Brief:
BT-50 storm research style sport rocket with 3 main fins and 3 canards, plastic nose cone, plastic parachute, and extreme waterslide decal coverage.

Construction:
BT-50, matey, plastic nose cone, matey, 6 surface mount balsa fins, thick fiber board centerin' rings, me bucko, BT-20 motor tube, steel clip, me bucko, me hearties, engine block, full wraparound clip retainer, two sheets o' waterslide decals, ya bilge rat, plastic parachute, ya bilge rat, adhesive reinforcement rings, shroud line, swivel, me bucko, and elastic shock cord.

Standard hang tag packagin' with color face card. Ya scallywag! Received kit from Apogee, me hearties, quick delivery, no damage t' kit. Instructions are easy t' follow, illustrations are OK. Avast! Simple, shiver me timbers, quick assembly. Everythin' fits. Begad! Well, blow me down! Root edges weren't quite straight, so they had t' be sanded. Good fin material, shiver me timbers, nay too thick or thin. Begad! Assembled with Elmer's glue.

Finishing:
I used EMRR fin tip #29: It's like makin' slots, only you lightly cut along t' lines (the thickness o' t' fin) only cuttin' t' first layer off. Ya scallywag! Then peel off that first layer. Well, blow me down! Then glue as usual. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, shiver me timbers, two coats o' high solids automotive primer with sanding, then white single stage automotive paint with one coat o' black rattle can enamel for t' nose cone. It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, ya bilge rat, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Ahoy! Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work.

T' decals are a challenge t' get on without wrinkles. Arrr! Blimey! It's best t' cut them into smaller pieces rather than try to put them on large. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I prefer waterslide decals normally, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but with full body wraps, matey, arrr, self adhesive stickers would be better. Avast! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Arrr! Blimey! Requires wadding. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. Blimey! Blimey! Would probably fly OK on 1/2A and A10 motors with a 13mm adapter. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! Apogee lists altitudes o' almost 1800 feet with a Medalist D10-7, me bucko, and fortunately that's a single use motor because I don't think you'd ever see it again.

Recovery:
Shock cord is affixed with a tri-fold paper mount. Everythin' worked fine. Recovery velocity is appropriate, with no damage on any flights. Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Aye aye! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Lightweight, high-performance, me bucko, ya bilge rat, nice lookin' design. Straightforward build. Blimey! Arrr! Interestin' research project look. Some nice touches with deluxe materials.

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5