Brief:
This is a rocket that flies on mid and high power motors, matey, shiver me timbers, has tube fins, and uses parachute recovery.

Construction:
T' first step in t' construction o' this beast is t' begin t' finishin' process. Begad! Spirals are t' be filled in and the tubes sanded down. Ya scallywag! This latter step is so that t' adhesives may grip better. I did sand down t' tubes but did nothin' about t' spirals. Begad! They were nay bad and they usually don't bother me.

After sandin' down t' tubes, arrr, I had t' check them t' make sure I knew which was which. Begad! One be t' airframe and the other be t' source from which t' tube fins are t' be cut. Arrr! Aye aye! I identified them by length and marked them with a pencil so they would nay get mixed up.

One page o' t' instructions contains two wraparound guides t' be cut out. Blimey! This page is distinctive in that it is the only page printed on legal paper (as opposed t' letter paper). Aye aye! I cut out t' guide for t' fin tubes, ya bilge rat, which be the simpler o' t' two. Begad! Avast! It contained markings for 2 lines, arrr, 180 degrees apart. Ya scallywag! I wrapped t' guide around t' tube and found that it would nay quite close. Avast! I checked alignment on everythin' t' satisfy myself that everythin' was right and everythin' was, matey, except that t' guide had about a 1/16 inch space betwixt match lines.

I be unsure whether this gap was allowed for in t' markings or nay and sent a message t' Layne at Pemberton Technologies. Begad! I went ahead an drew t' lines on t' tube, ya bilge rat, however, figurin' that if t' gap is incorrect, I would make my final marks by construction offsets. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For now, ya bilge rat, I just wanted t' keep on working.

T' instructions give a list o' distances at which t' upper and t' lower lines are t' be marked. Avast, me proud beauty! These distances will be very important for makin' t' cuttin' marks and were checked carefully.

Makin' t' tick marks on t' fin tube was nay too difficult. Aye aye! Drawin' t' lines betwixt them was. Ya scallywag! T' instructions give a well thought out method. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! You need some sort o' flexible straightedge. Avast! Avast! You line it up with t' appropriate tick on t' top and bottom lines. Avast, me proud beauty! You make sure it's tight and flat and correctly positioned, arrr, then you draw a line. It's logical, it sounds easy, but it's extremely frustrating. Avast! Begad!

I used a piece o' poster board. Aye aye! Blimey! I cut out a strip and marked the "good" side, me bucko, t' side with t' factory cut that I was confident was straight. Begad! Blimey! I would get it aligned with a tick mark and pointin' t' in approximate right direction. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I would tape down that end and then wrap it around, arrr, trying to keep it tight and straight. Avast! Blimey! Cellophane tape does nay work. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Neither does narrow maskin' tape. Ahoy! Blimey! It keeps wantin' t' let go under stress. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Finally, I settled on some Frog Tape. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It be tacky enough for a single pair o' lines but that was only part o' t' problem. Aye aye! Blimey! Invariably, t' strip was just a little bit off and I would have t' take up t' tape and try again. Ya scallywag! Blimey! When it be in t' right place, markin' with a pencil be easy. Aye aye! Blimey! Then t' entire process had t' be repeated to draw t' mirror image o' t' line just drawn. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then everythin' is shifted and you do it again...and again...and again. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I had t' take a break halfway through because o' t' frustration factor.

Let me be clear: This is nay a problem with t' design or t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Part o' what makes this kit appealin' is the unusual curve o' t' fin tubes. Begad! I can't think o' a better way t' do it that t' way provided for. Its just that it was my first time and it be frustrating.

With t' contours o' t' fins marked on t' fin tube, it was time t' cut them out. Blimey! T' instructions recommend usin' a fresh X-Acto blade. I found them t' be imprecise at this point. Arrr! Things work much easier usin' a fresh blade for each separate fin.

T' process is simple. Avast, me proud beauty! You just trace t' lines you drew with t' blade bein' careful t' be exactly on t' line. You don't push very hard at all--it's more o' a scorin' than a cut. Well, blow me down! You then draw t' blade over t' same path again...and again...and keep doin' it until you cut all t' way through. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! For me, ya bilge rat, this varied betwixt 5 and 15 passes on any given segment. Avast, me proud beauty! This is tedious but t' result is worthwhile.

Takin' a breather, I cut out t' body tube markin' guide and applied it t' t' BT. I had t' same small gap in it that I had in t' fin tube guide. Begad! Arrr! By this point, me bucko, I have decided that t' small amount is nay enough t' worry about. Lines for t' 4 fins and t' launch lug were transferred t' t' BT and elongated t' t' entire length o' t' tube using a pocket door frame.

