Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Blimey! This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. Ahoy! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit, which was packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, me bucko, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard centerin' rings, three motor retention hooks, me bucko, one PVC nose cone, me hearties, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, shiver me timbers, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, ya bilge rat, and an eye bolt and nut. Avast! T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, as be t' parachute.

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. Ya scallywag! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Ahoy! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, me bucko, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. T' unit was then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Ya scallywag! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Avast! Aye aye! T' t' remainin' material, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Begad! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I strengthened this setup. I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, arrr, ya bilge rat, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, arrr, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, one that I had nay used before. Ya scallywag! Avast! And frankly, ya bilge rat, I don't know that I'd use again. T' method was really very simple, matey, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Blimey! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, matey, me hearties, leading, tip chord, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. OK, me hearties, shiver me timbers, OK, me hearties, maybe it's just me... Aye aye! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Also, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. So, ya bilge rat, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Ya scallywag! That combined with t' white body tube, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Aye aye! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Begad! As one would expect, t' liftoff was slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. But it did, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Begad! Arrr! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, ya bilge rat, smooth, arrr, me bucko, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, anyway) altitude. Aye aye! Again, deployment be right at apogee. Ahoy! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Begad! However, arrr, matey, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Aye aye! Given t' size o' this model, matey, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, no Junior, me bucko, you're missin' t' point. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, but may be limited in space as well as budget. T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. Avast! No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I have t' admit, arrr, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Avast, me proud beauty! T' tubes, nose cone, shiver me timbers, motor mount tubes, arrr, and hooks are all first rate quality, matey, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Aye aye! And yes, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Arrr! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5