Brief:
This is probably goin' t' be considered t' flagship bird o' Qmodeling's upscale/mega retro series. Well, blow me down! It's a 1.65 upscale o' t' Estes classic Andromeda. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! As noted in t' other fine reviews, this is a magnificently engineered design and a sheer pleasure t' build and fly.

While I will cover some construction detail and pictures, matey, me bucko, I'd also highly recommend Bob Cox's construction thread on TRF for more information. Blimey! Bob be one o' t' beta builders o' this and really put an outstandin' effort into buildin' his model, me hearties, which be proudly displayed at NARCON 2008.

Construction:
OK, matey, let's hit t' touchy subject o' price right up front. Begad! Blimey! At about $120, this is way beyond t' price one would normally expect t' pay for a mid-power kit and that's goin' t' put a fair number o' people off. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was one. Blimey! Blimey! I've normally picked up every Qmodelin' release right away, but at this price it be beyond me budget and I waited about a year before finally pickin' one up. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! That be in large part due t' workin' out a deal havin' won a Vega or Viper kit in an EMRR contest. Avast! Blimey! For t' loot though, arrr, you get some pretty impressive stuff--not just a bag o' parts, me hearties, but some amazingly helpful tools/fixtures and top o' t' line recovery system. Ya scallywag! Blimey! While it will certainly rank up thar at or near the top o' me most expensive model list, matey, it will also rank up thar on me most impressive model list as well.

T' parts list is extensive; more than I want t' elaborate on in this review. Aye aye! Arrr! In addition t' over 6 feet o' good quality kraft tubin' (slotted for TTW fins), you get laser cut balsa fins, me bucko, me bucko, matey, a heavy wall foil lined 24mm motor tube, the famous QModelin' interlockin' motor mount assembly, matey, shiver me timbers, numerous laser-cut fiberboard details, decorative rings and dowels, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Also included are multiple sheets o' outstandin' quality silk screened waterslide decals, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, ya bilge rat, 9" x 9" Nomex® heat shield, and a 30" Top Flite nylon parachute.

T' real "bonus" materials though, are t' 3 multi-purpose assembly fixtures.

My instruction manual was revision 3.0, which at time o' writin' is also t' most current edition (QModelin' makes all instruction manuals available online). Begad! Ya scallywag! Other than missin' decal placement illustrations (there was no page 2 where these would go), me instructions were excellent and probably t' finest in t' hobby today. Avast, me proud beauty! They have obviously been refined through several builds and Bob Cox's input is certainly noticeable with plenty o' attention t' detail and construction tips along t' way.

Accordin' t' t' instructions, arrr, construction is broken out into 3 main sections totalin' about 3.5 hours plus finishing. I had t' laugh at that though, matey, matey, as I tended t' be overly picky as I went and probably dropped closer t' 30 total hours into this. However, I'd say 20-25 could be considered finishin' related. Surprisingly, I'd rate this no higher than a 3 on t' 5 point skill level scale, matey, thanks t' t' terrific instructions and illustrations plus the assembly fixtures.

As noted in t' other reviews, me hearties, ya bilge rat, you really do need t' thoroughly read t' instructions before beginning construction in order t' make an informed decision about how t' manage t' recovery mountin' and separation. Ahoy! Blimey! T' three options presented are basically midpoint separation with chute in t' lower BT-55, arrr, nose cone separation with chute in the upper BT-60, or two-piece twist-lock construction with nose cone separation so you can break it down for easier transport. Avast, me proud beauty! There are a number o' pros and cons with each approach. In me case, while I normally drive t' launches in a small crossover SUV that can handle t' 6-foot configuration, me bucko, I am occasionally left with a relatively tiny compact car and chose t' split twist-lock approach.

Construction begins with a couple o' assembly fixtures. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! These are pretty straightforward, shiver me timbers, built by tacking together laser-cut parts that have interlockin' slots with a little CA. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! While t' illustrations are very good, a couple of pieces are very similar looking, and it's possible t' get t' middle and one end piece mixed up or even mount one of the pieces backwards so pay careful attention t' t' positionin' as you go. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I did in fact blow it and mixed up the middle and end piece and didn't catch it until much later when I couldn't properly fit parts in for a tricky alignment.

Next comes t' motor mount, me hearties, me bucko, which can be a bit tricky if you're nay used t' t' QModelin' mounts. Ahoy! These ain't exactly your typical body tube/centerin' ring/hook assemblies... Well, blow me down! Even somethin' as simple as a thrust rin' becomes a bit more complex here--there's one thin rin' mounted from t' aft end, reinforced by a second rin' mounted from the forward end (which will require a long Q-tip t' apply t' glue fillet). Begad! Worth notin' is that t' thrust rin' position will be a bit off dependin' on your intended motors. If you're usin' t' 24/40 RMS hardware, thar will be a little too much room. Aye aye! Arrr! If you're usin' an Estes E9 (not somethin' I'd recommend) or t' newer 24/60 RMS hardware (outstanding choice!), then t' thrust rin' is nay far enough forward. It's really important in this case t' begin with t' end in mind.

