Brief:
This is a monster o' a paper rocket, capable o' handlin' 24mm motors and carryin' payloads. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Paper rockets in general are always a nice break from t' routine and this one is certainly a break from t' paper rocket norm. Begad! Blimey! I had t' pleasure o' buildin' a beta version o' this as well as t' final version. Ahoy! This review is based on t' final version.

Construction:
T' parts list for this Model Minutes kits is pretty straightforward: cardstock. Lots o' it. Arrr! There are also a few other items, shiver me timbers, me hearties, like motor clip, ya bilge rat, me bucko, plastic chutes, matey, ya bilge rat, clay weight, me hearties, and clear plastic film for t' payload section, me bucko, but t' main components are preprinted on cardstock.

Since their recent re-entry into t' US market, Model Minutes has managed t' eliminate two o' me biggest peeves with their instructions. Arrr! #1 be t' hokey 3-D glasses necessary t' view t' photos in t' instructions, me bucko, and #2 be t' poorly translated (from French) instructions. Well, blow me down! These instructions were fairly well written, ya bilge rat, me bucko, easy t' follow, and don't require t' use o' glasses (the instructions do however incorrectly reflect t' process for makin' t' 3-D glasses).

T' motor mount consists o' a rolled paper 24mm tube, metal hook (retained via thread), and centerin' rings cut from foamboard stock. Well, blow me down! This is then glued into a rolled paper fuselage. Once in place, a rolled tailcone trims t' aft end.

T' standard kit includes only one launch lug, shiver me timbers, matey, mounted at t' aft o' t' rocket but at least offers an optional second lug towards t' top. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Go for t' second option--this is way too top heavy and tall for a single lug at t' base.

Fin construction is a bit o' a pain and might have you wishin' for laser cut balsa. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' fins are formed into diamond-shaped "airfoils", ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, reinforced with internal braces. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I had a lot o' trouble figurin' this out on t' beta, but t' photos in t' final version make this a bit easier t' understand. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! There's just a lot o' formin' and gluin' involved.

One general tip I'll offer up for formin' "sharp" lines on t' cardstock: on t' back o' t' line, ya bilge rat, lightly score t' line with t' back end o' a utility knife blade (or use a really old/dull one). This will make it a lot easier t' fold on a nice crisp line. Ya scallywag! This is especially important since thar are lots o' folds on t' fins.

T' rest o' t' fuselage and lower body is made by rollin' another body tube, matey, me hearties, a tube coupler, and a transition, then gluin' everythin' together with very light amounts o' white glue. Aye aye! That's another tip I'll offer up: avoid yellow wood glue, arrr, as it shrinks and can discolor t' paper. Aye aye! White glue shrinks less and tends t' dry clear.

T' upper body tube (junction) is formed by rollin' another cardstock piece.

T' payload section consists o' a coupler, a cardstock transition, me hearties, and a rolled tube. Avast! Once t' tube is rolled and glued into shape, me bucko, you cut out 3 sections for windows. This is a bit tricky and requires a very fresh, sharp blade. T' first cut is easy, me bucko, but since you're cuttin' away most o' t' structure leavin' only thin frames from t' original cardstock, you're cuttin' on an increasingly more flimsy surface. I wound up puttin' this over a piece o' PVC pipe and usin' t' pipe as a cuttin' surface. Ya scallywag! Once you've cut out t' windows, shiver me timbers, insert t' clear plastic liner and glue it in place with plastic model cement. Avast! Go light and be careful t' avoid smearing!

T' nose cone is made from 3 different transition sections formin' a somewhat "rounded" look rather than a straight cone. You'll need t' add in plenty o' t' provided nose weight for stability.

There's an optional satellite you can build and use as a payload. I wound up buildin' it just because it looked kind o' cool and it be simple. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It's basically just formin' a hexagon and foldin' over end caps.

There are 2 plastic chutes included, one for t' satellite and one for t' rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! T' shroud lines are a bit short for t' chute size but would probably work fine. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Personally, I usually substitute one o' me heavy duty mylar chutes from me range box.

Finishing:
T' beauty o' paper rockets is that thar be no finishin' involved. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' colors and printed patterns are already on t' parts so thar be no pesky masking. Aye aye! Avast! Plus thar are no spirals or balsa grain t' fill.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I had one flight on t' prototype beta version usin' a D12-3. It was a pretty good flight, ya bilge rat, unfortunately t' payload section was blown out by t' ejection charge.

For t' final version o' t' released kit, I stuck with t' D12-3 but put in at least 3 inches o' dog barf stuffed all t' way down into t' skinny transition tube followed by a good 5-6 squares o' recovery waddin' in t' payload. I left out t' satellite figurin' I'd leave more room for waddin' and t' chute.

T' flight be excellent. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Despite 10-12 mph winds, matey, me hearties, it held a fairly straight path and deployed right at apogee.

Recovery:
T' 12" chute is a bit small for this, matey, but it landed fairly gently in tall, soft grass. Blimey! Blimey! Once again though, I had blown out t' clear plastic payload section. Although this time it was still mostly intact, so can be taped or glued back together fairly easily.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
For a paper rocket, me hearties, this one is right up thar with t' Model Minutes XFLR-7 among me favorite designs. Begad! Blimey! It's big, shiver me timbers, nicely colored, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and detailed. It flies great on a D12 too. Ahoy! T' upgrades and improvements incorporated into t' final version make this a worthwhile project.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5