Brief Description:
1/100 scale, single stage, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, parachute recovery, arrr, ya bilge rat, model o' t' Gemini Titan. It has a clear fin assembly attachable for flight and a nozzle assembly attachable for display. This kit is a good addition t' t' fleet o' 1/100 scale NASA vehicles provided by various manufacturers. Arrr! It is a little pricy for the materials provided, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but you are payin' for t' scale model as much as you are payin' for a rocket kit, shiver me timbers, and should expect t' pay a little more.

Construction:
T' packagin' is a zip-loc bag with black and white cardstock cover, and a one-sheet, matey, me bucko, two-sided instruction sheet with diagrams and brief instructions. All parts were included, and in good shape. Well, blow me down! I especially liked t' thick body tube, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, which is definitely sturdier than I am used t' with Estes kits. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is made from a heavy resin, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, instead o' balsa or plastic. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This eliminates the need t' put any weight in t' nose cone for stability later. Begad! Blimey! It feels nice and solid! T' parachute material is "slicker" than t' Estes-type plastic, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which initially appears t' be a plus, but did create a problem which I will get into in a bit. Arrr! Begad! T' instructions were too brief for an inexperienced person, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, and assume some knowledge o' construction techniques. Aye aye! T' first decision t' make before startin' is whether t' trust tapin' t' engine for engine retention. I chose nay t' and added an engine hook t' t' motor mount in step 1. Arrr! Avast! If you wish t' use a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mounted t' t' engine mount, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you might consider that before step 1 as well, arrr, and addin' it t' t' engine mount. In step 2, matey, thar be a typo that has you puttin' t' motor mount into t' 2mm body tube. They mean t' 29mm body tube. Arrr! There are a number o' typographical errors throughout t' instructions, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but none are fatal t' understandin' the meaning. Blimey! T' resin nose cone does nay come close t' fittin' in t' thicker body tube, me bucko, and must be sanded t' fit. Begad! Ya scallywag! This is preferable t' bein' too loose. Blimey! Do this before step 4 when you paint t' nose cone, matey, and install t' screw-eye. Postpone step 5 (attachin' t' shock cord t' t' nose cone) until after t' body wrap decal has been installed in step 8.

Now for t' parachute assembly: T' tape disks are inadequate in that they do nay stick t' t' parachute material. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' shrouds tear t' parachute material, and do nay give any kind o' security that they will hold under t' G forces o' ejection and recovery. I used an Estes plastic 12" chute for recovery, and it worked fine. I would still like t' use these better feeling parachutes provided in t' kit, matey, shiver me timbers, but need t' find a better way o' attachin' the shrouds. In step 7, shiver me timbers, thar be no mention o' a swivel hook for attachin' the parachute shrouds t' t' nose cone screw-eye. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I seem t' remember from me BAR days that Estes instruction used t' include them; I certainly wouldn't have thought o' it on me own when I was 12, so they must have. Arrr! Blimey! Usin' a swivel hook sure seems t' reduce shroud line twistin' as t' rocket comes down. T' down side o' a swivel hook is if it fails (i.e. Begad! Blimey! breaks) under G force, me bucko, matey, although it has nay happened t' me yet. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

In step 8, arrr, me hearties, t' body wrap decal is slightly bigger than t' external circumference o' t' body tube, me bucko, so I would recommend accurately measurin' the circumference with a strin' t' reduce some o' t' overlap, arrr, prior t' cuttin' out the decal. Begad! Well, blow me down!

Step 9 and 10 builds t' detachable fin assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Do nay use 5 minute epoxy that t' instructions call for. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Engine heat durin' boost melted t' epoxy causin' failure o' t' fin assembly. Avast! This step was very time consumin' as the clear fin material needed t' be scored very carefully t' allow bendin' it properly. T' instructions do nay tell you how t' score t' plastic, or on which side t' do it for which bends. Begad! Begad! Blimey! It would be a good idea t' poke holes in the fin material for epoxy rivets, just as in step 11 for t' launch lug. If you use an engine hook, shiver me timbers, you need t' cut out a little slot on t' inside o' the 18-24mm rin' so it can slide on over t' engine hook. Blimey! Blimey! Be careful o' where you put t' slot, as t' launch lug needs t' be clear o' t' fins when on t' pad and on a launch rod. Avast, me proud beauty!

In step 11 for t' launch lug, t' instructions do nay specify that the holes are put in t' side o' t' launch lug that will attach t' t' body. the reason is so that little epoxy rivets will form on t' inside o' t' launch lug formin' a more secure bond. T' launch lug is clear as t' nay detract from the appearance o' t' decal from a distance. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! It is a good idea. Ahoy! Note that even though t' launch lug is sized for a 3/16" launch rod, once t' epoxy rivets are inside t' lug, it will be too snug for a 3/16" rod. Arrr!

