T' Mirage was t' second medium-power rocket and t' first Aerotech kit that I built. Ya scallywag! In addition, arrr, this kit be t' largest rocket that I have ever built, arrr, towerin' 87" (that's 7'- 3"!).It is 2.6" in diameter and weighs 31 ounces.It flies with 29mm motors. In a nutshell, it's a whole lot o' rocket!

T' kit comes with three body tubes with couplers, plastic nose cone, arrr, matey, and launch lugs. Avast! Due t' mid-separation, arrr, me bucko, it comes with t' hardware necessary t' attach two 8 foot shock cords and two nylon parachutes (one 22" and one 30"). Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor mount hardware includes a LABYRINTH coolin' mesh and ejection baffle, me bucko, which eliminates t' need for wadding, me hearties, matey, as well as a motor retention hook. Blimey! Blimey! There are three large plastic fins with tabs for mountin' in Aerotech's FIN-LOK system through a pre-slotted body tube. Begad! Lastly, me bucko, shiver me timbers, thar be a large Mirage decal. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

T' Aerotech web site indicates that this kit comes with a 24mm adapter. Ahoy! My kit did nay and quite frankly due t' size and weight t' only 24mm motors I would use would be F24 and F39 and then flights would be less than 400 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! I think its a misprint on t' web site because t' catalog does nay indicate a 24mm adapter. Avast!

There are six pages o' clear, ya bilge rat, illustrated instructions. There are a couple o' breakouts which provide a location guide for t' motor mount and a detail o' t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! T' remainin' illustrations provide adequate information for assembly. T' instructions also provide clear warnings on use o' glue, ya bilge rat, such as, shiver me timbers, nay puttin' it on t' shock cord since it will weaken it and t' avoid gettin' glue into t' FIN-LOK ring's. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions are in logical order and can ensure a successful assembly if followed. Ahoy!

T' instructions suggest usin' medium viscosity CA, however, me hearties, I used 5 and 30-minute epoxy. Ya scallywag! In doin' so, matey, I had t' wait a few extra minutes betwixt steps, shiver me timbers, however, I still built t' entire kit in about one and a half hours. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' assembly o' this large rocket was very easy and thar were no problems. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! All o' t' parts fit and went together as described. Ahoy! T' most difficult part o' this rocket is dealin' with it's height. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! If you're nay extra careful, me bucko, ya bilge rat, you will certainly hit t' ceilin' a few times. Arrr! Also dealin' with it's size adds a challenge t' finishing. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty!

Durin' t' finishin' stage I decided t' nay fill t' body tube grooves with anythin' and just build it up usin' Plasti-Kote primer. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This was nay t' best decision. Aye aye! This be nay t' best decision. It took about 5 coats, sandin' inbetween each one, ya bilge rat, before t' grooves were filled. Ahoy! Arrr! T' nose cone was one o' t' biggest problems due t' t' moldin' grooves left on each side. Aye aye! Begad!

Once fully primed, I chose t' paint t' rocket with a deep maroon metallic automotive lacquer. Begad! Blimey! I painted t' entire rocket this color. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Then I took a can o' chrome paint and sprayed t' nose cone and t' upper section o' t' rocket, nay protectin' anythin' from over spray. I think this gave a nice "fade-in" look. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' kit comes with one decal with t' name Mirage™ on it, however I did nay choose t' use it at first. Arrr! I have since gone back and used it. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I followed t' directions completely and cut out t' decal, ya bilge rat, arrr, peeled t' back off, dipped it into some soapy water then applied it t' t' body. I adhered nicely.

Overall, arrr, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't find a single problem. Blimey! Arrr!

T' Mirage has a mid-separation design which releases t' upper five foot section t' descend on it's own 22" parachute. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' second 30" parachute carries t' bottom, me hearties, fin and motor, me hearties, section down.

T' kit uses two launch lugs. Avast! Blimey! One is on t' upper section and t' other is on t' bottom section. Avast! These two need t' be aligned t' allow for a smooth launch off o' t' guide rod. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! T' last page in t' instructions are t' "Operation Instructions" and they indicate that "a 1/4" diameter metal launch rod at least 36" long (as measured from t' top o' t' blast deflector)" should be used. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! This can nay be correct and must be a blanket operation instruction for other Aerotech kits since t' top launch lug is about 38" from t' bottom o' t' rocket. Ahoy! I used a five foot rod and even that seemed a tad bit short. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey!

T' maiden voyage was on an Aerotech Single-Use F25-6. Avast! Blimey! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Excellent slow and loud lift off. Ya scallywag! T' F25 powered t' Mirage to a fully observable apogee (wRASP says about 675 feet), then about 2 seconds after apogee t' ejection charge pushed t' upper section away and both parachutes deployed. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' upper section came down faster than t' lower section. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' lower section drifted more than t' upper section, matey, so it would be good t' have a flyin' partner t' help in retrieval. Blimey!

T' second flight be supposed t' be on a G80-7, however, arrr, after 4 puffs this motor be nay goin' t' ignite. So t' second flight was on an Aerotech EconoJet G35-7. Begad! This flight was also great t' watch with separation at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' LABYRINTH ejection gas coolin' system did exactly what it claims to; "T' ignition o' t' ejection charge creates a burst o' hot expandin' gas which is cooled by t' permanent metal mesh . Well, blow me down! . Begad! . Avast! Aye aye! T' cooled gas flows around t' baffle, pressurizes t' parachute bay and ejects t' nose cone (or payload bay) and parachute." I had no damage t' me shock cords or parachutes.  

One other interestin' fact about t' Mirage is how well suited it is for many different motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Accordin' t' wRASP, t' Mirage will have excellent flights (with ejection very near or at apogee) on Single-Use motors, F20-4, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, F25-4, F50-6, G80-7 and RMS motors, F52-5, me bucko, me hearties, G33-5 and G64-7. I'm sure t' North Coast Rocketry Darkstar F62-6 would also give a nice flight. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! I look forward t' usin' some o' these other motors!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, shiver me timbers, I would rate this kit 5 points. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Overall, for t' price and ease o' build, ya bilge rat, t' Mirage is a great kit for someone lookin' for a very large, mid-powered rocket with little experience. Avast! Avast! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points.

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Ya scallywag! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Blimey! Blimey! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Blimey! For more information, shiver me timbers, me hearties, use t' two links above. Avast, me proud beauty!

"T' Mirage is a tall, attractive model standin' 87" tall and 2. Aye aye! Blimey! 6" in diameter. " 
"Her features are t' Labyrinth ejection charge coolin' system, molded plastic fins, through-the-wall fin mounting, ya bilge rat, dual parachute recovery, large decal sheet, ya bilge rat, and complete instructions. Avast! " 
"Flights with t' F40 were very interesting. Liftoff was slow, arrr, but then t' Mirage picked up speed. " 
"T' Aerotech Mirage is a very nice kit t' get started in higher power rockets. Aye aye! " 
"She is a large, me bucko, good lookin' kit that is very easy t' build and fly. Begad! " 
"On a scale o' one t' ten, this model deserves a ten. Avast! " 

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is an excellent kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler. Ya scallywag!