Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Well, blow me down! This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit, me hearties, which be packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, three 24mm motor mount tubes, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, fiberboard centerin' rings, matey, three motor retention hooks, me hearties, one PVC nose cone, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, shiver me timbers, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, shiver me timbers, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, and an eye bolt and nut. T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, as was t' parachute.

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, shiver me timbers, were all very straightforward. Begad! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. Ahoy! T' unit was then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Begad! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' t' remainin' material, matey, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Aye aye! Arrr! Here's where I got a bit skittish. I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, shiver me timbers, but I strengthened this setup. Aye aye! I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, arrr, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, one that I had nay used before. Ahoy! And frankly, ya bilge rat, I don't know that I'd use again. Begad! Aye aye! T' method was really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Ya scallywag! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, leading, me hearties, matey, tip chord, ya bilge rat, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, me bucko, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Avast, me proud beauty! OK, OK, maybe it's just me... Begad! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Avast! Also, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! So, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, me hearties, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Ahoy! That combined with t' white body tube, me bucko, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Blimey! Arrr! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, arrr, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Begad! As one would expect, matey, t' liftoff was slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. But it did, ya bilge rat, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Begad! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, ya bilge rat, smooth, ya bilge rat, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, ya bilge rat, anyway) altitude. Begad! Again, matey, deployment was right at apogee. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage be t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Well, blow me down! However, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Aye aye! Given t' size o' this model, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, shiver me timbers, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, shiver me timbers, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, arrr, no Junior, you're missin' t' point. T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Avast! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, me hearties, but I have t' admit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, arrr, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Ahoy! T' tubes, ya bilge rat, nose cone, me bucko, arrr, motor mount tubes, shiver me timbers, arrr, and hooks are all first rate quality, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Ya scallywag! And yes, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. Avast! If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Ya scallywag! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5