Brief:
I won this rocket as part o' an EMRR giveaway, which be really excitin' for a variety o' reasons. Aye aye! Aside from this bein' me 15 seconds o' international fame, I've wanted some rockets I could launch in a small area (such as me 30' x 20' front lawn or t' street out front) since all t' local fields are now full o' various summer crops that make flyin' impossible. Begad! Avast! (Can you say corn stalks?)

Due t' construction and paintin' projects around t' house, I didn't get t' t' Dragonfly kit until I saw the deadline for a review be tonight. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm hopin' EMRR is on t' West Coast, arrr, matey, arrr, but I'm nay so sure... Begad! So, ya bilge rat, I'll put off some paintin' and build this kit, writin' t' review as t' glue dries. Begad! Begad! Oh, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me digital camera is missin' in action, arrr, so this may be without illustrations unless I can get t' camera on me phone t' work.

Construction:
I had kind o' put this build off because o' various projects and it's pretty far removed from what I'm used to, which has been 12 or 14 3FNC/4FNC kits in 2.5 months, ya bilge rat, but let's see what happens.

This kit appears t' be quite simple, and after readin' t' previous reviews I'm inclined t' think this will go pretty quickly. Avast! There are only a few components, me bucko, 7 t' be exact. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! There is a basswood wing, a basswood sheet, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 3 dowels, fiberglass tape, arrr, me bucko, and an engine mount tube.

All components appear t' be in excellent condition and o' high quality. Each was wrapped in its own compartment of a bag, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which was accompanied with instructions and placed into a larger bag.

T' instructions are only two 8.5" x 11" pages long and have plenty o' illustrations. Blimey! Upon an initial review, arrr, they seem simple enough.

Well, what I overlooked at first was that three components need t' be measured out, me bucko, drawn, me bucko, matey, and cut out o' the basswood sheet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I tend t' be meticulous so this took me some time. Plus me X-Acto blade wasn't t' sharpest. Avast! Blimey!

FYI: If I did this project again, shiver me timbers, matey, I'd cut t' lines that go with t' grain first then across t' grain later. This would make t' pieces more manageable. Begad!

Overall, construction o' t' structural support went smoothly. Avast, me proud beauty! I did note t' instructions didn't specify to center t' balance beam on t' center support structure, shiver me timbers, but it is obvious.

If I were doin' this again, I'd make a mark ahead o' time on t' edges o' center piece and center support indicatin' t' middle. Also, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' instructions say t' apply glue fillets after attachin' t' center piece t' t' center support. Ahoy! Ahoy! I did this all around. Ahoy! One o' t' fillets hindered t' attachment o' t' balance beam and had t' be cut out.

T' facilitate a straight attachment o' t' engine mount, me bucko, I did t' "door frame" method utilized by many Skill Level I and II model kits.

T' rest o' t' rocket went together pretty smoothly. Again, matey, I recommend markin' center points where t' wing edge is connected t' t' center piece.

Wrappin' t' fiberglass tape went fast enough and I should mention that drillin' t' hole requires a very sharp drill bit so minimal pressure can be used.

Overall, arrr, this took me 2.5 hrs t' build, but I made a lot o' beefy fillets that took time t' dry, and I wrote this as I was building.

Finishing:
I didn't use any finish yet, but I will use a polyurethane spray.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I let t' glue dry about 30 minutes and was lookin' forward t' flyin' it too much t' wait until tomorrow. Avast, me proud beauty! There are lighted tennis courts nearby, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, and I went t' it t' try flyin' this thing. Oops! I didn't have a "Dragonfly" launch pad made. Arrr! I used me regular launch pad and taped off t' end o' me 1/4" launch rod.

T' flight o' this is very unique and difficult t' describe. Begad! Ahoy! T' videos on t' other reviews are accurate.

This will be a cool little gadget t' fly when t' "bug" hits me. (Get it? "Bug"? Did you note the name o' t' kit? Sorry, arrr, some midnight humor there...)

Recovery:
I initially tossed t' Dragonfly from me deck t' see what recovery looks like. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! It looked fine. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

My rocket got a little burn where t' others mentioned. Begad! Ya scallywag! I may put a thin layer o' 30min epoxy or JB Weld to protect t' area.

I'll do another launch in t' daylight. Blimey! T' other reviewers submitted videos o' t' flight, shiver me timbers, matey, so unless me flights are drastically different, I'll refer you t' t' videos. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket was a nice change o' pace from what I be used to. Avast! Blimey! It built on skills I've learned from other rockets, mainly cuttin' with t' X-Acto knife. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It forces t' builder t' think outside t' box from what t' typical rocket looks like.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5