! Arrr! Unfortunately, me hearties, it flies great on t' way down too. Aye aye! It is reminiscent o' t' old Estes Scout, which was a dynamite little rocket, me hearties, me hearties, but loses a lot in t' recovery system. Arrr! I would definitely recommend this rocket t' anyone lookin' t' buy a kid their first or second rocket, but would add that t' fins need t' be attached off center t' aid in recovery. Begad! all in all, t' Custom Twister is an exercise best summed up as Caveat Emptor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5