Brief:
For anyone lookin' for a break from t' 3FNC standards, try movin' up t' this 5 finned beauty. With its futuristic style, colorful decals, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and funky fins, matey, matey, it qualifies as a fun kit t' build and fly.

Construction:
Parts are o' above average quality, matey, me hearties, and include:

• 1 BT-55 upper body tube
• 1 BT-50 lower body tube
• 1 BT-20 motor tube (with metal hook)
• 1 Balsa nose cone/screw eye
• 5 Laser cut balsa fins
• 2 Centerin' rings
• 1 1/8" launch lug
• 1 15" mylar chute
• 1 Elastic shock cord
• Waterslide decals

T' tubes are glassine white with very light spirals and t' laser cutting on t' balsa fins was excellent quality: clean with little or no burn marks.

OK, arrr, while this is nay a 3FNC rocket, it basically builds like one. Construction starts with a motor mount assembly--the standard 2.75" tube, hook, centerin' rings approach. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Next use t' wraparound tube markin' guide to establish lines for t' 5 fins and launch lug. You will want t' sand t' gloss off t' tube before marking, as this will establish a better bondin' surface than t' glassine finish. Begad! Begad! Next comes bondin' o' t' 5 fins, me bucko, along with separate extension pieces. Well, me hearties, blow me down! This is all fairly straightforward, just tackin' them on with CA and then filletin' usin' yellow glue.

One very unusual aspect o' this design is that t' forward/upper body tube is a larger diameter than t' lower tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' construction is nay that tough, ya bilge rat, it is just the opposite o' what you'd normally expect--mount a couple o' centerin' rings to t' forward end o' t' lower tube with them buttin' up against t' fin extensions, then slip and glue t' upper tube over t' rings. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Everythin' fit just fine on me kit and no adjustments or trimmin' were needed.

Construction wraps up with t' installation o' t' shock cord and nose cone. Begad! This be t' standard paper tri-fold mounted into t' body tube. Aye aye! I'd prefer t' see a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic combination anchored t' t' lower body tube or at t' very least a longer shock cord (1.5-2 times t' body length).

Finishing:
In a hurry t' take advantage o' a promisin' weather forecast, me hearties, arrr, I skipped over my usual grain fillin' and went straight t' primer on this job. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Two coats of Krylon white primer, sanded down with wet 600-grit paper established a decent foundation for t' topcoats. Ahoy! Blimey! I went with t' color scheme on t' header card, which was a simple silver paint job. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used a Rustoleum silver metallic finish (the new stuff, nay t' old solid-colored cans) and two very light, ya bilge rat, thin coats resulted in a very nice finish.

After allowin' t' paint t' cure out for a full 24 hours (I normally recommend 48 but was in a rush), I then applied t' waterslide decals. Ya scallywag! Avast! The decals for this kit make for a very cool look and a silver base is an excellent match for t' red/black decals.

I don't know if this would be a flaw, or just a minor peeve from an anal-retentive guy, me bucko, but t' decals for t' upper body tube look like they weren't designed with symmetry in mind. There's pair o' decals usin' a red streak that has a hatch at one end, me bucko, and t' "Astrid" name on the other. Blimey! Placin' them on opposite sides o' t' body tube, arrr, I'd want the "Astrid" t' appear at t' forward end o' each, and t' hatch to appear at t' aft end o' each. Blimey! Since t' decals are copies, matey, nay opposites of each other, it looks like one side is mounted backwards.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For its first flight, I went straight t' t' C6-5 power. Begad! Arrr! Its flight was absolutely straight and despite havin' 5 fins (and 5 opportunities for me to blow t' alignment/mounting), matey, me bucko, it didn't spin at all. Arrr! Ejection be nose down at apogee and t' bright red 15" chute popped right out.

Recovery be fine, although I think t' 15" chute is a little overkill. Arrr! A 12" would work fine instead, assumin' you're nay flyin' over concrete. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' pointy fins are fragile and need a soft landing.

My flight was cursed by a rough snapback from t' fairly short shock cord. Begad! Blimey! It knocked loose a cockpit decal and put a big smile in t' very soft balsa nosecone. Arrr! This will be smartly and easily repaired and this rocket is goin' t' become one of my more frequent flyers.

I added 2 more feet o' elastic, flew it two more times, me hearties, and am now 3 for 3 on dents. Begad! Blimey! At least these are easy t' fill and repaint.

Recovery:
PROs: very stable flight, great (though oversized) mylar chute.

CONs: t' shock cord is a bit short, me bucko, could also use Keelhaul®©™® anchor

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is just a great model rocket. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Cheap, matey, easy t' build, me hearties, flies fine, and has a very unusual design. Well, blow me down! Arrr! You really can't ask for much more than that.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5