With t' thrust rings in place, matey, a metal retainin' hook is then popped in and held in place by a series of gear-like balsa rings. These rings in turn hold interlockin' balsa plates that are slotted for TTW fins. A series of centerin' rings finish off t' motor mount construction (and dependin' on your recovery placement choice, t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord might be mounted t' t' forward centerin' ring).

Once t' motor mount is complete, it is then mounted inside t' lower BT-55 section. Arrr! Blimey! As an example o' the impressive attention t' detail, each o' t' BT-55 tubes is marked with an X at t' cut end, so that you can make sure that end goes inside t' transition (upper) or inside t' lower BT-60 tube (lower). Arrr! T' assembly is completed by slidin' on a slotted BT-60 "reactor tube" and 3 centerin' rings (reactor rings).

T' fin work on this model is extensive, and includes some very complex positionin' and alignment challenges that are greatly simplified by t' fixtures. Ya scallywag! First, ya bilge rat, t' two main fins need t' be assembled from two pieces, presumably caused by balsa sheet restrictions, matey, as I could think o' no other reason t' justify havin' t' laser these as separate pieces. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Next, me bucko, me hearties, you tack on 2 decorative trim plates onto outboard BT-60 pods usin' t' fixture t' hold t' plates in place on t' tube. Arrr! Begad! Once t' plates are in place, matey, t' same fixture is then used t' align t' fin t' t' BT-60 pod.

Next, me hearties, me hearties, t' main fins are attached t' t' lower body tube/motor mount assembly. Ahoy! Again, usin' t' fixtures makes this a breeze. One fixture holds t' front end level, me bucko, and another fixture locks t' aft end in place as well as positionin' t' fins and keepin' them true/straight. Ya scallywag! Once they're in place, shiver me timbers, you tack on t' forward strakes and long trim dowels, me bucko, matey, which fit snugly into t' pre-notched fins. Blimey! T' same fixture that kept t' forward end o' t' body tube level on t' previous step serves t' keep t' strakes aligned here. Blimey! Once that's done, me hearties, me bucko, it's rotated and is then used to make sure t' pair o' fins that support t' BT-60 pods are perpendicular t' t' main fins.

T' last fin-related construction step be t' antennae mast, me bucko, which is a slotted fin that slips onto one o' the main fins and has a couple dowels trimmin' t' ends. Mine did require a little filling, although nay as much as Drake's so it looks like this has improved a bit over time.

T' fins and strakes get a few decorative details on them, each o' which are carefully positioned usin' a template laser cut from stiff/fiber cardboard.

T' upper body is much simpler. T' upper BT-55 gets a pair o' centerin' rings t' fit into t' BT-60 and a cardstock shroud on t' aft end. Begad! T' shroud even uses one o' me favorite seam-minimizin' techniques o' a separate glue tab that goes inside, allowin' t' two ends t' mate up in a perfect butt joint. Blimey! And t' glue tab is even just a hair shorter, preventin' it from causin' a small bump when t' centerin' rin' pushes against it (it rests against the centerin' ring, me bucko, doesn't slip over it). Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' upper tube is topped off with a BT-60 main compartment and a basic Estes PNC-60 (Big Bertha style) nose cone.

Now in me case, ya bilge rat, havin' chosen t' twist-lock method, I had some more work in store for me. Avast! T' twist-lock has a dowel pin inserted in t' lower BT-55, me bucko, so I had t' drill a couple holes for this and reinforce t' inside with thin CA. T' upper BT-55 gets a coupler inserted, matey, but before insertin' it I had t' cut away a pair o' L-shaped slots that fit over t' dowel pin. Arrr! Ahoy! With such precisely engineered design throughout t' rest o' this, arrr, me hearties, I foolishly figured the dimensions and template would result in a perfect fit. Blimey! Well, blow me down! While t' dimensions probably were perfect, ya bilge rat, when executed by a Dremel in me less than CNC-controlled hands, it took several passes t' get just t' right fit. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I be paranoid about bein' too sloppy and havin' a glarin' joint seam, so had a fit that was too tight t' twist and lock, ya bilge rat, havin' to gradually expand t' L o' t' slots until it fit.

As a nice touch, thar are a couple o' decorative disks/pads included t' cover up t' dowel pin holes if going with this option.

Finishing:
One o' t' things I love about t' Andromeda is that you can achieve such a beautiful appearance with an incredibly simple paint scheme. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' thin' is basically all black, matey, with just a couple accent colors that can be done by hand.

