Brief:
T' Monarch features a unique fin configuration and parachute recovery.

Construction:
This kit comes with a plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, one body tube, ya bilge rat, three die-cut balsa fins, cardboard motor mount tube with two centerin' rings and a metal retainer clip, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, an 18-inch flat elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and a 12-inch parachute. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone has minimal flash and mold lines. Aye aye! T' fin balsa is good quality, me hearties, but the fin shape is inherently delicate.

This was t' second rocket I ever built (essentially t' first, because the previous one was an Estes RTF Tidal Wave), and I found construction fairly simply. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' instructions are clear, easy-to-follow, me hearties, and well illustrated. I fell, however, into what I suspect is a first-timer trap durin' construction that I could have avoided had t' instructions warned o' it.

Specifically, t' Monarch's double-triangle shaped fins are delicate because they are made from single pieces o' balsa. Avast! Arrr! They have a thin neck where the triangles meet, arrr, and this neck is fairly fragile. Begad! I successfully removed the fins from t' die cut sheet without damage, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but subsequently snapped one at the neck while sandin' t' flat surfaces smooth. Aye aye! Begad! A batten down t' hatches in t' instructions about t' fragility o' these pieces may have saved me from this mishap.

Otherwise, shiver me timbers, construction be easy. Arrr! Usin' Elmer's yellow carpenters glue, assemblin' t' motor mount be straightforward. Avast! T' rings and clip fit smoothly and easily. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' finished mount slid snugly into t' BT and I secured it with yellow glue.

I repaired t' snapped fin with yellow carpenters glue in t' joint, me bucko, and let it dry overnight. Well, blow me down! T' joint seemed weak, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so I covered both sides o' the damaged fin (and t' other two as well) with typin' paper. Well, blow me down! After diluting yellow glue with water t' t' consistency o' cream, ya bilge rat, matey, I painted t' thinned glue onto each flat fin surface and placed a piece o' paper onto t' glue. Begad! Begad! The wetted fins began t' warp, arrr, so I placed them betwixt two boards, put books on top, and let them dry overnight. Blimey! Begad! T' next day, I trimmed t' paper flush with the balsa fin edges, then sanded t' leadin' edges round as per the instructions.

I attached t' fins with yellow glue guided by lines on t' BT made with the supplied paper-rin' fin placement template. After an overnight drying, ya bilge rat, I added yellow glue fin fillets. Begad!

I attached t' tubular launch lug in a similar manner.

I attached t' too-short (more on this below) shock cord about one inch inside t' end o' t' BT usin' t' cut-out paper mount per t' instructions. I cleaned t' flash out o' t' nose cone rin' usin' an Exact cutlass and small circular file.

After paintin' t' rocket, matey, I attached t' shock cord and pre-assembled chute t' t' NC ring.

Finishing:
I didn't follow t' kit paintin' pattern. Ya scallywag! Instead I came up with me own black, red, and yellow scheme. T' glossy Krylon spray paint adhered well t' t' kit parts, matey, although I laid on too thick o' a first coat with t' red and black.

I had trouble gettin' a glossy finish on t' fins with t' yellow paint (although t' black fin finish came out alright). Avast! T' typin' paper covering seemed t' absorb t' yellow paint so that it dried t' an almost flat finish. T' yellow paint gave a pretty good gloss near t' fillets, however, where the fin paper be overcoated with yellow glue.

T' decals are too sparse. Avast, me proud beauty! One big pressure-stick Monarch decal for a fin and two smaller Monarch decals for t' BT are all that are supplied. Aye aye! T' rocket looks kind o' bare. They adhered well. Blimey! I finished t' entire rocket with a glossy coat o' Future floor polish, applied by hand with a camel hair water-colors brush.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Overall, matey, shiver me timbers, t' Monarch is easy t' flight prep, and it flew straight and high. Begad! The motor slides easily into t' motor tube with slight friction and t' metal clip helps hold it in place.

T' first flight on B6-4 with three waddin' squares was near perfect. Straight up with good height, ya bilge rat, ejection just past apogee, and a nice recovery. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' second flight on a B6-4 was similar. Arrr! After recovery, me bucko, arrr, however, I noticed an Estes' dent that traveled about an inch down t' end o' t' BT, where t' NC had apparently snapped back into t' BT after ejection. Aye aye! I pushed t' dent out with me finger. Fortunately, me bucko, t' shoulder o' t' NC extends farther down t' BT than t' dent and pushes it out and into round shape, ya bilge rat, so everythin' looks fine with t' NC inserted.

T' third flight on a B6-4 with three squares o' waddin' be nay quite as good. Ya scallywag! At ejection, ya bilge rat, matey, t' parachute did nay open fully because t' shroud lines were tangle together for about 1/3 o' their length. Begad! Upon recovery, I noticed three holes melted through t' parachute, ya bilge rat, and one spot where a fold in the plastic be fused together.

Recovery:
As mentioned above, t' shock cord is too short and caused an Estes' dent. Three squares o' waddin' did nay protect t' chute fully. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I'm goin' t' use four from now on.

T' above flights were on a gusty day. Avast! T' touchdown when t' shrouds tangled was about 75 yards down wind o' t' launch pad. Another be about 100 yards downwind. Aye aye! T' third was about 250 yards down wind. Ahoy! T' Monarch was undamaged on all landings (onto grass), so a spill hole in t' chute may be the thin' t' keep it from driftin' so far in a breeze. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Monarch flies great, has an unusual and interestin' look, and is fairly easy t' build. T' fins, however, shiver me timbers, are very fragile durin' construction and the supplied shock cord needs t' be replaced with a longer one.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5