Brief:
My first true "Born Again Rocketeer" experience happened in t' late 1990s when me son expressed an interest in t' "real" rockets at t' hobby shop. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! We built and flew many o' t' skill level one rockets around at t' time, shiver me timbers, but I be somewhat disappointed in t' lack o' imagination that I saw in t' mass market kits. Begad! Arrr! (I guess t' 1980's Estes catalogs are as good as it gets.) One company that had a few interestin' designs was Quest Aerospace, ya bilge rat, and I be drawn t' t' Evader Cruise Missile with its unique lookin' nose cone and more odd shaped fins than any rocket could possibly need. There was also somethin' about a Keelhaul®©™ recovery system, me bucko, and I couldn't imagine what you would use a bullet proof vest for in a model rocket. Well, blow me down! I bought one, built it and flew it a lot. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, matey, Quest stopped makin' it somewhere in t' early 2000s, matey, and after a long storied career, shiver me timbers, me Evader finally flew off into t' sunset (or t' trash can, I'm nay sure which).

As I entered me latest chapter o' "BAR"-hood I wondered if I could still find an Evader floatin' around somewhere. They would occasionally appear in an online auction but for t' most part I came up empty. Avast! Blimey! One fine day as I was checkin' out some more obscure online hobby stores I happened across one that claimed t' have this fine kit in stock. Begad! Begad! I did nay get real excited since I had run across this several times, only t' find out that t' store in question didn't actually have any left but just hadn't gotten around t' updatin' their website (lame). Fortune was with me this time however, shiver me timbers, arrr, and soon I had a couple o' Evader Cruise Missile kits in me hands!

Construction:
T' Evader Cruise Missile comes packaged in a standard "hang tag" plastic bag with good quality components. Aye aye! Begad! O' note be t' fact that this was t' first rocket kit o' any kind that I had encountered with Keelhaul®©™ cord as part o' t' recovery system. Avast! I was pretty impressed by this at t' time, and o' course now I won't fly a rocket without it. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' followin' items are included it t' kit:

• T-25 Body Tube 12"
• BT-20 Motor Tube 2.75"
• Motor Hook
• 2 Centerin' Rings CR20/50
• Thrust Ring
• 3/32" Die Cut Balsa Fin Sheet
• Nose Cone Body
• Nose Cone Base
• Nose Cone Tip
• 1/8" x 2" Launch Lug
• Keelhaul®©™ Shock Cord 12"
• Elastic Shock Cord 18"
• 12" Unassembled Parachute
• Shroud Lines
• Plastic "Gripper Tabs" for Shroud Line Attachment
• Self Adhesive Decal Sheets (Stickers)
• Instruction Sheet

Outside o' t' unusual fin configuration, construction o' t' Evader Cruise Missile is fairly standard with respect t' model rockets. Quest rates this a skill level 2 rocket, which is probably fair, arrr, me bucko, although I would put it about a 1.5. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' instructions are printed over two pages front and back and are simple, effective, me bucko, and well illustrated. Aye aye! T' nose cone requires assembly with plastic cement, matey, somethin' nay normally needed in model rocketry. Arrr! T' shoulder o' t' finished nose cone assembly is one o' t' shortest I have ever seen, only 1/4" long. Well, blow me down! Initially I had been worried that this would nay be sufficient t' keep t' nose cone centered, arrr, but multiple flights have shown that it is more than sufficient for t' job.

Motor mount assembly is next and is pretty standard. A slit is cut in t' motor tube for t' engine hook, arrr, and then t' centerin' rings are glued in place 1/2" from each end o' t' motor tube. T' supplied Keelhaul®©™ cord is anchored under t' forward centerin' rin' by tyin' a knot in one end and then slidin' t' centerin' rin' into place with t' cord underneath and t' knot behind. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Finally t' thrust rin' is glued into t' forward end o' t' motor tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions direct you t' tie t' elastic into t' Keelhaul®©™ cord at this point and then thread it through t' body tube as you install t' motor mount. Arrr! Instead I just tucked t' Keelhaul®©™ cord back through t' motor tube t' keep it out o' t' way and waited until t' rocket be finished t' fish it back out. Ahoy! After applyin' glue fillets t' all t' motor mount centerin' rings, I swabbed a rin' o' glue inside t' body tube and slid t' motor mount into place with t' end o' t' motor tube even with t' end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! It is worth mentionin' that t' body tube is nay actually a standard 24mm/BT-50 but rather a 25mm tube or T-25. Begad! Begad! T' difference is just a few hundredths o' an inch, nay even discernible t' t' naked eye.