Finishing:
T' only note I would add t' finishing, is that it would have been nice t' have a few decals for t' capsule. Havin' a detailed body wrap makes t' body appear very detailed, me bucko, but then you have t' painted but otherwise naked o' detail nose cone. It is shaped very well, but t' windows are nay obvious from a distance and thar be nay even a flag or hatch outline. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' appearance o' t' top o' the rocket is incongruous with t' bottom.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If you use an engine hook, matey, you need t' install t' engine before t' fin assembly, as t' fin assembly locks down t' engine hook. Blimey! Arrr! I used a B6-4 for the maiden flight as recommended by t' cover card. Ahoy! T' rocket be launched in about a 15 kt. Arrr! variable breeze, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and flew well without much wind cock. Begad! The rocket flew t' about 250 feet (+- 50ft) on this engine. It would have been nice for t' manufacturer t' provide an estimate o' t' expected height on t' two recommended engines (B6-4 and C6-7). T' four second delay on t' B engine was about right for ejection near apogee. Well, blow me down! I have nay done a C engine yet as t' fin assembly failed on t' maiden flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' 5 minute epoxy recommended by the instructions couldn't stand t' heat transmitted from t' engine casin' clay into t' fin assembly cardboard ring. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Two o' t' three fins came off near the end o' t' flight and were lost durin' recovery. This also may have been due to scorin' t' fin material too deeply t' allow t' bending, shiver me timbers, but I also applied generous epoxy t' all t' scored joints, so it is unlikely. Avast! Since t' pieces were lost, ya bilge rat, a complete failure mode effect analysis (FEMA) is impossible. Avast, me proud beauty! The remainin' fin did show evidence o' melted epoxy at t' joints on t' cardboard ring.

Recovery:
T' 12" chute would be too small for a hard surface landing. It came down a little fast for me taste. It is OK for a sod field, ya bilge rat, however. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! A bigger chute would fit in this body tube, shiver me timbers, so a less breezy day would call for a bigger chute. Aye aye! Blimey! No other damage was evident from t' flight or ejection force. Begad! Blimey! I would consider a Keelhaul®©™® cord if you plan on flyin' this a lot. Well, blow me down! Avast! I don't think that is a good idea with t' flimsy fin assembly. Other than t' fins, shiver me timbers, this is a very sturdy rocket. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

SUMMARY:
PRO's: sturdy body tube, sturdy and detailed nose cone, full body wrap decal, and inclusion o' engine bells for static display.
CON's: fin assembly construction and material as well as poor instructions on use o' 5 minute epoxy, arrr, parachute shroud attachment, lack o' engine hook, and lack o' decals for t' capsule. Aye aye!

Some aspects o' this kit are very sturdy, shiver me timbers, well thought out, and above standard, while others are weaker. Because it is 1/100 scale, ya bilge rat, it is a good addition t' a fleet o' 1/100 scale models, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and a good comparison of relative sizes when all o' t' fleet are together. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey!

UPDATE 7/99 - As an addendum t' me review, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I communicated t' problem with t' fin assembly t' t' vendor, me bucko, Discount Rocketry, and they quickly provided replacement parts, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, as well as a personal note from Jim Neubauer that he had nay scored t' fin material t' enable bendin' into t' proper shape. Well, blow me down! He has flown t' rocket over 20 times with no indication o' t' problem I had. Avast! The jury is still out, arrr, so I would recommend nay scoring, but use a hardier epoxy anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! I did see evidence o' epoxy meltin' other than in t' scored and bent joints, me hearties, so it may have been an exceptionally 'hot' motor, ya bilge rat, or even more unlikely the heat from t' exhaust transferrin' through t' non-kit engine hook.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Avast! Blimey! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use t' two links above.

"T' model features a Gemini capsule nose cone molded in solid plastic, and a sturdy thick-walled body tube."
"T' kit comes with a self-adhesive full body wrap decal . Avast! Blimey! . Arrr! ." 
"For display t' kit has removable nozzles molded from solid plastic."
"For flight clear plastic fins are added."
"T' assembly instructions for t' kit consist o' two pages o' simple drawings and text, which is about right for this easy-to-build rocket."
"T' instructions include an addendum on parachute construction (which is good, since t' similar parachute in their 1/100 scale Mercury Redstone gave me problems)."
"T' parachute material is a slick white plastic which opens reliably without 'chute powder'"
"T' only recommended engine for t' model be t' C6-7 . Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! . Begad! Blimey! . Well, blow me down! Blimey! I tested with a B6-4."
"T' flight was good (with ejection slightly before apogee) and the parachute deployed fine."
" . . Blimey! . Well, blow me down! is a wonderful kit for anyone who loves models o' manned space boosters."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is a nice kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler.