I first saw Starlight Model Rockets advertised in NAR's Sport Rocketry magazine, matey, arrr, but was then pleased t' see LongLongJonRocket.com start t' carry them, so I could try one out. Blimey! Avast! T' flight vehicle that I tried out is their F-32 Avenger. Avast! T' winged-aircraft look is what caught me attention. Blimey!

T' kit includes one 12" body tube which seems slightly thicker than typical Estes (but when I measured them I could nay see a difference). Aye aye! Begad! This body tube was completely pre-marked. T' 2 3/4" nose cone and pre-cut fins are balsa. Ahoy! There are two 18mm "jet" tubes that are 2 3/4" long. Ahoy! Aye aye! An 1/8" dowel is provided for some detail work. Well, blow me down! There is an 18mm motor tube with retainin' hook, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, thrust ring, ya bilge rat, and two centerin' rings. T' recovery system is made up o' an 12" ASP Mylar parachute, a 16" piece o' round (1/16") white elastic, shiver me timbers, and a shock cord mount. Ya scallywag! A 1/8" launch lug, some hardware, shiver me timbers, a decal sheet finish out t' kit.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on a 3 sides o' two 8½ x 11" paper. There are many hand drawn illustrations t' assist in buildin' t' kit and t' placement o' t' decals. Ahoy! As mentioned above, t' body tube is pre-marked with a few different colors, so a markin' guide is nay needed.

T' F-32 assembles like most Estes, matey, shiver me timbers, Custom, or Quest kits.

T' motor mount is assembled first and it used a wire motor hook, shiver me timbers, thrust rin' and two centerin' rings. Begad! T' thin round motor hook has a tendency t' "roll" in t' motor mount when bein' used. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I believe this is why Estes and Quest went with flat sprin' steel. Well, blow me down! Nonetheless, ya bilge rat, it is nice t' have a motor hook provided. Well, blow me down!

T' nose cone is balsa and it first requires that an eye-screw be added into t' base. Avast! T' nose cone was really grainy. Begad! I found t' bottom transition edge (from nose cone t' shoulder) t' be very ragged and slight splintered. Well, blow me down! Nay terribly uncommon for balsa nose cone kits, but it is tough t' sand. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I found that by slidin' it into t' body tube, shiver me timbers, applyin' pressure and turnin' it against t' tube edge greatly helped reduce t' raggedness problem.

Havin' pre-cut balsa fins is a nice quality touch. Avast! T' body tube is pre-marked with different colors t' allow for very easy assembly. Begad! T' instructions guide you t' use t' "double" glue technique. Avast, me proud beauty! Glue is added t' t' root edge o' t' fin and then it is set aside t' dry. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Starlight has even gone as far as colorin' t' root edge with black. Well, blow me down! Once it is dry, shiver me timbers, glue is applied t' t' root edge and it is placed in position on t' pre-marked line on t' body tube. Blimey!

T' 1/8" dowel is cut into two 2" and two 3" pieces. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' 2" dowels are glued t' t' end o' t' win' tips. Avast! T' 3" dowels are glued on t' underside o' t' rocket on each side o' t' launch lug. Ya scallywag! These add detail t' t' rocket.

T' shock cord gets a knot tied in one end and it then weaved through three holes in t' shock cord mount. Avast, me proud beauty! This is then glued inside, 1" down from t' top, o' t' body tube. Begad! T' opposite end is tied t' t' eye-screw in t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' parachute is assembled accordin' t' ASP's instructions.

Basic finishin' instructions are provided (sandin' sealer, me bucko, sand, ya bilge rat, arrr, repeat, shiver me timbers, paint white). Ya scallywag! Then t' instructions describe applyin' t' water-slide decals. Ya scallywag! However, me hearties, thar was a supplemental note that said water-slide decals had been replaced with peel-n-stick ones. So I peeled-n-stuck on t' decals.

I used me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. T' nose cone took a lot o' work. Arrr! I then used Walmart Silver paint.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 points. Well, blow me down! T' instructions are adequate for t' kit. Avast! T' hand drawings are nay t' same quality o' other kits, but certainly allow t' builder t' be successful. Well, blow me down! T' quality o' parts are good with t' exception o' t' nose cone and motor hook. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' pre-markin' is a very thoughful bonus. Arrr! Begad! Havin' decals and Mylar parachute are nice features, too.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Starlight recommends t' A8-3, ya bilge rat, B6-4, and C6-5.

My finished rocket weighed 1.5 ounces.

T' instructions indicate that you'll need 2-4 squares o' wadding. I used 3, rolled me 'chute, and got everythin' ready.

T' first flight was on an A8-3. Ahoy! Avast! Excellent first choice. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay terribly high, but allowed for a nice flight. Ahoy! Begad! Recovery system worked fine, arrr, no damage.

T' second flight was on a B6-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Straight flight, very stable. Avast, me proud beauty! It ejected at apogee. I was a fairly high flight for t' size o' rocket it is. Descent rate is good. Begad! Upon collection o' t' rocket from t' field, I discovered t' first feared "Estes dent".

I know, ya bilge rat, it probably isn't fair t' keep sayin' "Estes dent", matey, but I think most understand what that is. Avast! Ya scallywag! Too short o' a shock cord, ya bilge rat, elastic stretches, arrr, shiver me timbers, snaps back. Avast! Ya scallywag! On balsa nose cones you get a "smile" from t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Avast! With plastic nose cones you get a "dent" on t' top o' t' body tube. Well, matey, blow me down! Therefore, me hearties, I now declare this t' be a "balsa smile" instead o' an "Estes dent". Blimey! Ya scallywag!

So, me bucko, back t' t' program. T' flight resulted in a "balsa smile".

T' third flight was also on a B6-4. Stable and straight. At apogee it turned as if t' rocket (plane) was flyin' right side up. Ahoy! Ahoy! Neat t' see.

T' fourth flight was on a C6-7. I purposely chose t' longer delay so it could drop some before ejection. Begad! Ahoy! It looked great arcin' over, but it be way up there. Arrr! T' ejection charge went off and t' parachute did nay fully open. Arrr! I'm glad because I would have had t' walk a mile. Begad! A second "balsa smile" appeared.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, ya bilge rat, I would rate this rocket 4 points. T' F-32 is very stable and nice looking. T' short elastic shock cord caused damage. Ya scallywag! T' parachute is excellent and sized correctly for this rocket.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Avast! Ahoy! Looks and what you get with kit are very nice. Overall, it was a good experience, but in all fairness, matey, t' rocket falls into t' "average plus" range for ratings.