Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. It is a pre-assembled kit where t' only thin' you need to do is attach t' parachute t' t' rocket. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is 12" in diameter, me bucko, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Ya scallywag! No paintin' is required. Arrr! Arrr! T' package says it will go t' 1200'.

Construction:
T' Rascal uses a body tube 0.976" in diameter and has four fins and a plastic nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is approximately 16" long, ya bilge rat, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most of t' Estes rockets, me bucko, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' 12" parachute is plastic.

Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, it has almost no assembly requirements. I thought t' instructions were good. Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. T' nosecone fit nicely, matey, arrr, nay loose. Well, blow me down! I modified it by usin' a fishin' snap swivel attached t' t' parachute t' connect it t' t' nose cone so it would be able t' twist on the way down after launching. Begad! This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. Blimey! Blimey! T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' rocket is sturdy. Aye aye!

Finishing:
There is no finishin' required, I suppose one could clear coat t' rocket if they desired.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Rascal has a number o' recommended motors. Avast! Begad! They are: A8-3, B4-4, me hearties, B6-4, C6-5, matey, and C6-7. Aye aye! Blimey! I don't like t' fly my rockets so high that I have trouble recoverin' them, shiver me timbers, so I've only used t' A8-3, B4-4, and B6-4. T' A8-3 flew nicely to I would estimate somewhere about 250', and t' B engines would send it up t' somewhere around 550'. Well, blow me down! I never measured the altitude so these are just estimates, but t' package says it'll go t' 1200 feet. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I put about 4 sheets o' Estes Waddin' in it, and t' rocket used a metal motor retention clip. Ahoy! It flew straight with a nice parachute deployment and soft landing. Avast! I flew it ten times, but t' shock cord separated on t' 10th flight. Avast! It always flew well for me. Aye aye! No "Cons" for flight characteristics.

Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, however, me bucko, matey, arrr, on t' 10th flight, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the rocket came down in 2 sections. Avast! T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting the ground. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! It will fly again, but it is a little unsightly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I suspect t' decals wrinkle ever so slightly on the extreme edge (of t' decal) from t' ejection charge heat inside t' rocket body, matey, but I could be wrong. Begad! Begad! This is the only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. That be t' one thin' that needs t' be improved. Arrr! I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about 3' long. Begad! I thought t' recovery time was OK with t' present 12" parachute. Aye aye! Arrr!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good rocket that needs no assembly except for attachin' t' parachute. Arrr! You can literally be launching in minutes. Blimey! It looks nice in silver, shiver me timbers, flies well with decent altitude, ya bilge rat, and recovers nicely. Well, blow me down! It's been a good rocket in my stable. In fact, it's t' rocket I've flown t' most. T' shock cord will get brittle and break eventually, ya bilge rat, and it broke on mine on t' 10th flight. I would say start checkin' it before you fly it after t' 6th flight. Arrr! Arrr!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5