Brief:

T' Sunward Ice Storm is a Spaceplane designed t' fly on 18mm B & C motors. Begad! This is a very detailed kit , matey, matey, consistin' o' very high quality parts. Arrr! It is nay a simple kit t' build and takes time. Begad! Ahoy! But if you do take t' time required, your efforts will be rewarded.
In flight this is a beauty, matey, with realistic barrel rolls. Avast!

Construction:

T' kit contains:-

• Set o' illustrated instructions,
• 18" Body tube
• Card "Jet Engine" wraparound & fin reinforcement sheet
• Engine block
• Centerin' Rings
• Engine Tube
• Engine Hook
• Laser Cut Balas Fin & Win' sheet
• Elastic shock cord
• Plastic Ogive Nose Cone
• Plastic Parachute & shroud lines
• Water Slide decals
• Launch Lug

T' instruction sheet was extremely well written and illustrated. All components were in solid condition and o' very high quality. I was surprised at the thin elastic shockcord though compared t' t' rest o' t' kit. Blimey! Ahoy! Maybe attention could be taken t' replace this with somethin' more substantial

Construction o' this model is nay easy. But follow t' detailed instructions and you shouldn't have too many problems. Avast! Blimey! T' Engine mount is pretty standard - 2 centerin' rings, me hearties, motor tube & thrust rin' and a novel engine hook, arrr, matey, which is an L shaped metal bar which screws into t' aft centerin' rin' until it's tight against t' motor.

T' main part o' construction be t' "Jet Intake" body wrap, formed out o' card, which needs very careful cutting, matey, and gluin' t' get the correct shape without warping. Blimey! Once this has set it fits around t' body tube formin' t' under side o' t' plane. Aye aye!

T' fins / wings are all laser cut and require sandin' especially on the leadin' edges. These are attached t' t' jet intakes (on t' top) in two halves and reinforced usin' tabs formed from t' card sheet, which need t' be carefully curled t' fit t' profile o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Once these are in place and set, matey, t' Vertical fins are attached and once again reinforced with card tabs cut from t' main sheet.

T' parachute construction is standard as be t' shock cord mount.

T' nose cone had a shiny surface which needs t' be sanded carefully to allow primer t' take before finishing.

Finishing:

Finishin' is up t' you. Avast! Aye aye! I've chosen t' Solarfilm cover it (still a work in progress). Blimey! Although by followin' t' manufacturers scheme I think it would look superb T' decals are water slide and include US, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, Canadian & UK Airforce insignia, so you can customize t' final look t' your own choice.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:

This is a heavy model. I'd be very wary o' launchin' it in windy conditions, a light breeze bein' t' most I'd recommend (see below). Ya scallywag! Prepping is easy and standard. Well, blow me down! I launched it on t' recommended B6 motor (I didn't have a B6-2 so a B6-4 was substituted) for t' first flight. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! As I said it is a heavy model so didn't reach much height (maybe 50 ft). Avast, me proud beauty! But deployed at apogee ok.

For t' second flight I chose a C6-7 (oops), Just as I pressed t' button a gust o' wind caused t' plane t' weather cock and it shot off across t' field at a height o' about 30ft..It barrel rolled several times which brought lots of "oohs & ahhs" from t' others around, very realistic looking before eventually losin' altitude and landin' by a hedge BEFORE ejection. Avast! Blimey! It Lawn Darted before t' ejection charge. Arrr! Blimey! However this plane is built strong and absolutely no damage be sustained. Begad! Phew!

Next launch a month later and it flew again twice on C6-7's. Well, blow me down! First time round it reached apogee - barrel rollin' on ascent before a death defyin' dive which then caused it t' almost turn into glide mode slowin' it down just before t' ejection charge which brought it down so softly it was a sight t' behold. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Second time round it seemed to gain extra altitude and ejected just at apogee - another fantastic flight.

Summary:

All in all, this is a great lookin' kit. Avast! Ahoy! Built like a tank, matey, but take your time over t' build! Don't dare fly this in nothin' but t' calmest o' weather as it will weather cock. But when this baby flies it looks fantastic. Arrr! Ahoy! Choose your motor carefully. Arrr! Arrr! A slightly longer delay can produce some fantastic results.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5