Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr! What you get here is a kit, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, a safety pin, and a shock tether assembly. Aye aye! The latter is pretty neat. 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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), a pair o' pliers, and wire cutters.

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

Next, you cutout and fold t' one-piece fin unit, matey, slide it onto t' tube, and soak it in CA, which both holds it on and strengthens it. Ahoy! Finally, ya bilge rat, matey, you snip two small pieces from t' ink tube and use them for launch lugs. 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. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, but it is also stiff, ya bilge rat, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. Begad! Blimey! T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! On t' second launch, however, me hearties, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and was lost...temporarily. Avast! Blimey! After a good wind that night, I wandered over t' look for it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' me joy and amazement, thar it was! Blimey! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, shiver me timbers, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Bummer.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5