Brief:
This is a new offerin' from FlisKits. It is a single stage that uses parachute recovery. Blimey! Blimey! I got t' rocket as part of their 6th anniversary celebration. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It was smartly delivered in a well packaged box.

Construction:
There are 2 body tubes, ya bilge rat, a BT-55 that transitions down t' a BT-50. There are 5 forward swept fins that blend into the transition. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! They provide toothpicks t' add details on t' fins.

T' instructions are clear, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but I did make some changes (such as t' order o' t' build). First, ya bilge rat, I cut out the shroud for t' transition. Aye aye! Blimey! I cut t' tab extra wide, and then cut it off. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I use rubber cement applyin' a layer on the back o' each side and onto t' tab. Begad! While t' glue was dryin' (notice I have nay assembled it yet), matey, I marked t' tube and glued in t' motor block. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unfortunately, me bucko, since t' tube is a BT-50 and t' rocket is designed for 24mm motors, there is no engine hook. Avast! So t' motor will have t' be held with a friction fit. Avast! Blimey! I wonder if t' kit could have been designed t' use a BT-60 t' BT-55 so it could have used a BT-50 motor mount with an engine hook. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Maybe an idea for an upscale.

Back t' t' shroud, me hearties, I applied t' tab t' one side (usin' about half t' tab), matey, then carefully applied t' other side. Aye aye! You have t' be careful with this approach as t' rubber cement will grab right away and is nay forgiving (fortunately, shiver me timbers, Jim provides a spare shroud if you have an issue). Arrr! Begad! You slide t' shroud over t' tube and I slid a centerin' rin' over t' help keep t' shroud round. Begad! Since t' rubber cement only sticks t' itself, you don't have to worry about it stickin' t' anything.

T' fins and strakes had minimal tie points so they were easy t' remove. Arrr! Blimey! I sanded t' edges slightly t' get the "burn" off so they would glue better. However, sand lightly as you don't want t' change their shape/size.

A piece o' Keelhaul®©™® is tied around t' tube t' be t' shock cord anchor. Avast! T' instructions then tell you t' glue t' BT-55 tube on at this point. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Here again, me hearties, I deviated. First I tied t' shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™®--it is easier at this point as you have more Keelhaul®©™® cord t' work with. Arrr! I then passed t' shock cord/Keelhaul®©™® back down t' BT-50 tube t' keep it out o' t' way for when you glue t' BT-55 on. Avast! (T' instructions have you apply the glue for t' BT-55, pass t' cord through, and then slide t' tube on. I be concerned about t' glue startin' t' set while tryin' t' pass t' cord through.) T' other change was I cut and glued t' toothpicks on and did t' glue fillets before I attached t' BT-55 tube. Arrr! I felt t' rocket was more manageable this way.

With t' cord down through t' BT-50, matey, shiver me timbers, I then applied glue inside t' BT-55 and on t' lower centerin' rin' and attached t' tube. After it dried a bit, I passed t' cord back down through t' tubes.

A screw eye into t' nose cone and t' launch lug onto t' BT-55 and t' build is done. (I did nay build the parachute as I have tons o' chutes already.) Well, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, don't forget t' tie t' shock cord t' t' screw eye.

Finishing:
I did nay fill t' spirals on t' tube. Avast! I thought they were tight enough that t' primer would cover them. Arrr! Avast! I did discover that I should have filled them. Avast! I did seal t' balsa fins and nose cone and then sprayed t' rocket with gray Rustoleum primer. Begad! I wanted t' try somethin' new, so I masked t' fins and sprayed t' tube with Rustoleum hammered copper. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I then gave t' fins a coat o' silver followed by Testors blue metal flake. Begad! Aye aye! I be goin' t' try fluorescent orange on t' nose cone, but after I painted it I did nay like how it went with t' copper. I decided t' repaint it to match t' fins so I started t' paint it silver. Ya scallywag! After a first light coat, t' nose cone looked pretty cool so I decided to keep it that way. However, it still did nay match as much as I would like. I then painted t' toothpicks with the fluorescent orange and sprayed some o' t' orange followed by t' silver t' blend t' copper into t' orange.

Waterslide decals were provided. Blimey! I only used t' main name decal as t' other decals would nay go with me color selection

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I followed Jim's advice and only loaded a B6-4 for me first flight. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My field is a bit small. Avast! Blimey! I used an expended D12 as an adapter. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Since thar be no engine hook, I used tape t' secure t' B6 in t' empty D12 and t' D12 t' t' body. I used "dog barf" for waddin' and one o' me stock 12" parachutes. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' kit comes with a 16". 3-2-1 and a nice straight launch. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rocket seemed t' fly somewhat slowly, ya bilge rat, but then again I was only usin' a B6 instead o' a D12.

Recovery:
About 2 seconds after apogee, matey, shiver me timbers, t' chute ejected. Avast! T' rocket came down nice and soft with no damage. Blimey! T' distance was not too far away. Avast! It definitely would have drifted more with t' 16" chute. If you use t' stock chute, you may want t' cut it down especially if you get it all t' way up thar with a D12 unless you like a good hike!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: This is a nice kit, matey, nay too difficult t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' transitions, strakes, me bucko, and toothpick highlights make it more than a 3FNC rocket. Avast! Begad! I'm sure it will be a high flyer, but I will need t' wait for a larger field.

CONs: I prefer an engine mount, but I had no problem with t' tape. Begad! I think t' stock chute is oversized but that can always be cut down.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5