Brief:
T' N.E.A.V. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! X-1 from Cygnus Model Rocketry Company is a small futuristic design that reminds me o' somethin' that you might see in t' pod races from t' film Star Wars Episode I: T' Phantom Menace. Avast! Ya scallywag! I was nay familiar with t' company when I came across t' rocket kit at Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack and decided t' add it t' me order. Aye aye! Aye aye! The rocket kit comes in a large plastic bag with a color cover sheet and instructions printed on 8.5" by 11" paper. Avast! It would appear from t' Cygnus web site that you can only get t' kit through one o' their authorized retailers. Blimey! On a side note, if you are lookin' for prompt and reliable service for orderin' rocket kits with prices that are sometimes lower than t' vendor's price, arrr, give Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack a try.

Construction:
T' parts in me kit matched what was described in t' previous review by Nicholas Berring. Ahoy! T' quality o' all the items in t' kit was actually very good. T' parachute material is made from a thicker plastic material than what I am typically used t' gettin' in LPR kits. Ahoy! Avast! Because o' t' rocket's size and tight space for packin' t' chute, ya bilge rat, I think that a Mylar parachute would be a better option. Arrr!

This kit was selected by me neighbor's kids t' build as one o' t' 11 rockets in 11 weeks for t' Elevate Eleven contest here on EMRR. Aye aye! There is no skill reference listed for this kit that I could find but I would rate at a skill level 2 out o' 5. I ended up doin' almost all o' t' construction on this one because o' the complexity.

T' instructions use diagrams rather than pictures t' help you through t' construction process which I prefer. Nevertheless, thar are some steps that I found t' be confusing. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' N.E.A.V. Begad! Aye aye! X-1 uses a cardstock guide that you set t' main body tube on t' mark t' placement o' tube fins, shiver me timbers, balsa wing, shiver me timbers, and launch lug. I prefer a body wrap for making these markings. Begad! Begad! Since thar be no guide t' help square t' downward wind tips t' t' wing, shiver me timbers, I used a corner o' the balsa sheet t' get them at a 90 degree angle.

I choose t' follow t' instructions for addin' t' nose weight t' t' rocket rather than t' suggested method from t' previous reviewer. Begad! Blimey! Save yourself some time and headaches and do what Nicholas suggests. Begad! Blimey! The instructions have you glue t' dowel into t' nose cone, me bucko, matey, arrr, then glue t' two lead disks t' t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After that, you are supposed t' screw t' eye hook into t' lead. Ahoy! Blimey! When I did that, me hearties, t' lead disk came apart and off t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! So I re-glued t' whole assembly together with t' screw eye already installed and plenty o' glue. Begad! Blimey! I needed t' shave and file t' disks once everythin' be dry t' get t' nose cone into t' body tube.

Finishing:
I applied a thin coat o' Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler t' t' nose cone and balsa wing. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' spiral in t' body tube be nay noticeable so I chose nay t' fill it. Blimey! I sprayed a couple coats o' white primer and then a couple coats o' white gloss t' t' rocket. Once t' paint had dried, I cut out t' cardstock canopy and attached it t' t' rocket. Aye aye! T' decals are very small and do require some type o' coatin' before you apply them. Begad! Arrr! I found this out t' hard way when I started with one o' t' small American flags for t' side wings and mangled it pretty good. Ahoy! Begad! I had a hard time make t' decals stick t' t' rocket. Begad! Overall I believe that t' rocket still looks pretty cool when finished even if t' completed rocket only measures 9-½ inches in length.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Since this rocket does nay have an engine clip, arrr, ya bilge rat, you need t' friction fit t' motor into t' body tube with a piece of maskin' tape around t' engine. Begad! For t' first flight I loaded an A8-3 into t' N.E.A.V. Blimey! X-1. Avast! Even though thar was no wind, I be on a smaller field and didn't want t' lose t' rocket. Begad! T' rocket soared off t' pad with a slight veer to t' left. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I could nay tell which way t' rocket was pointin' when t' parachute ejected from t' body. Blimey! There was a wing tip that had broken durin' flight. Ahoy! This will be an easy repair before t' next flight rocket but I am goin' t' use white glue instead o' CA for hopefully a stronger joint.

Recovery:
T' recovery system for this rocket uses about 17 inches o' elastic cord that is glued t' inner body tube usin' the tri-fold paper mount method. Even though t' rocket uses only a 6" parachute, it is a tight fit t' pack everything into t' BT-20 rocket. Blimey! I am nay sure if t' chute tangle or just failed t' work because o' its size, me bucko, but t' rocket came crashin' back t' t' ground almost like it was in a free fall. Avast! Begad! I could see t' black chute flappin' in t' fall but it did little t' slow it down. Arrr! This might have been part o' t' reason that one o' t' wind tips was broken off at t' landin' site.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
T' N.E.A.V.X-1 sure does look cool but I was nay that impressed with t' flight and recovery o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Once the rocket is repaired I will try and launch again with a larger motor on a larger field. Begad! I am plannin' t' replace the 6" plastic parachute with a larger Mylar one. Arrr! Hopefully this will change me mind on how I feel about t' rocket.

PROs: Great looks (the 5 year old neighbor wants t' trade a 3FNC rocket for it), me hearties, interestin' tube and fin design, relatively low cost.

CONs: Construction issues, arrr, decals were hard t' work with, arrr, flight and recovery problems.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5