Brief:
T' Space Ark Jr. is a downscale o' Pemberton Technology's midpower rocket. Layne Pemberton offers a lot o' really cool retro-futuristic designs. Arrr! He's also a nice guy whose instruction booklets are well known for their humorous off-beat writin' style. Aye aye!

Construction:
T' package arrived with all necessary parts in good condition, except that t' balsa nose cone had a couple small dings. Aye aye! After readin' a back-story about t' Ruskie commies, Martians, me hearties, and gung-ho American heroes, it was time t' start the build.

First came insertion o' lead ballast in t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and some general sandin' and filling. Begad! T' fins are cut from stock balsa usin' paper fin patterns. Arrr! Ahoy! I had some difficulty because t' instructions referred t' various fins with names like "wing" and "horizontal stabilizer", but t' patterns/figures had no labels identifying which was which. By process o' elimination, I eventually figured it out.

To attach t' fins, alignment lines must be drawn on t' tailcone. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This was a very tricky process. The installation was made more difficult by t' approach o' through-the-tail-cone fin installation. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It would have been much easier and surely sufficiently strong t' surface mount t' wings with an appropriate shape cut along t' root edges. Also, t' fin tabs weren't slanted, which was also a bit confusing.

T' extra-long Keelhaul®©™® shock cord be glued t' t' outside surface o' t' motor mount tube, and this assembly was pushed/glued in t' tail cone. Because t' cord lay against t' exterior o' t' motor tube, matey, I found it impossible t' insert t' tube into the tail cone. Blimey! I had t' cut a trough inside t' tail cone t' make room for t' cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It was still a snug fit. Ahoy!

T' rest o' t' assembly, matey, includin' t' remainin' fins, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, was straightforward with one exception. Begad! I was confused about how far back along t' airframe t' mount t' wings. Avast! I guesstimated it from t' picture and adjusted slightly further back for safety. Well, blow me down! I skipped t' fin-tip pods because these sorts o' things tend t' snap off so easily.

Finishing:
Finishin' be mostly straighforward. Blimey! Begad! I fill and sand before assembly, so all that remained was touchup and then painting. Begad! With this retro-futuristic design, me hearties, me hearties, metallic paint is a great way t' go, matey, so I chose silver. Arrr! Blimey! T' only tricky part is gettin' t' spray into t' crevices above t' crossbar.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My problems occurred durin' t' flight, which was unstable. Begad! I was a bit rushed so I smartly looked at t' recommended motors (B6-2 through E18) and chose a B6-4 because it be what I had. Arrr! Rather than wrap t' 18mm motor in duct tape (as recommended) for friction fittin' (the only option), I used a spend 24mm casin' as a motor adapter. Ya scallywag! This works well and should be lighter than a large quantity o' duct tape.

I failed t' notice two instruction points about flying. Ahoy! T' instructions clearly said t' strin' test t' rocket before flying. Blimey! Also, arrr, in t' middle o' construction step three, away from t' sections on flight prep, launch, me hearties, and recommended motors is a sentence that says that a 48in rod is required for B motors.

Clearly it is me fault for nay followin' t' instructions, but I have a couple comments. First, me hearties, he strin' test recommendation is sensible, but I think it is reasonable t' believe that any commercially marketed model kit would have the CG/CP relationship sufficiently above minimum safety margins that modest variations in construction techniques by various builders should nay cause problems for recommended motors. Aye aye! Why flirt so close t' edge? Perhaps I placed the wings too far forward.

Second, I would suggest that t' comment about 48in rods be moved t' t' recommended motor section; it is easy to overlook in t' construction section. Actually, I would omit B motors from t' recommended list altogether since most LPR Estes motor fliers might nay have a 48in rod on hand and might nay understand t' importance o' t' extra rod length. Begad! I understand it, but I didn't notice t' advice.

Anyway, shiver me timbers, t' rocket became unstable after leavin' t' rod, doin' t' typical "bumblebee" flight pattern. Upon crashing, shiver me timbers, t' aft portion o' t' rudder broke. Arrr! Repair is possible.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Because o' me experience, arrr, arrr, it is unfair t' judge flight performance for this rocket. Ahoy! I have rated it on me expected performance, shiver me timbers, knowin' about PemTech's other kits. Ya scallywag! Quality o' parts be fine, ya bilge rat, construction was mostly straighforward with a few difficulties, me hearties, style be fantastic, shiver me timbers, and I expect that flight should be good.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5