Construction

This is definitely nay your simple 3-fin model, arrr, so readin' t' fairly good instructions is a must. I would generally agree that t' "sandin' guide" and approach used t' bevel t' 3 sides for a flush fit be t' weakest part o' t' project. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! I spent just a couple minutes before recognizin' t' futility and decided t' just eyeball it. Begad! Begad! Blimey! My main issue was that t' sides are about 8" tall, t' t' template lines up against t' bottom edge. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Tryin' t' sand a consistent angle all t' way up by lookin' at how you're doin' relative t' t' bottom edge is nay exactly an exact science. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I wound up just usin' a 10" long sandin' block and goin' smoothly along t' side all at once, matey, then comparin' it t' t' template, ya bilge rat, tweakin' a bit here and there. Begad! In t' end, I realized it's mainly just t' make sure I've got a good glue joint, me hearties, so I filled t' gaps and imperfections and covered them up with t' skins afterwards.

I'd also suggest two deviations from t' sequence o' steps in buildin' this. Begad! Blimey! First, as Dick figured out after t' fact, me hearties, cuttin' out t' small openin' for t' launch rod BEFORE gluin' everythin' together is a little bit easier, mainly because you can work on a flat surface/cuttin' mat. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Second, me hearties, that little limewood brace that anchors t' shock cord in place is a bugger t' get in thar far enough up t' be out o' t' way. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I think anchorin' that t' one side before puttin' them together would allow for better placement and probably a more secure glue joint.

Overall, this was a little more challengin' build than I'd anticipated, me bucko, matey, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! From t' outside o' t' bag I'd figured it would be a quick cut/glue job and a few minutes o' work, but it wound up takin' a good couple hours makin' sure everythin' fit, me bucko, ya bilge rat, was securely constructed, shiver me timbers, and rugged enough t' handle multiple flights.