Brief:
Apogee recently introduced this potential build/fly candidate as a basic Alpha class model. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! 3FNC design, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, 18mm motors, and fairly nice-looking. Ya scallywag! It also flies well and can potentially be a soccer field flyer on A motors.

Construction:
Apogee's part quality is usually excellent, me hearties, shiver me timbers, though in t' past I've had some issues with t' die-cut fins which tend to have crumpled edges. Begad! I was quite pleased t' see that with this kit, they've gone t' laser-cut fins o' much better than their typical quality. Begad! Aye aye! Parts list includes:

• PNC-24 plastic nose cone
• 12" BT-50 body tube
• 18mm motor assembly (BT-20 tube, ya bilge rat, block, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 20/50 centerin' rings, metal hook)
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• 100# Keelhaul®©™® shock cord (30")
• 10" plastic chute
• 1/8" launch lug
• Peel 'n Stick decals

Construction is well within t' skill level 1 ratin' on this kit and is less than an evening's work plus a littel time for finishing. T' instructions are very good and a rookie builder would have no trouble followin' them. Begad!

The motor mount be t' basic tube with a pair o' centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, though in this case Apogee has gone one step better than most kits and anchors a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord around t' forward centerin' ring. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' finished mount slides into t' BT-50 with 1/2" o' motor tube exposed/extendin' out t' aft end. Seein' that, I really wish they had included a boattail in t' design and gotten rid of t' metal hook, matey, as I'm a sucker for a nice boattail.

Fin lines are mared via wrap-around fin guide. Avast! Begad! I had one o' t' earliest available kits,and me guide had a 4-fin pattern nay 3, though a corrected pattern was already available and they had taped it into me instruction sheet. Ya scallywag! The fins are a basic delta and I attached first usin' a thin bead o' medium CA,then followed up with white glue fillets.

T' plastic nose cone is a two-piece assembly and fit a bit too loosely in t' body tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, so I added a wrap of maskin' tape around t' shoulder for a better fit.

T' parachute is a 10" plastic chute and needs assembly. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It features a pair o' adhesive paper reinforcement rings and you poke a hole through them t' pass t' shroud lines through before securin' with a double-knot.

Finishing:
This one's very easy t' finish with a plastic (grain free) nose and a body tube that really doesn't need spirals filled. Ya scallywag! Begad! Just a quick sandin' o' t' fins then a couple coats o' gray primer followed by two coats o' gloss white. Givin' t' white a couple days t' fully cure, me hearties, I then masked off t' body tube t' paint t' nose and fins red. Avast, me proud beauty! Another two days' wait and I applied t' Peel n Stick decals. Ya scallywag! I generally don't like Peel n Stick but can appreciate t' ease of them if this were a build session involvin' a large number o' kids.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For first flight, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I had perfect conditions with barely a trace o' wind. Avast! I opted for a B6-4. Avast! Begad! It flew straight and true but t' delay be a bit early and I think it could ave done better on a -6. Blimey! Ideally, arrr, I'd probably opt for a C6-5, though that would put it pretty high up and under a chute on 5 mph winds could be a very long walk.

Recovery:
T' chute deployed fine, but t' combination o' all-Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and plastic nose cone proved t' be a very weak point. Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® tore through t' shoulder, leadin' t' separation. Fortunately, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, with such light winds, matey, arrr, I was able t' recover both the tumblin' body and t' chute/cone.

Easily repairable but I think a better solution with such a thin plastic loop on t' cone shoulder would be to include about 12-18" o' elastic t' act as a better shock absorber and gentler effect on t' plastic shoulder. Begad! In fact, ya bilge rat, I had used a series o' braided slip knots on t' Keelhaul®©™® specifically t' reduce t' tension exerted on t' shoulder.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

PROs: Very nice flyer, ya bilge rat, pretty cools decals add t' t' appearance
CONs: Plastic nose cone shoulders on this cone (13 and 18mm as well) are too thin for just Keelhaul®©™® line

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5