Brief:
While t' US senate was tryin' t' wrestle a health care reform agreement t' resolution before Christmas 2009, me hearties, the Semroc team be busily rushin' out their own little piece o' rocketry "legislation", releasin' a bit o' a mutated kit called t' Earmark.

I won't contend that anythin' "inspired" this, but it does appear t' be based upon t' Mark kit, which is one o' Semroc's retro-repro series that was based upon t' G Harry Stine 1961 design. Arrr! Instead o' fins, you get 3 ears, thus t' ear-mark.

Construction:
Components are typical top-quality, including:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-20 body tube
• CR 20/5 thrust ring
• Laser-cut fiberboard fins
• Peel n stick decals
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• [note-no recovery device, matey, intended t' tumble]

T' instructions represent a new slimmed-down approach Semroc is taking, with construction outlined on one side of an 8.5x14 sheet. T' parts diagram is in t' center, arrr, and 9 construction steps circle around it. Aye aye! Blimey! This is a very simple construction project, shiver me timbers, certainly a skill level 1.

I do have t' point out one neat feature in t' instructions, matey, though--Semroc normally tries t' include a little background on t' kit design and/or company with their products, and in this case t' background on t' design is quite entertainin' and almost worth t' price o' t' kit itself. Arrr! It traces t' mock history o' t' design, arrr, from t' standard Mark, shiver me timbers, t' addin' pig's ears, which were abandoned when they found they couldn't turn sow's ears into silk purses, finally settlin' on human ears.

T' crepe paper and latex industry did nay lobby aggressively enough, me bucko, and so t' streamer and elastic shock cord were dropped from t' final design. Begad! Ya scallywag! For those nay comfortable with tumble recovery, Semroc offers a TARP option, me bucko, though t' TARP is 120 square feet, matey, which Semroc claims will likely result in short recovery walks since t' rocket won't go anywhere anyway.

One other limited edition option related t' t' kit be t' bailout option. Aye aye! For a mere $15,200,000, you can bailout Semroc and create at least 3 new jobs. Ahoy! If you are interested in obtainin' carbon credits for this kit, me bucko, arrr, you'll have to read t' instructions--it's far too complex t' include in this review.

Havin' brushed up on t' history behind t' kit, me bucko, I managed t' build t' model in about 10 minutes, plus finishing time. Well, blow me down! Construction starts with insertin' t' thrust rin' usin' a pre-marked stuffer (dummy motor casing), markin' the fin lines usin' a template on t' instruction sheet, and attachin' t' 3 fiberboard fins. T' nose cone gets a screw eye anchor, ya bilge rat, and t' launch lug is centered betwixt a pair o' fins.

Finishing:
I finished this similar t' me Mark, matey, me bucko, usin' metallic red base coat, with metallic gold for t' nose, matey, and black trim stripes on t' body tube. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' fins get peel and stick decals for t' ears. Ahoy! Maybe it be just that I be finishin' this while watchin' t' bowl games, ya bilge rat, but t' me t' decals looked more like potato chips than ears. Begad! I'll probably add a few stray hairs stickin' out for added realism.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on an A8-3. Avast! It can supposedly handle up t' a C6-7, though without a streamer or chute, I'd think spottin' it would be darned near impossible at that point.

T' boost be quite fast, straight up, too fast for me t' spot any roll. T' motor delay looked like it was more like a -2 than a -3, deployin' earlier than expected, ya bilge rat, and certainly well before apogee.

Recovery:
T' tumble recovery worked, me bucko, as thar was no damage at all and it did come down pretty gently, though I'd still suggest addin' a few feet o' streamer t' this, me bucko, nay so much t' slow t' descent, me bucko, but t' spot t' little bugger on the way back down.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It flies well, is certainly an interestin' mutation o' t' basic 3FNC concept. I especially enjoyed readin' through all t' instructions/background information. Well, blow me down! T' potato-chip-like ears are cute. I'm nay sure t' TARP option would be a good idea, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, but I'd certainly pay an extra $0.25-$0.50 t' include a small trackin' streamer. Who knows? If t' added back in a streamer option, it might eliminate t' new bailout promotion bein' offered.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5