Brief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, dual stage, 24" rocket with streamer recovery usin' high quality components. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! An individual production number is included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. I own production kit #1 and #25. Well, blow me down! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!

Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 17" Body Tube
• 2 2.75" Body Tubes
• 1 1" Stage Coupler
• 1 Engine Block
• 4 Centerin' Rings
• 12" Cotton Thread
• 24" Keelhaul®©™® Thread
• 36" Crepe Streamer
• 1 Medium Screw Eye
• 2 3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
• 1" Launch Lug
• 1 Tape Disk
• 1 Instruction Sheet
• 1 Fin Pattern Sheet
• 1 Decal Sheet

Also included be a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.

T' assembly instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. T' steps were easy t' follow, arrr, me bucko, with many illustrations showin' placement, dimensions, shiver me timbers, etc. Care must be taken with this model, me bucko, me bucko, matey, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Measure twice, matey, cut once! Blimey! A misplaced coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no extras. As per FlisKits standards, t' fit o' all parts is exact. Aye aye! Blimey! O' special mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the interior engine mount, matey, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up to t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, me hearties, so I asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. His answer was: "For such a large rocket, matey, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root to tip length. Ya scallywag! Blimey! My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20 years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the body comin' down fins first. Ya scallywag! Blimey! By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, ya bilge rat, at the mid point, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess where me first launch landed! Blimey! I built t' kit stock, arrr, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™® works great, matey, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! One other small issue was that t' elastic shock cord, arrr, mentioned in step number 15, me bucko, me bucko, was left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Jim Flis confirmed that this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! Like all FlisKits models, arrr, ya bilge rat, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a provided template. Ahoy! Blimey! There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, if practice is needed. Begad! T' kit be easy t' build overall, arrr, ya bilge rat, and resulted in a sturdy model.

Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, fine balsa fin stock, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, real balsa nose cones, me hearties, etc. Begad! Avast! this kit be a joy t' finish. T' body tubes required no filling, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon. I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights. I was very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, matey, although me personal preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Ahoy! They gave little trouble, me bucko, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as the rest o' t' model. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' finished model looks quite attractive.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, preparation for flight is a little more lengthy with an external mount. Arrr! Blimey! Waddin' was added, and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey! Multi-stage models require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is required. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, me hearties, and an A8-5 for t' upper stage, due t' t' small park I was launchin' in. T' launch was very straight, with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' upper stage flew very high even on t' A motor, landin' well out o' t' park area. Blimey! Blimey! Be warned: Anything more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, even with yellow paint and a large launch area! Blimey! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, me hearties, t' landin' was on a pavement street a block outside the park. Begad! Ya scallywag! One fin snapped at t' root, but was smartly repaired. Well, blow me down! There was no other problem, arrr, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other surface. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. Begad! This is another high quality rocket kit from FlisKits, me hearties, Inc. Well, blow me down! T' kit components are first rate, arrr, me hearties, finish nicely and come together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Aye aye! Aye aye! For those modelers lookin' for a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, arrr, this will be a refreshing, attractive, ya bilge rat, me hearties, sleek addition t' their fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5