Brief:
Squirrel Works is carvin' a niche for interestin' designs, and this futuristic space model is no exception. Ya scallywag! It flies great on common 18mm motors, me hearties, and has enough trim and detailin' t' make for a nice diversion from t' typical 3fnc designs.

Construction:
Parts were all very good quality and include:

• Balsa nose cone/screw eye
• BT-50 tube (white/glassine, very light spirals)
• Laser cut balsa fins (4 sets, me hearties, plus 2 canards)
• 18mm motor mount kit (with engine block/metal hook)
• BT-5 win' pods/tubes (4)
• 1/8" launch lug
• Mylar streamer
• Elastic shock cord
• Waterslide decals

On a 5 scale, I'd rate difficulty on this one about a 2 with t' only real challenge bein' alignment o' t' multi-piece fins and maskin' for 2 tone paint scheme. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! T' instructions were well written and easy t' follow with a reasonably amount o' illustrations.

Construction o' t' motor mount is straightforward: BT-20 tube + engine block + metal hook + a pair o' 20/50 centerin' rings and you're done.

Construction of t' fins takes some care. Begad! T' balsa parts are laser cut. Roundin' the leadin' edges are no problem, but roundin' t' trailin' edges is a bit tough, due t' t' curved line. Ahoy! T' mount t' fins, arrr, you first need t' mark both t' body tube and t' 4 pods. Aye aye! There are small outer fins that go on one side o' t' pods followed by larger "main" fins that go betwixt t' other side o' the pods and t' body tube. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! If you line everythin' up correctly, it should look like thar are outboard motors inserted into t' fins.

After mountin' t' fin assemblies t' t' body tube, you then mount a couple of tiny canards towards t' forward end o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Arrr! On top o' these go small pill-shaped pieces that are made from a dowel included in t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! I found this t' be a real pain. Begad! Arrr! T' dowel was too tough t' cut with a utility knife, me bucko, ya bilge rat, forcin' a trip t' t' basement for t' Dremel. Well, blow me down! Next, arrr, matey, sandin' and roundin' t' ends is hard t' do by hand, so I wound up insertin' t' dowel into my power drill and usin' that as a sort o' lathe t' turn down t' ends. Ahoy! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This wound up bein' a lot o' work for a couple small trim details.

Recovery cord is elastic attached via a paper tri-fold mount. Ya scallywag! There was plenty o' cord supplied with this kit, which is a nice touch so hopefully there won't be any balsa smiles/dents in me future.

Finishing:
Paint prep consisted o' 3 coats o' white primer since I went light on t' balsa sealer/grain fill. Ahoy! I sanded t' first two coats almost completely off, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, hoping that would take care o' fillin' t' grains. Blimey! (It didn't, but it helped quite a bit.) I then followed up with a couple o' coats o' gloss white Krylon. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! After the white had cured for a day, matey, I masked off for t' red trim on t' fin tubes, pills on t' canards, me bucko, and tip o' nose cone. Begad! Personally, I hate tryin' t' mask around a cone, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and always have trouble holdin' a straight, even line. Blimey! If anyone has any tips, please feel free t' post them on t' EMRR site!

After trimmin' t' red, matey, me hearties, I applied t' waterslide decals. Ya scallywag! These decals are very good quality. Arrr! Aye aye! They are rugged enough t' be easy t' apply without breaking and t' clear border material is practically invisible.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on a breezy day (10-12 mph) and I started off with an A8-3 to finish off an open pack. Aye aye! Blimey! It flew fine, arrr, got up in t' neighborhood o' 150-200 feet, and ejected a bit late (at least 1 second but that might have been a problem with me whole pack).

I was runnin' out o' daylight and rain was startin' t' set in, so I didn't get a chance t' climb up t' power curve. Avast! Well, blow me down! I think this is goin' t' like a B much better and a C on calmer days or in bigger fields.

Recovery:
I thought t' streamer be a bit risky versus a 12" chute and was very surprised t' see this from t' same folks who put a 15" chute in the Astrid, which only weighs about 0.4 ounces more and had me walkin' a good ways in t' similar winds.

Still, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' streamer is big, arrr, matey, bright red, me hearties, and brought it down reasonably well on soft grass. In lighter winds, I'd seriously consider switchin' over t' a 12" chute though t' avoid damagin' t' points on t' fins.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Nice design, shiver me timbers, definitely out o' t' ordinary, and usin' excellent quality parts. Squirrel Works makes some nice stuff and is worth a try.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5