Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

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

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. Ahoy! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Begad! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, ya bilge rat, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! T' unit be then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Ya scallywag! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. 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! T' t' remainin' material, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Aye aye! Avast! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Begad! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, 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, me bucko, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, me bucko, arrr, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, one that I had nay used before. And frankly, I don't know that I'd use again. Avast! Arrr! T' method be really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, arrr, me bucko, leading, matey, tip chord, matey, 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. Arrr! Blimey! OK, OK, arrr, maybe it's just me... T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, shiver me timbers, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Begad! Blimey! 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, me bucko, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Avast! That combined with t' white body tube, arrr, me hearties, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Blimey! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, ya bilge rat, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Well, blow me down! Avast! As one would expect, arrr, t' liftoff be 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. Arrr! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Aye aye! Aye aye! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Begad! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, ya bilge rat, me hearties, smooth, shiver me timbers, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, ya bilge rat, anyway) altitude. Again, arrr, deployment was right at apogee. Aye aye! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. However, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Given t' size o' this model, matey, me hearties, 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, 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, shiver me timbers, you're missin' t' point. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Begad! Blimey! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. Well, blow me down! No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, ya bilge rat, but I have t' admit, ya bilge rat, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Begad! Begad! T' tubes, me bucko, nose cone, motor mount tubes, shiver me timbers, and hooks are all first rate quality, arrr, me hearties, as are t' parachute and shock cord. 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5