I started out by fillin' grains with ample smearin' o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish (tube spirals were dealt with before construction). Well, blow me down! Blimey! I then went with two coats o' Plasti-Kote gray automotive primer, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which goes on thick and sands off easily, helpin' t' finish off t' grain and spiral filling.

After t' primer coats had been sanded down, me hearties, I followed up with two coats o' Rustoleum metallic black paint (the kind with an almost sparkle finish). Arrr! This paint is an outstandin' choice for this type o' model and was also my preferred paint for t' trade show demos I made o' t' FlisKits Night Whisperer and Alien 8.

With t' black fully cured 24 hours later, I then painted t' reactor rings gold usin' a hand brush, arrr, arrr, me bucko, and the various decorative pads a flat black.

I can't say enough about t' quality o' t' decals. When workin' with accent colors over black paint, me hearties, especially white trim, it's frustratin' t' run into decals that lack t' white base coat. Avast! Avast! These are fantastic, with no bleed or dullin' o' t' color at all. T' white and red really jump off t' paint.

I also shamelessly copied one o' Bob Cox's innovations with this, matey, pickin' up some reflective tape for trimming the inside o' t' BT-60 pods as well as accent stripes on t' plates on t' outside o' those pods. Avast, me proud beauty! It was fairly quick and simple, me hearties, and t' bright red tape really pops in t' daylight.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
When AeroTech first announced t' new 24/60 case and F35-5 motor at NARAM-50, me hearties, I be all over it and picked up a case from our local dealer right away. I had been lookin' over me fleet for t' perfect candidate t' fly these on, me hearties, and while I had a few that would work, me unbuilt Andromeda kit was just beggin' t' jump t' t' workbench t' test out this new motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I think this might be t' first time I've ever decided t' build a rocket for a motor rather than decidin' t' buy a motor for a rocket.

At 15 ounces with motor and flyin' in windy conditions (10-12 mph steady throughout t' day), ya bilge rat, I really felt like I needed t' full power o' t' F35 over t' recommended F21/F24's. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' liftoff was perfect with just a slight amount of initial weathercockin' (more on that below), followed by a perfectly straight flight, arrr, nay a trace o' roll. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! T' -5 delay was actually fairly accurate, me bucko, somethin' I rarely encounter with composite motors and deployed t' chute just as the rocket was turnin' over.

Recovery:
It took a couple seconds for t' chute t' unfurl, me bucko, as even in t' larger BT-60 I had t' pack it pretty tightly, but when it did unfurl, ya bilge rat, it was plenty t' brin' t' model down gently. Despite t' hefty sized components, this is still a pretty fragile model and thar are plenty o' exposed dowels and pods beggin' t' break loose. Begad! In me case, me hearties, t' model came down under decent speed in soft grass but was immediately dragged a good 50 yards in t' stiff breeze, shiver me timbers, snaggin' in the grass and weeds along t' way. Aye aye! Blimey! By t' time I caught up t' it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a mere 30 feet from a small lake, both o' t' pod fins had broken loose, matey, although I found them walkin' back and they can easily be repaired. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I'll be usin' epoxy this time though rather than t' thin wood glue and CA I'd used t' first time.

On t' walk back, shiver me timbers, I also noticed that I'd broken loose t' lower launch lug, me hearties, which no doubt led t' some rod whip and explained what I thought be slight weathercocking. This is designed for two lugs--one towards t' midpoint, just forward o' t' CG, arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' other near t' aft end o' t' rocket against t' reactor rings. Avast, me proud beauty! I think t' aft lug is going to undergo way too much stress unless you fly off a 12 foot rod or something. In me case, I flew off a 6 foot rod, me bucko, but after climbin' 3 feet t' upper lug has cleared t' rod and I'm essentially just hangin' on by t' lower lug. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 3 feet of travel is nay enough t' achieve stable velocity even under t' F35, ya bilge rat, so t' rocket is goin' t' pull away at that lug so far behind t' CG. I think rail buttons would be strongly preferred here or at least a lug with a much stronger bond to the fin/rin' joint.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an outstandin' rocket and will be among me favorites overall. Beautiful design, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, exceptional quality throughout, and construction made as simple as possible through solid engineerin' and great tooling.

T' only cons I'd offer are t' weak launch lug approach which really needs a longer rod and t' price, arrr, although the price is probably appropriate given t' size o' t' model, quality o' components, and extras such as t' tooling. Still, I hate t' keep acquirin' more Nomex® and nylon chutes with every QModellin' kit I buy and would much rather have t' option o' goin' chuteless t' brin' the costs down.

At $120, I can't exactly say rush out and buy this one, but for Andromeda fans or anyone lookin' for that one special rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, this would have t' be a serious contender. Avast! It's a pleasure t' build, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and awesome t' watch in flight, especially with t' newer 24/60 case available t' goose it up a bit in power.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5