Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, matey, matey, me hearties, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Begad! Once t' rocket was complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' sandin' was complete, me bucko, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. Arrr! T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' top portion was then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section be sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step be t' paint both tube fin sections. T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. Aye aye! Blimey! (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. When I was satisfied with t' coverage, arrr, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, ya bilge rat, I glued t' caps into place. Begad! When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, removed t' maskin' tape strip, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, t' SSA is a decent performer, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. It has flown twice thus far, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. Begad! T' two flights, in similar conditions, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, shiver me timbers, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Well, blow me down! As expected, me hearties, arrr, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, makin' for a nice, short recovery walk. Begad! After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. Ahoy! It be later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, shiver me timbers, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight was noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. Begad! Ahoy! This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, then drifted further into t' veggies. A longer recovery walk, but a much cooler flight. Blimey! Begad! Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. Aye aye! Avast! I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Blimey! Blimey! Cool decals. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Aye aye! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, shiver me timbers, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5