Brief:
T' Eruption is 4-motor cluster from Sunward Aerospace. Arrr! Avast! T' motors are outwardly canted. Well, blow me down! Begad! Recovery is via an 18" parachute.

Construction:
T' kit includes a balsa nose cone, one BT-70 body tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, two laser cut centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, four motor tubes with clips, parachute materials, matey, me hearties, four laser cut lite-ply fins, me hearties, and an elastic shock cord.

Construction be very straightforward. Avast! Blimey! T' only difficult part in me opinion was t' motor mount. Begad! Blimey! I had a hard time followin' t' method described in t' instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions say t' tape t' top tubes and centerin' disc together and then glue t' bottom disc t' t' tubes. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I did t' opposite o' that. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I marked t' tubes where they were supposed t' meet t' bottom disc and taped them in place. Arrr! Blimey! I then tack glued t' top disc t' t' forward end o' the tubes, matey, before reinforcin' all t' joints with more glue. Avast! Blimey!

PROs:

• T' materials were very good quality.
• It is appears t' be a sturdy design.

Cons:

• T' wraparound guide for t' fins did nay line up correctly. There was about an 1/8" gap. Avast, me proud beauty! I printed me own guide usin' VCP.
• T' instructions and illustrations were a little vague and confusin' in some steps. I think a general rule to follow is: read t' instructions three times; build once.
• It was a little difficult t' discern t' orientation o' t' fins. Avast! Blimey! I recommend markin' t' leadin' edge for each one after you figure it out.

Finishing:
I finished t' tubes, fins, and nose cone with two coats o' Elmer's Wood Filler. Ahoy! Arrr! T' fins began t' warp each time while applyin' t' filler. Ahoy! I kept them straight by pressin' betwixt glass plate and books.

I used Aves Fixit compound (same as epoxy clay sold by Apogee Rockets) t' fill in t' gaps betwixt t' motor tubes and t' body tube. Begad! Arrr!

T' only con is that it doesn't come with any decals. It didn't really matter though because I came up with me own design. Aye aye! I'm a big fan o' t' Adult Swim cartoon, me bucko, "Metalocalypse". Ya scallywag! On t' show there is a recurrin' character called Dr. Ahoy! Rockzo, t' rock and roll clown. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! He is very loud and wears bright fluorescent colors. Aye aye! I modeled t' finish design after him. Aye aye! I painted t' nose cone and fins florescent pink and t' body yellow. Begad! Avast! I printed images o' Dr. Avast, me proud beauty! Rockzo onto Staples brand white label paper usin' an inkjet printer. Aye aye! After applyin' t' stickers I sprayed on a couple coats o' acrylic clear coat. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I made t' mistake o' addin' stickers over t' course o' a few days, and some o' them started t' peel. Blimey! T' avoid this, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, I recommend havin' all t' stickers you are goin' t' use together and apply them at t' same time.

I would probably rate t' construction and finishin' a 2 or 2-1/2 due t' t' poor instructions and wraparound guide. Blimey! Aye aye! I think t' design and parts quality were great though so I gave a higher score. Begad!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be great even though only 3 motors lit. Blimey! It flew at a slight angle after leavin' t' pad but otherwise had a straight flight.

Recovery:
T' 18" parachute was fine. Aye aye! T' shroud lines seem unusually long, ya bilge rat, and I wasn't sure if I should cut them down some. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! It seems t' work fine as is. Begad! I've nay seen any damage from landing.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: I love t' design. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' four canted motors along with t' overall shape make this stand out. Avast! T' parts are very good quality.

CONs: My main gripe be t' instructions. I think they could have been presented better. Also, t' parachute shroud lines seemed a little long.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5