Brief:
This is a 4FNC OOP rocket that flies on 13mm motors and uses parachute recovery.

While waitin' for various things t' happen on other current projects, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I decided t' start one that would be quick. I have several old MPC kits that would seem t' be fast, straightforward builds and t' Taurus-1 be sittin' on top. Aye aye! Blimey! It seemed t' be just t' ticket.

Construction:
T' first step was very straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! I took t' thrust rin' and glued it into t' end o' t' motor tube. Blimey! It was to be flush with t' end. Arrr! I used yellow glue and applied a thin cap o' glue t' t' flush edges as well.

T' next step be just as simple. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I be instructed t' use a swab t' smear some glue 2" in from t' aft end of t' body tube. I then slid in t' motor mount until its back end be flush with t' body tube, me hearties, makin' sure that the thrust rin' was foremost.

Next up came t' shock cord mount and here I deviated some. Blimey! Begad! First off, matey, t' supplied cord was a piece o' string. I cut off a length o' Keelhaul®©™®. Second, ya bilge rat, t' instruction alluded t' threadin' t' cord through a paper mount. Ahoy! I looked in vain for t' mount and did not find it in t' package or as a cutout in t' instructions. Even as much as I detest them, matey, I decided t' make me own Estes style tri-fold mount by cuttin' up some loose paper layin' around. Arrr! Ya scallywag! (It be t' instruction sheet t' a FlisKits Baffle which seemed appropriate since I had bought this kit from Jim Flis). T' mount was glued in in t' standard manner.

I needed t' let things dry for a while so it is fortuitous that t' next step was t' insert t' eye screw into the NC. I secured it with a dab o' glue and set it aside t' dry as well.

T' kit comes with 4 die cut fins. Avast, me proud beauty! O' t' four, 3 were loose in me package but were in good shape. Begad!

T' instruction go out o' their way t' promote a double glue joint. Aye aye! They do this by instructin' you t' take the fins at this point and smear some glue on t' root edge. Aye aye! They then make clear that you are nay t' glue them t' t' body but let t' glue dry, arrr, tellin' you that this will result in a stronger joint later on.

T' kit comes with a wraparound fin markin' guide that must be cut from t' instruction sheet. Arrr! When it is cut out, it is taped around t' BT and t' fin marks are transfered t' t' body. Arrr! Blimey! Those marks are then extended long enough for t' fins. 3" is plenty. Aye aye! After than a small bit o' glue is applied t' t' fin lines and allowed t' dry, matey, me hearties, again in preparation for t' double glue joint. Before applyin' t' glue, me bucko, though, I used some #180 sandpaper t' rough up the lines a bit. Begad! Begad! T' BT be very smooth and I wanted t' glue t' get a better grip.

By t' time t' previous step and a lot o' intervenin' life were completed, t' glue on t' root edges o' the fins had dried out. Arrr! Blimey! I used that opportunity t' sand a bit o' a curve into t' leadin' and trailin' edges. T' fins are delicate so I used a sandin' stick.

I messed around in t' shop for a little while t' allow t' glue on t' BT t' finish dryin' but that did nay take too long. Aye aye! With t' glue dry and t' fins sanded, me hearties, it was time t' glue t' fins t' t' BT. Avast! I did one at a time, me bucko, ya bilge rat, applying a small amount o' glue t' t' root edges and pressin' t' fins into place flush with t' aft end.

I let t' glue set up and then began t' fillet t' fins. Well, blow me down! This was done as t' rocket sat in a horizontal cradle with yellow glue. While waitin' for t' glue t' dry, I also attached t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, again with yellow glue.

Attachin' a piece o' sewin' elastic t' t' Keelhaul®©™® and nosecone finished t' standard part o' t' build but thar were some optional steps I followed as well.

T' kit came with what looked like 2 very long, approx. 3", matey, shiver me timbers, matey, launch lugs. Arrr! These are intended t' be strap-on boosters. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I glued them on opposite sides, me hearties, 90 degrees from t' launch lug. Begad! Each tube was centered betwixt a pair o' fins and aligned flush with t' bottom o' t' BT.

There were still some more optional steps but I opined that doin' them before paintin' would be counter-productive and a real pain in the...tail cone.

PROs: fairly distinctive yet easy design

CONs: none

Finishing:
Finishin' began with preparin' t' balsa for painting. Avast, me proud beauty! Because o' t' tight spaces, me bucko, arrr, I decided t' use sandin' sealer in lieu o' Elmer's, arrr, reasonin' that it would be more forgivin' o' me patience in gettin' sandpaper wedged into t' nooks between t' fins and t' side booster. Blimey! Blimey! I put on an initial coat and let it dry for about 5 hours. Ya scallywag! I then gave it a light sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper and applied another coat. Blimey! Ya scallywag! It was at this point I remembered that t' NC needed sealin' as well and I gave it its first coat.

