Brief:
T' foam Tangent is one o' t' Doug Holverson designed rockets produced by Fun Rockets under Doug's name. Ahoy! While certainly an innovative idea, me bucko, it wasn't necessarily a great business idea in t' somewhat fickle world o' low power rocketry. Begad! T' Tangent be selected for this comparison because it fit the "low and slow" description, and despite its OOP status, it added a little more color t' t' launches.

Construction:
Included in t' sturdy, me bucko, colorful box are a foam nose cone/main body tube/assembled recovery system, matey, three foam fins, matey, and a foam and paper engine mount/fin can.

T' instructions that come with t' Tangent are far and away t' highlight of t' kit. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Doug has gone t' great length t' provide t' beginnin' flyer with detailed information about how t' go about achievin' t' best possible performance with t' Tangent. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Construction is simple t' a fault. All one has to do t' get this rocket ready t' fly is slide t' three large Styrofoam fins into their slots in t' Styrofoam engine mount, secure them with some wood glue, then glue t' assembled fin can into t' aft o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Everythin' else is already done for you, right down t' t' packed parachute and t' first load of recovery wadding.

Finishing:
This is a simple matter o' affixin' t' self stick decals. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Everythin' else is pre-painted and with t' exception o' t' stickers bein' too thick, shiver me timbers, t' overall look o' t' rocket is impressive.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Of t' four rockets in this comparison, me bucko, matey, t' Tangent be t' most interesting from a flight standpoint. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Pre-loaded with recovery waddin' and a comparatively large parachute, t' Tangent screamed off t' pad on its initial C6-5 flight, cockin' into t' wind. Avast, me proud beauty! Ejection occurred as scripted, me bucko, but t' nose cone didn't completely separate from t' body tube at first and eventually pulled free as the rocket started t' fall. Upon inspection, ya bilge rat, it appeared that t' rocket had been pre-loaded with three tight fittin' wads o' recovery waddin' which wedged against t' base o' t' nose cone instead o' ejectin' it. Avast!

T' second flight was on a B6-4 and was noticeably lower than t' previous flight. Arrr! Avast! T' Tangent on a B6-4 looks t' be a great choice for those days when you fly from you local soccer field, matey, as it winds up at a respectable height and cocks into t' wind, ya bilge rat, matey, which allows it t' recover back near t' pad when the breeze is factored in.

T' third flight was on a B4-2 for a couple o' reasons. First, I be told that it was a great small field motor for these big birds that allowed them to live up t' their "low and slow" reputation. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Second was because I was too tired t' chase it very far and t' B4-2 flight be low enough that the recovery walk was minimal. An interestin' feature o' each o' t' B4-2 flights that I made with t' four different rockets that day was t' little hitch that they made as they cleared t' rod. Begad! Blimey! It looked almost as if t' rocket was making a course correction as all o' them seemed t' fall sideways ever so slightly before t' thrust kicked in and sent them into t' wind. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey!

Recovery:
An interestin' feature o' t' foam Tangent be t' pre-built and pre-packed recovery system. Begad! T' Tangent comes with enough spare waddin' wrapped in with the instructions for several flights and three wads were already tightly packed in t' main body tube. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! As I mentioned earlier, it's probably a good idea to take t' chute and waddin' out and repack them yourself because they seem to have been shoved in awfully tight. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is pre-mounted and uses an interestin' mountin' method. Arrr! Ahoy! T' elastic cord is tied through a piece o' launch lug, which is glued t' t' inside o' t' main body tube. Begad! T' method seems effective enough, me hearties, although I'd consider it a bit suspect over a long period of time.

T' parachute is large and sturdy and in fact may be a little too large for some tastes. Well, blow me down! I cut a large reef hole in t' chute, arrr, which seemed t' have little effect on t' performance o' t' recovery system except t' allow it t' recover closer t' t' pad. Blimey! Begad! T' descent rate is obviously quicker, but it is still slow enough t' allow a damage free recovery.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocketry world is no worse off with t' loss o' t' foam Fun Rockets products, but seein' t' Tangent pass into history with this as its last gasp would be a shame. T' balsa version o' this rocket is one that is well worth huntin' down and I hope that t' future holds a comeback for t' Holverson Designs half o' this unfortunate partnership.

PROs: Great small field performance. Begad! Sharp looks from a distance. Instructions. T' Holverson Designs/Fun Rockets saga is one o' t' odder stories in rocketry. Avast!

CONs: Cheesy foam. T' fact that you can tell it's cheesy foam from close up. Ya scallywag! Sticker decals, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, also cheesy.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5