Brief:
Near reproduction o' a boost glider (BG) kit from 1965 made by AMROCS. Arrr! This is a forward motor BG which changes from boost t' glide by ejectin' t' motor casing, shiftin' its CG t' t' aft for glidin' flight.

Construction:
This kit contains:

• (2) Balsa fin sheets - laser cut
• Nose cone - Balsa
• Motor mount 18mm
• Launch lug
• Decal

One thin' was nay clear and caused me a few moments o' uncertainty was t' two fuselage pieces are referred t' as "halves." What is not made explicitly clear is that they are glued perpendicular t' each other, matey, nay edge t' edge. Begad! Avast! Rather than "halves," one could have been referred t' as a "cross-piece" or "T-piece." A close inspection o' t' exploded drawin' (which is great) does reveal this, but it is not, in me opinion, ya bilge rat, obvious enough.

I used a stationary belt sander t' shape t' airfoils on t' wings. This went pretty well until I dropped one into the sander and ruined it. Arrr! Luckily I had some identical balsa lyin' around and I made another wing.

Finishing:
For finishin' I wanted t' be as light as I could. All I did was sand everythin' down t' 180 grit and paint t' motor mount and nose cone gold. Then I applied t' single decal t' t' side o' t' motor mount. Some o' t' sandin' would have been better done before assembly but t' instructions said t' do it after, shiver me timbers, so I did. Ya scallywag! Some edges were impossible to round after assembly. Begad! Oh well.

It was nearly in trim before I painted t' nose. Then it needed some tail weight. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I was able t' trim it out by gluin' a small brad nail t' a corner in t' stabilizer section. Aye aye! It would glide smoothly with a little left turn on a hand toss.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My three flights were a tribulation. Well, blow me down! Let me say that I believe that this is a really cool kit, but that mine be a victim o' excessive black powder ejection charges.

My first flight on an A8-3 looked good until it arced over, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, ejected and dove straight t' t' desert floor breaking off t' tail section. Inspection showed t' nose cone missin' and t' motor casin' still in t' motor mount.

After repairin' t' boom with epoxy and attachin' a spare nose cone, I retrimmed t' glider. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! Another A8-3 flight showed t' same initial promise o' a good boost. Begad! T' ejection again occurred past apogee and this time t' force o' the ejection broke t' boom just forward o' t' aft stabilizer assembly. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! Both pieces came flutterin' t' earth.

I finally got a glide on t' third flight. Avast, me proud beauty! This be a B4-2. Avast! Blimey! It gave a very high boost - fairly straight up, me bucko, thank goodness. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' short delay had it ejectin' while it still had some upward velocity and t' boom did nay break. Begad! Ahoy! T' glide was a little steeper and nay a long as I wanted, matey, but that can be fixed for next time.

Recovery:
I do nay recommend t' A8-3 for this glider. Well, blow me down! T' B4-2 worked well. Ahoy! With an appropriate adapter, me hearties, a 13mm motor could be used. If so, shiver me timbers, I would use t' 2 second delay.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This should be a solid performer. Well, blow me down! I believe t' design is sound. Blimey! I had a bad experience with t' A8-3's. Avast, me proud beauty! I would use the shortest delay possible. Avast! Blimey! Epoxy t' nose cone in place.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5