Brief:
Single stage, arrr, tube-finned, matey, 38mm rocket with a 3" BT transitionin' t' a 2.14" payload bay. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' rocket is very suitable for Level 1 certifications.

Construction:
3" LOC main body tube with 6 coupler tubes used for t' tube fins. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 38mm LOC Motor mount tube is held in place by two centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! T' kit comes with a fairly long elastic shock cord, arrr, arrr, 2.14" payload tube section, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone and plastic transition. Begad! I made some modifications t' this which I will describe below.

T' rocket is quite easy t' build and t' instruction sheet is fairly well written. Begad! I built it stock except for t' recovery system. Ahoy! Ahoy! I don't like elastic shock cords. Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! I no longer have an AT Sumo because t' elastic shock cord broke durin' ejection. Ahoy! Begad! I have now replaced all o' t' elastic in me fleet with either Keelhaul®©™® or Keelhaul®©™®/tubular nylon recovery harnesses. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

On t' Cyclotron, I drilled out two 180 degree opposin' holes each about 1/8" in diameter in t' forward centerin' ring. Begad! I then strung a length of Pratt Hobbies 1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™ ® , ya bilge rat, me bucko, both ends through t' holes, knots tied about 4" from each end, me hearties, then t' ends epoxied t' t' motor mount. Thus creatin' a Keelhaul®©™® harness, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, t' closed loop end now reachin' just below t' lip o' t' main 3" tube. Now, me bucko, I can attach t' this either tubular nylon, shiver me timbers, tubular Keelhaul®©™® or whatever. Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™® may someday wear out, matey, ya bilge rat, but it will take a very long time. Begad! Blimey! Plus, I usually shove a small amount o' waddin' into t' motor mount itself, arrr, so t' brunt o' the blast is taken by that. Begad! Blimey!

I like SkyAngle chutes, so I ditched t' LOC chute and recover on a SkyAngle 36. Begad! I use a Keelhaul®©™® chute protector t' protect t' chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

I am also a big fan o' t' Aeropack system, ya bilge rat, so I included an Aeropack motor retainer on me Cyclotron. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' bottom o' t' Aeropack is flush with BT. Begad!

T' only other thin' I can add is t' make sure you rough up t' body tube and t' fin tubes, use a good quality epoxy and make all your fillets. Blimey! Aye aye! Nothing is holdin' t' fin tubes t' t' body tube other than glue, ya bilge rat, so this is key. Begad! I used a long wooden down t' create t' fillets once t' tubes were attached to the body tube. Begad! Arrr! LOC gives a good technique t' build t' fin tube structure, me bucko, me bucko, so I recommend usin' their technique. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag!

I epoxied t' bottom o' t' payload tube t' t' top o' t' plastic LOC transition and attached t' nose cone t' t' top o' t' payload tube usin' a plastic pop rivet. Arrr!

Finishing:
Finishin' is typical o' any kraft paper tube type rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Fill t' spirals (I use Elmers Fill-n-Finish), primer t' rocket, arrr, and paint. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

In t' case o' this particular rocket, shiver me timbers, I decided t' test out t' new Dupli-Color Mirage color-changin' paint. Begad! I get mine locally at Kragen, but AutoBarn on t' web sells it as well. Well, arrr, blow me down! I chose t' Purple/Green color as that seemed t' look better (at least on t' can top in t' store) than the Gold/Magenta or Silver/Green. Ya scallywag! I used Fill-N-Finish and sandin' until I got a fairly smooth surface. I then used Dupli-Color white primer in a couple of coats t' get a near-glass smooth finish. Well, blow me down! I then applied t' three-part Dupli-Color as per t' instructions on t' paint kit. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! First t' flat black basecoat. Avast, me proud beauty! Then t' color changin' paint itself. Begad! Then finally t' clear coat. I really like how it came out and I get a lot o' positive comments about me paint job, so it seems others do as well. I painted t' inside o' each o' t' tube fins with a simple brushed-on flat black enamel and t' same for t' bottom end of t' rocket. Begad! I don't like bare areas on me rockets showin' through and sometimes for certain acres, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, flat black painted on just works out real nicely.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've flown me Cyclotron a half dozen times now and it is a great flyin' rocket! Straight as an arrow and looks very cool as it blasts off. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Most o' t' time, I try t' remember t' put a small amount o' waddin' up t' motor mount tube before insertin' t' motor. Avast, me proud beauty! I have forgotten a few times and no harm seems t' have come from it. Begad! I use a Keelhaul®©™® chute protector and it seems t' work just great. Aye aye! Motor retention is via Aeropack, as noted above, shiver me timbers, and I find that t' transition fits into t' body tube fairly loosely on me Cyclotron, so I use maskin' tape t' attain a not-too-tight fit. My Cyclotron has flown on t' AT H238, arrr, ya bilge rat, Pro38 G69 and Pro38 I170. Avast, me proud beauty! Great flights, ya bilge rat, all o' them. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Recovery:
As I noted already, I've completely replaced t' LOC recovery system with my own. Arrr! Blimey! My system works flawlessly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It be t' above mentioned tubular Keelhaul®©™® harness, ya bilge rat, me bucko, attached t' that is a 30' length o' very heavy duty Keelhaul®©™® "mule tape". Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! SkyAngle36 is attached t' this via a kwik-link and I use a Keelhaul®©™® chute protector. Begad! Aye aye! All works great. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is a great lookin' and flyin' rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' only area o' change that I would recommend would be in t' recovery system as I've already noted. Well, blow me down! Though I was already an L1 when I bought this kit, I feel that it makes a great L1 rocket. Well, blow me down! Also a good "small field" rocket with G size engines, but yet you can bust loose at larger fields with an I.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5