Next t' fins were separated from their balsa sheet and cleaned up with sandpaper. Blimey! Blimey! After some deliberation I also decided t' round t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' all t' fins with t' exception o' what is called t' "forward strake" which is really too small t' benefit from any kind o' shaping. Avast! A wraparound fin markin' guide is included in t' instructions. After markin' t' body tube, arrr, I used a section o' small aluminum angle t' extend t' lines as required. Blimey! There are 7 total fins on t' Evader and 5 different fin shapes so you need t' pay attention t' which fin goes where and in what orientation. Ahoy! T' aft fins are all placed even with t' end o' t' body tube and t' forward fins are all placed 6" from t' aft end o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! My normal routine for attachin' fins is t' set them in place with a double glue joint then add a second fillet o' wood glue.

T' launch lug is attached in a similar fashion at t' aft end o' t' rocket against t' lower tail fin. Arrr! Blimey! When I built me original Evader I didn't think twice about t' position o' t' launch lug. After a couple o' flights where t' Evader did some serious "tail wagging" durin' boost, I began t' wonder if this bird be susceptible t' rod whip. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! In t' end, it never seemed t' affect t' flight profile. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Evader always boosted straight even when it was wiggling, shiver me timbers, and once in a while it was entertainin' so I left it alone when I built me latest version.

T' last thin' t' take care o' was t' fish t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord out o' t' body tube, me hearties, tie t' elastic shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™ and t' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, and put a drop o' thin CA glue on all t' knots.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' Evader per t' cover art requires a little effort. Ahoy! Ahoy! My standard finishin' routine starts with usin' Elmer's Wood Filler t' get nice smooth fillets along t' fin joints. Avast! Next I used 2 coats o' SIG sandin' sealer on t' balsa fins followed by two coats o' primer, sandin' betwixt coats. T' entire rocket started out with two coats o' gloss light gull gray. Ya scallywag! Finally, shiver me timbers, t' two main "wings" and "rudder" were masked off and sprayed with gloss red. Well, blow me down! I have always had pretty good results usin' standard 3M maskin' tape for painting. Begad! As long as I always cut a fresh edge on a clean cuttin' surface and burnish t' edges down prior t' sprayin' t' first coat, t' final product is usually very clean. Ahoy! Blimey! T' final step in finishin' t' Evader involves addin' t' "self adhesive decals" or stickers t' t' rocket. As much as I hate puttin' stickers on me rockets, matey, t' details definitely add t' right finishin' touches for this bird. T' stickers actually come as one large sheet, matey, and t' only complaint I have is that some o' t' stickers didn't line up right with t' shape o' t' fins they were supposed t' go on so I had t' do a fair bit o' "trimmin' t' fit". Ahoy! Ahoy! Overall, it is worth t' effort, ya bilge rat, and t' Evader looks sharp when it's done.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Evader Cruise Missile flies on t' standard assortment o' 18mm black powder motors. It would probably turn in a very impressive flight with an 18mm composite motor (RockSim puts it around 1700 feet), but so far I have nay been brave enough t' try it. Ahoy! I have flown various versions o' this rocket dozens o' times and it always performs well. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' only off nominal characteristic that I've seen be t' occasional tail waggle durin' boost. As I said before, t' only reason I can come up with for this be t' position o' t' launch lug. Since t' lug is located at t' tail end o' t' rocket, arrr, me hearties, aft o' both t' CP and CG, me theory is that t' rocket will get a little off line while it's travelin' up t' rod and get "flicked" as it comes off. Avast! Blimey! No matter how it leaves t' pad, however, t' Evader always boosts straight and while it's nay exactly slow, shiver me timbers, it isn't neck snappin' fast either so it's always fun t' watch.

Recovery:
T' kit comes with an unassembled 12" parachute. T' chute material is a little bit stiffer than what I've come t' expect from most o' t' other rocket companies (the header card calls it a "Tuff-Chute"), and once in a while, especially on cold days, it will have trouble gettin' fully deployed. Aye aye! T' shroud lines are attached with plastic "gripper tabs", arrr, me bucko, which remind me o' t' tabs used t' hang small items in a store display. These are a little bulky, ya bilge rat, and as I discovered one winter day in Ohio, ya bilge rat, they do nay adhere well in t' cold. Avast, me proud beauty! I eventually replaced t' chute in me original Evader with an aftermarket Mylar unit. Aye aye! Begad! On me current bird, matey, ya bilge rat, I modified t' chute with circle reinforcement disks and tied through shroud lines. A 12" chute brings t' Evader back for a nice easy touchdown, shiver me timbers, and I have flown it with a 9" chute on really windy days without any problems.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Unusual "Cruise Missile" style with multiple asymmetric fins and one o' a kind nose cone.

CONs: None, except for t' fact that you can't easily buy it anymore and it is almost impossible t' clone due t' t' unique nose cone. Ahoy! I personally don't like stickers on me rockets, ya bilge rat, but that's nay enough t' affect me overall satisfaction with this bird.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5