Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, arrr, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Well, blow me down! Once t' rocket was complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, me bucko, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. Aye aye! Aye aye! When t' sandin' was complete, me bucko, me hearties, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. Ya scallywag! T' rocket itself be then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Aye aye! T' top portion was then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, matey, and t' lower section was sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step was t' paint both tube fin sections. Arrr! T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Avast, me proud beauty! Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. Aye aye! (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, arrr, ya bilge rat, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, arrr, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. When I be satisfied with t' coverage, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, ya bilge rat, I glued t' caps into place. Aye aye! When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, ya bilge rat, removed t' maskin' tape strip, matey, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' SSA is a decent performer, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. Arrr! This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. Well, blow me down! It has flown twice thus far, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. Begad! T' two flights, in similar conditions, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, me bucko, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Aye aye! As expected, ya bilge rat, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, makin' for a nice, short recovery walk. Arrr! Ya scallywag! After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. Avast! It was later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight was noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, then drifted further into t' veggies. Aye aye! Blimey! A longer recovery walk, matey, but a much cooler flight. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. Arrr! Blimey! I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Avast! Cool decals. Avast! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Aye aye! Begad! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, me hearties, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5