Brief:
This rocket is part o' Estes Launchables Starter Set and is aimed at newcomers t' t' hobby. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' package says that it takes less than an hour t' assemble and does nay require any painting.

Construction:
T' kit comes with one body tube that already has t' launch lug and a 1/8" x 18" elastic shock cord attached, two fin halves, ya bilge rat, one lock ring, shiver me timbers, one nose cone, matey, an assembled 12" plastic parachute, me hearties, and decals.

T' instructions are pretty straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! You will need a modelin' knife, plastic cement, me hearties, and maskin' tape for construction. Aye aye! All you have t' do is glue t' 2 plastic fin halves together, glue t' now assembled fin can t' t' tube and tie t' chute and nose cone on. Arrr! T' fins have t' engine mount built in t' them and here in lies t' only "gotcha". Blimey! Do nay attach t' lock rin' until t' fins have dried. If you do, you risk sealin' t' motor mount closed and you will have a great lookin' paper weight.

Finishing:
On a personal note, I found that clear tape worked better at fittin' me nose cone than maskin' tape. Begad! It is thinner and will give you a way t' layer up t' fit. Blimey! Maskin' tape was too thick for mine. Blimey! Begad! Just add t' decals and it looks great. Ya scallywag! Begad! Somethin' I will go back and do is add a #5 swivel t' t' nose cone for t' chute. Begad! This will keeps it from gettin' tangled.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I would recommend t' C6-5 engine. I used this engine twice but used a B6-4 for t' first flight. Ahoy! T' engine is placed in t' motor mount that is built into t' fins and held thar by t' lock ring. Avast! T' rocket does use waddin' and recommends that you use 4-5 sheets o' it for each flight. Aye aye! Begad! I started out usin' 4 sheets and ended up with a holey chute. Avast, me proud beauty! I would definitely recommend usin' 5 sheets. Blimey! Nice straight flights.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is t' be double knotted t' t' nose cone. Begad! It be very easy t' assemble. Avast, me proud beauty! I would have t' say that it does have a tendency t' fall a bit fast. Begad! This might have been due t' t' fact that t' ejection charge might burn t' chute. Ahoy! On a few flights in high wind, arrr, it would have been damaged had t' fins nay been made from plastic. Well, blow me down! After about 6 or 7 flights, me bucko, t' chute needs t' be replaced. Arrr! I would add a chute protector t' hopefully nay have this problem.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
It was a very quick and easy build. It flies very well even in pretty stiff winds. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! On t' other hand, shiver me timbers, I would highly recommend a chute protector. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rocket can survive some pretty rough landin' due t' t' materials used. My eight-year old son loves this thing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5