Brief:
1/10 Scale Model o' t' Canadian Soundin' Rocket, t' Black Brant VA. It is a single stage rocket with parachute.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' one 1.72" main body tube, shiver me timbers, matey, one smaller aft tube, me hearties, balsa nosecone, ya bilge rat, matey, motor mount parts, vinyl and waterslide decals, 20 laser cut parts for t' fins, 24" o' Keelhaul®©™®, and 33 inches o' 3/8" elastic shock cord. It includes detailed instructions as well. Avast, me proud beauty! T' model is a three fin and body tube type. Ya scallywag!

T' instructions twelve B&W 8.5" x 11" pages. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! The instructions include a very nice engineerin' drawin' o' t' model with marking information. T' motor mount instructions were clear and straightforward. Ahoy! The tail assembly be t' most complicated part o' t' model. Begad! T' instructions take two full pages. Avast, me proud beauty! I did find some o' t' marking/test fit/gluin' instructions confusing. It is a lot o' text t' read through. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I would recommend readin' it through several times and breakin' t' build down into smaller sections. Ya scallywag! The fins mount t' t' aft tube only. T' aft assembly is then glued t' t' primary body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! A note o' caution: In t' same paragraph that has you test fitting the aft tube also has you gluin' in t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' full size sanding instructions were very nice.

Finishing:
I personally had difficulty in gettin' a smooth finish on t' balsa nose cone. My first coat o' primer be too thick. Avast! When I started t' sand it smooth, me bucko, the paint lifted off and became uneven. Ya scallywag! It took seven more coats o' a thinner primer t' get a minimum acceptable finish. Ahoy! T' rocket is red overall with one white fin. Avast, me proud beauty! I chose t' build and paint t' rocket red without t' one white fin. T' one white fin was painted separately then glued on after drying. Aye aye! T' decals went on without difficulty. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on t' recommended D12-5. Well, blow me down! T' model uses a standard metal retention clip. Aye aye! Recovery waddin' be used. Blimey! T' rocket lifted off with ease and was a very straight flight. Well, blow me down!

Recovery:
Ejection was normal although t' delay was closer t' 4 seconds. Blimey! T' chute opened and t' rocket settled down. Ahoy! It was noticed that thar be some separation at ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! After recovery, it was discovered t' separation was half o' one o' red fins. Well, blow me down! It tore along t' balsa grain. There was also a crescent shape dent in t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I suspect that t' nose cone impacted the body tube durin' ejection.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel t' highlight o' this rocket is that it is a scale model o' t' Black Brant. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I really like this family o' rockets and ARG has made a whole collection in t' same scale. T' con be t' fin separation durin' flight. Aye aye! Begad! I would consider some type o' reinforcement for t' fins, ya bilge rat, either tissue or fiberglass. Alternatively, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, new fins could be cut with t' grain goin' t' opposite direction.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5