Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Well, blow me down! Plans for other BiC® rockets are available here on EMRR (BiC® ARCAS and the Double Tree Pen Roc) and you can download t' plan's for this one from Art Applewhite's site. Arrr! Well, blow me down! What you get here is a kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, with all t' parts included.

Construction:
T' followin' parts are provided in t' kit: One BiC® pen, card stock with the fin unit printed on it, a safety pin, and a shock tether assembly. The latter is pretty neat. Avast, me proud beauty! It appears t' be a teeny-weeny braided steel cord with a plastic covering. Aye aye! One end has a small loop closed with a crimp bushing. Begad! Arrr! A second loose bushin' is provided t' form a loop at t' nose cone. T' assemble the kit you need a sharp knife, regular and Gel CA (I substituted Liquid Nails for t' latter), shiver me timbers, a pair o' pliers, and wire cutters.

Assembly is really easy. Well, blow me down! You disassemble t' BiC® pen, leavin' only the empty tube. Blimey! You remove t' ink tube and shave t' shoulder o' t' tip (i.e the nose cone) so it fits easily into t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! One warning: t' pen is full o' ink and is thus potentially very messy. Well, blow me down! Over a couple o' paper towels, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I removed the ink tube and set it upright t' drain. Well, blow me down! I also cleaned t' ink from t' tip and inserted a small piece o' paper towel, shiver me timbers, wadded into a ball. Aye aye! This will keep any remnant ink from leakin' out. Avast, me proud beauty! T' tether is attached by makin' a small hole in t' shoulder o' t' nose cone, me bucko, arrr, insertin' t' open end o' t' tether, me bucko, and crimpin' on t' bushin' with a pair o' pliers. T' safety pin is used t' punch a hole through t' aft o' t' tube. Avast! You then pull t' pin halfway out and feed the loop on t' end o' t' tether over t' tip. Aye aye! T' pin is then reinserted, snipped off, ya bilge rat, and presto, you get a both a shock cord attachment and a motor block. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Next, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you cutout and fold t' one-piece fin unit, slide it onto t' tube, and soak it in CA, shiver me timbers, which both holds it on and strengthens it. Finally, ya bilge rat, you snip two small pieces from t' ink tube and use them for launch lugs. Begad! Make sure you save t' rest for other Micro Maxx projects.

Finishing:
No finishin' is required.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
No streamer material is provided nor is it needed. Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. Begad! T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, matey, shiver me timbers, but it is also stiff, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Ya scallywag! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. Ahoy! T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Begad! On t' second launch, matey, however, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and was lost...temporarily. Blimey! After a good wind that night, me bucko, I wandered over t' look for it. Aye aye! T' me joy and amazement, me bucko, thar it was! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. Blimey! Bummer.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' resultin' rocket looks nice and is a great flier. T' 'fin unit' is nice and t' shock cord is cool. Begad! It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. Ahoy! Blimey! However, me bucko, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, matey, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5