T' balsa took a total o' 4 coats o' sandin' sealer before I was satisfied. Begad! Aye aye! After t' last coat had dried, I sanded lightly with t' 400 grit sandpaper and then took it t' t' spray booth where I applied a coat o' Kilz.

T' Kilz be sanded lightly and then 2 coats o' white were sprayed on.

T' white dried and then t' difficult part began. Blimey! Blimey! T' paint scheme is a simple one but, shiver me timbers, for me, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it was difficult to mask. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' whole rocket is white with t' exception o' t' nose cone, me hearties, one fin and t' two strap-ons on t' side. Maskin' for t' nose was no problem but I was never able t' get t' rest o' t' rocket masked so that t' strap-ons and a fin were exposed without blockin' t' paint stream. Begad! Blimey! That bein' t' case, I took it in two steps and first masked the reset o' t' rocket except for t' strap-ons. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I then painted them black.

When they had a chance t' dry for a while, shiver me timbers, I peeled t' maskin' and reapplied t' expose 1 fin. Blimey! Blimey! That fin too had to be painted black.

When t' maskin' was peeled, t' rocket did nay look too bad. Blimey! There were some places along t' strap-ons that did not get enough paint but I used a brush t' touch that up.

A big part o' t' finishin' on this kit involves t' use o' plastic detail like you would find in a garden variety plastic model kit. I have t' distinct impression that t' two plastic racks that came with t' kit were intended for a plastic model and just added t' this kit. Arrr! I base this supposition on two things. Avast, me proud beauty! There is much that is provided that is shown nowhere on t' artwork much less t' instructions and many o' these piece just could nay be made to fit. Arrr! Also, ya bilge rat, t' only four pieces called for are all found attached t' one sprue. Avast, me proud beauty! There is nothin' needed from the second one.

T' first o' t' plastic pieces t' be attached were t' two rocket nozzles that fit into t' strap-ons. They were a snug but reasonable fit and were fixed in place with tube type plastic cement. Aye aye! T' other pieces were t' two nosecones which were affixed t' t' strap-ons in t' same manner.

T' metallic silver finish o' t' plastic adds t' t' overall model. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I decided nay t' add any o' t' other pieces and am savin' them for when they might come in handy.

Like t' plastic, thar seems t' be many more waterslide decals than can actually be used on t' rocket. Arrr! Ahoy! For example, thar are 4 different roll patterns included on 2 different sheets. There are a few small logos like t' USAF shield, shiver me timbers, US flag, me bucko, MPC logo and lots o' "United States" and numbers in red, shiver me timbers, matey, white and blue. Well, arrr, blow me down! I decided t' stick with a fairly basic scheme similar t' t' one on t' face card.

I be a bit worried about t' age o' t' decals but I did nothin' special t' prepare them. Arrr! I be quite pleased with how well they held up. They are fairly thick and did nay crack or deform in any way. Begad! In fact me biggest problem was gettin' them t' lift from t' paper. If an edge folded over, thar be no problem gettin' it straightened out again. Begad!

If I have one real gripe its with t' scaling. Avast! T' roll patterns were just a touch too long and did nay mate up properly.

PROs: simple but effective scheme, metallic finish on plastic parts looks good.

CONs: hard t' reach some places, ya bilge rat, roll patterns badly sized.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Taurus-1 had its initial outin' at a Freedom Launch o' t' Amateur Rocketeers o' Texas. Avast! It looked kind o' out of place with all o' t' big rockets thar but, arrr, I didn't have t' walk as far as some o' t' others!

T' first flight was on a 1/2A3-2T. It boosted perfectly and popped its ejection charge just before apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! It then drifted down rather rapidly and landed in a nearby fence. Avast! Blimey! Thankfully, arrr, this be nay one o' t' electrified ones.

T' second flight be on an A3-4T. Blimey! It too featured a perfect boost with ejection, matey, as best I could tell, arrr, before apogee. Arrr! Begad! It again fluttered down t' land nearby without sustainin' any harm.

Recovery:
T' rocket came with a parachute but I decided t' treat it as just a nose-blow because it is so small and light. Blimey! Begad! It recovered fine on both flights without any damage but I will use a streamer in t' future t' make it easier t' track.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cute little 13mm rocket that is a stage up from 4FNC. Avast, me proud beauty! T' added details give it quite a bit o' character. It performs well and its a shame that it is nay available anymore.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5