Brief:
This is a Skill level 3 single stage 24mm motor model rocket kit. Begad! It has a main wingspan o' 12" wingtip t' win' tip on me kit. Ahoy! Rocketpad calls it a "futuristic attack-troop transport o' t' U.S. Begad! Space Command". Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It is a sleek lookin' kit and uses an 18" mylar parachute for recovery. There are two large wings and four smaller fins. Well, blow me down! Their kits are different than the run o' t' mill 3 fin types and I like somethin' different!

Construction:
T' kit features high quality 1/8" balsa wood. Begad! T' sheets were straight and nay warped. Aye aye! T' fins and wings are cut from t' included balsa sheets with card stock templates. Begad! T' kit also uses a balsa boat tail, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, nay a roll your own paper type! T' nose cone is a plastic type with a molded canopy top that adds to t' kit's look. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' kit uses a Keelhaul®©™® cord that is connected t' t' motor tube assembly and ties t' a brass swivel that you tie t' t' 1/4" shock cord. Begad! T' main 1.6" diameter body tube is 17" long. T' centerin' rings are laser cut black fiber and t' kit also included full color waterslide decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' motor retention is friction fit. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! All t' parts were o' a high quality and fit together with no problems.

The instructions are on a few sheets that are printed on one side o' each sheet. T' included pictures were clear and in B&W. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions were easy to follow and I had no problem followin' t' assembly o' t' kit although I would not recommend this kit t' a beginner. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only hard part be gluin' on t' two large wings. Avast! Blimey! It took me some time t' do as t' fins would nay stay in place because o' their size. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I ended up cleanin' off t' Elmer's wood glue and used some heavy CA. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! When t' win' was dry, I t' placed fillets o' Elmer's wood glue to finish them. Avast! Blimey! There be no problem usin' Elmer's on t' four small fins or balsa boat tail. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I like Rocketpad's way o' hookin' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' a big brass swivel where you then hook it up t' shock cord that fits to t' nose cone. Aye aye! T' parachute was packed in its own bag with assembly instructions. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' kit was a mylar type from ASP. Avast, me proud beauty! It was an 18" and bright silver in color. Avast! Avast! T' ensure proper stability, you have t' put in some clay weight in t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! It be a fun kit t' build and t' results were great.

Finishing:
T' instructions have you prep t' plastic nose cone separate from t' rest of the kit since t' "canopy top" is left white in color. Blimey! They show you a picture o' t' nose cone taped up so you can paint t' cone t' gray color and protect t' canopy from t' gray paint. Begad! T' kit comes packed in a plastic bag with full color picture o' t' finished kit showin' t' color and decal placement. Ahoy! I used me old stand by Aero Gloss brand sandin' sealer for t' balsa parts. Aye aye! It took 3 coats t' get a smooth finish on t' balsa. There were no cons in t' finishin' o' t' kit. Blimey! T' included waterslide decals are nay t' thin type and went on fine. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I used Rustoleum Gloss Gray spray paint that I got at Home Depot. I did t' paintin' and finishin' t' match t' picture on t' header card and it looks sharp!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are C11-3,C11-5,D12-5,E9-6, and E9-8. Arrr! Ahoy! You prep the rocket like most others. Avast! Begad! I used some dog barf for waddin' and a C11-3 for the first flight. Begad! T' motor is held in place by friction fit by usin' a small piece of maskin' tape on t' motor. Aye aye! I launched it With some friends at a local farmer's field. Arrr! Ahoy! T' farmer's son is also into rockets so we had access t' a big field! T' first flight went great. Ya scallywag! It was straight and t' parachute came out as t' rocket be turnin' down at about t' 9 o'clock position. There was no wind and t' kit came down close t' t' launch pad. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' next flight was with a D12-5 motor and this one was real nice and much higher than t' C motor. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Again the rocket came down with no damage near t' launcher. Avast! Begad! Then I got brave and used an E9-6. Man, ya bilge rat, did it take off! It went very high and was hard t' see when the chute came out but we did see t' puff o' smoke from t' ejection charge and t' bright chute. Aye aye! It took a bit o' time till it came down over a small hill on t' farm and I had a walk t' get it, matey, but I did get it back! Lesson, don't fly this kit on an E9 without a large field! T' C motors would be fine in a small high school field with nice flights! I was impressed t' way it flies with those large wings up front. Aye aye! Ahoy! I did us an E9-8 for t' last flight and the chute clearly popped out on t' way down. Ahoy! Since t' kit is nay that heavy and it flies high, me bucko, t' 8 second delay is OK. Good flights all around.

Recovery:
After 4 flights, t' kit be in great shape and had no damage from recovery. T' shock cord mountin' system is still in great condition as well.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
There are just about no cons in this kit. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' only thin' that you have t' be careful about be t' gluin' t' two large fins on. I contacted Rocketpad and told them about t' problems I had attachin' t' fins. They emailed me back in less than a day and said they would add t' info about usin' t' heavy CA glue for t' wings t' future kits. Arrr! Blimey! I am just givin' t' kit a 4 1/2 for t' wing thin' but am happy they responded so fast t' me. Aye aye! Avast! Also, arrr, I received an updated copy o' t' instructions from them with t' fix included. Cool!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5