Brief:
Aerotech's 4", shiver me timbers, G-powered, parachute recovered rocket usin' their proprietary LABYRINTH ejection baffle system.

Construction:
Pros: Big (for Aerotech) Easy t' build, very nice flyer
Cons: Limited recommended motor range. Avast, me proud beauty! Very thin fins. Pricy.

Bein' me first 4" kit, me first impression be WOW! There's somethin' very nice about bein' able t' get your hands into t' airframe t' work. Arrr! Avast! All t' parts listed in t' instructions were present, shiver me timbers, even an extra centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Everythin' fit nicely with t' possible exception o' a very tight tube couple. A little sandin' brought that little annoyance into line.

A few basics about t' kit: It has two 4" tubes. Begad! Blimey! T' tubes are fairly sturdy and t' spirals are pretty shallow. T' coupler fit nicely (if nay a little too snug). T' nose cone is an old plastic ACE nose cone. Avast! Blimey! It has two standard Aerotech 3/16" square plastic lugs. 1/4" lugs would have been nice and probably should be upgraded. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Nay really sure what t' centerin' rings are made from. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Aerotech has their own name for t' material, but they feel like a partial/slate composite. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! They are very sturdy. Avast! Blimey! T' elastic shock cord is about 12' long. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was a little concerned about it bein' elastic, shiver me timbers, arrr, but it worked without a hitch. Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord attaches t' t' top o' t' Labyrinth baffle like all t' other Aerotech kits and t' other end attaches t' an eye hook in t' bulkhead in t' upper section.

T' instruction were clear and concise for t' most part. Avast, me proud beauty! (although a couple o' times I had t' re-read a step t' make sure I understood what they were talkin' about. Blimey! They had clear illustrations for most t' steps that made it very clear from a visual stand point. I didn't use any new construction techniques with this rocket that I haven't done before with t' exception o' only usin' epoxy. I didn't bother usin' CA in areas that they said t' use it. Aye aye! Blimey! System 3 epoxy worked fantastic.

As designed, me bucko, on G motors, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me bucko, flights were a lot o' fun! Slow take off and low altitude are a lot o' fun for me so flyin' this rocket on G's be a blast. Begad! I realized very early on that I didn't want t' limit this bird t' only G motors. Well, blow me down! I decided that this be also goin' t' be me cert rocketry t' qualify level 1. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Modifications were goin' t' have t' be made. I used t' "bonus" centerin' rin' t' add Kaplow Klips and left out t' motor clip and motor block. Begad! Blimey! I used only System3 epoxy t' glue everythin' (quite liberally I might add). I will also glass t' pathetically thin fins for t' H and above flights.

Finishing:
Mine is nay finished yet, but I wanted a unique look, me hearties, so I am nay goin' t' go with t' recommended paint and decal scheme. Aye aye! T' decals are t' usual self adhesive decals that AT uses on all their kits.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Built stock, it flies only on G's, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, but it fly's as designed on them rather well. Aye aye! I have only flown mine on G64-4's so far and have nay had a single problem. Begad! Begad! It was very stable, even in high winds (20mph). No weather-cockin' at all, no conin' or spiraling, no problems at all. Begad! In fact, ya bilge rat, matey, in t' 20mph+ winds, it didn't cock into t' wind at all. Aye aye! T' wind actually gently pushed it. Avast, me proud beauty! On t' video tape, arrr, t' only effect o' wind you see be t' smoke from t' motor goin' smartly down range. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket didn't even seem t' notice it at all.

5/00 Update:I successfully used t' G-Force in this review (with some modifications) t' get me Level 1 certification. It be fairly heavy when I be done modifyin' it (4lbs fully loaded), but flew perfectly on an H128. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Cannonball Works RRc2 told me it hit 666 feet on a gusty and pretty windy day.

Recovery:
AT used their ever-popular "boin' cord" shock cord. It worked well even though I was concerned. Well, blow me down! I will modify it even further by addin' bunched up tubular nylon around t' elastic for insurance. Avast! T' 36" parachute brought it down rather slowly. In t' high winds, I had about a 3/4 mile walk t' retrieve it.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
When built stock, me hearties, shiver me timbers, this is a really fun bird t' build and fly. Blimey! Begad! It has one really bad drawback that kept it's overall ratin' down in me eyes. Aye aye! Blimey! It's price. If t' cash doesn't matter t' you, then this is a great rocket t' have in your collection, me bucko, but keep in mind that it's nay "the only fish in t' sea".

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5