Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. 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. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! What you get here is a kit, with all t' parts included.

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

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

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

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. T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, ya bilge rat, but it is also stiff, shiver me timbers, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Avast! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Avast, me proud beauty! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. Aye aye! T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Well, blow me down! On t' second launch, however, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and was lost...temporarily. After a good wind that night, arrr, I wandered over t' look for it. Aye aye! T' me joy and amazement, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, thar it was! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, me hearties, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, me bucko, me hearties, 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. Arrr! T' 'fin unit' is nice and t' shock cord is cool. Ya scallywag! It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. However, ya bilge rat, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, me hearties, arrr, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5