Brief:

Recovers in two pieces by two separate 18" parachutes

Construction:

This rocket kit comes packed in a sturdy box from Estes so thar be minimal chances o' receivin' crushed body tubes in a bag. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! All parts are typical Estes quality with nothin' bad t' say about t' kit. Arrr! Blimey! Body tubes are pre-slotted for all fins. Avast! Avast! Blimey!   T' aft fins are two part plastic fins that result in a seam t' fill if t' builder desires a smooth fin. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Once assembled t' fins provide a very sharp leadin' and trailin' edge and a very scale like appearance.   T' aft fins attach t' t' motor mount through t' main body tube for a very strong mount. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Estes recommends plastic glue for this attachment - after a number o' launches, me hearties, this joint popped loose and I used CA t' fix it. This has held up very well and I would recommend reinforcin' this joint. Avast! T' front fins attach similarly t' t' body tube with alignment tabs and plastic glue - see previous suggestion t' strengthen this joint. Avast, me proud beauty!  
T' instructions are very easy t' follow and are well thought out in assembly order - typical o' many Estes kits. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! In summary, this is a very impressive

Finishing:

Once primed and sanded t' your own level o' perfection, me hearties, matey, t' paint scheme is very simple. Begad! T' entire rocket is painted white with t' exception o' t' nose cone which is blue. Avast! T' self adhesive decals really dress up this rocket and make it a valued addition t' any fleet.

Construction Rating: 3 ½ out o' 5

Flight:

Estes recommends D12-5 engines only for this rocket. T' engines are retained by Estes' typical retainin' clip and is adequate for this rocket.

T' recommended preparation technique in t' instructions calls for packin' t' upper portions parachute in t' lower body tube first and then packin' t' lower parachute. Blimey! There is nay much room in t' lower tube for t' chutes and if they are nay packed carefully you may run out o' room. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! You must use waddin' for this rocket t' protect t' two chutes.

Bein' a somewhat heavy rocket, t' launch is quite impressive with a slow liftoff and acceleration. Avast, me proud beauty! Successful recovery is based on your preparation and packin' o' t' recovery system. Aye aye! Begad! In seven launches, matey, I have had two marginal recoveries. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! T' first occurred when t' chutes tangled and only one opened bringin' both sections o' t' rocket down together. Begad! T' rocket landed at a higher rate o' speed than normal, arrr, but suffered no damage. Avast! Avast! I then changed me packin' technique t' add wadding, shock cord, arrr, lower chute, matey, upper chute, ya bilge rat, me hearties, upper shock cord in that order. This uses t' lower chute as a piston t' force everythin' above it out o' t' rocket. Arrr! T' second failure be caused by a weak ejection charge from t' engine. Avast! This separated t' body tubes, but did nay eject either parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket recovered via t' tumble method and suffered some damage upon impact with t' ground that be repaired in under an hour.

Flights are very straight and stable with a slight tendency t' weathercock into t' wind.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

This is a fairly large rocket with impressive lift-offs and recoveries. It is relatively easy t' build and finished with self adhesive decals looks very realistic.

T' main con for this rocket is its recovery method. It is prone t' tanglin' and t' chute compartment is fairly small. A possible fix t' this would be t' connect t' two tubes and use one larger chute t' brin' down both sections.

For an adventurous modeler, this rocket would make a very nice two stage model usin' gap stagin' techniques.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5