Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, me bucko, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Once t' rocket was complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, me hearties, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' sandin' was complete, matey, arrr, 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. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Ya scallywag! T' top portion be then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section be sprayed with Valspar silver.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, t' SSA is a decent performer, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. 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. It has flown twice thus far, arrr, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. Aye aye! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' two flights, me bucko, in similar conditions, shiver me timbers, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, 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, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, me bucko, makin' for a nice, shiver me timbers, me bucko, short recovery walk. After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. Arrr! It was later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, me bucko, but I'll have t' print off another set.

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

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5