With t' tube fins cut, ya bilge rat, t' next step is t' mask off t' lines along which they will be mounted. Begad! Blimey! I did this on both t' tube fins and t' body tube usin' 1/4" Tamiya tape. Aye aye! Blimey! I ran out on t' penultimate line on t' BT and cut a strip o' Frog Tape t' finish. Begad! Blimey! I then applied Elmer's Wood Filler t' t' spirals inside t' tube fins. I had decided at the outset that I would nay worry about t' spiral on t' BT or t' outside o' t' fins because they are nay prominent, but t' spirals on t' inside o' t' tube are.

T' filler had a day t' dry out and then I started sandin' it. It filled t' spirals well but sandin' inside of them be a nightmare because me hands are too big t' fit them well. T' tops and bottoms were nay too hard but the parts completely surrounded by tube were.

With t' spirals filled, me hearties, I proceeded t' prime t' Kraken with Kilz. Arrr! Blimey! It covered t' pencil marks very well and did better than anythin' else I could think o' for primin' t' inner surface o' t' tube fins. Avast! Blimey! However, shiver me timbers, sprayin' the insides o' tubes is nay easy. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It needed another coat. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Also, t' sandin' I had done on t' inside o' t' tubes resulted in t' primed tubes havin' a bad case o' t' fuzzies. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This will probably mean one extra iteration o' sprayin' and sandin' before it is ready for t' finish paint.

T' fuzzies got sanded down and I learned somethin' important: If me hands are goin' t' sand t' insides of tubes, me hearties, they need t' be a bigger diameter. Begad! It was painstakin' work, nay because o' t' difficulty o' doin' it but because o' t' difficulty o' gettin' access. Aye aye! Even so, me bucko, I judged that another coatin' o' primer would nay be needed. Arrr! Arrr! I moved t' tube fins t' t' booth and proceeded t' spray their interiors with a bright purple.

When t' purple had dried, I decided t' go ahead and paint t' black. Aye aye! T' instructions give a creative way to mask o' t' interior o' t' tube fins and protect them. Avast, me proud beauty! You just roll up a piece o' cardboard, insert it in t' tube and let it expand. Aye aye! Blimey! Much t' me surprise, matey, matey, it worked very well. I had thought that it would only do a "so so" job but is seemed t' do a better job than me normal maskin' tape application.

T' tube fins were placed in me booth as well as t' BT. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! I then began applyin' coats o' black. I applied the paint lightly for three coats and was satisfied with t' result.

While waitin' for t' black t' dry, me bucko, I tackled t' nosecone. It has 2 canards which needed t' be mounted. Aye aye! Avast! These are nay mounted on t' surface but in slots which must be cut. Begad! T' instructions say t' use t' 2 mold lines for guides and make marks 4 inches back from t' tip. These points mark t' forward edges o' t' fitting. T' canards were then used t' mark t' width and length o' t' cut.

T' instructions recommend t' use a Dremel tool t' cut t' slots. I have still not located mine since movin' me shop, and I decided t' do it t' "hard way" with multiple passes o' an X-Acto. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' me surprise, this turned out t' be easy. Begad! It be much easier than cuttin' t' tube fins!

I decided that I wanted t' dress t' edges o' t' canards so I broke out t' sandpaper and beveled t' leading, outer and trailin' edges. Arrr! Blimey! I then mixed a small amount o' 5 minute epoxy and used that t' mount them.

T' kit comes with a small bag o' lead droppings t' be used as nose weight. In order t' better facilitate getting it into place, I drilled a 3/8" hole in t' base o' t' NC. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shot was then poured into place and allowed to settle at t' very tip. Aye aye! Begad! Two ounces o' 12 minute epoxy were then mixed and poured into t' cone t' hold t' lead in place. While t' epoxy be still fluid, me hearties, I canted it over t' let it flow over t' tabs on both o' t' canards. T' hole I had drilled be large enough t' be able t' look in and make sure that I had tilted t' cone far enough t' accomplish this. Aye aye! Ahoy! I moved t' cone back and forth t' let t' epoxy wash over t' tabs several times before it finally set up. This way, a thicker layer was able t' be applied t' t' tabs than would otherwise be t' case. When t' epoxy started to stiffen, arrr, arrr, arrr, I set t' cone up on its nose t' allow it t' finish curing.

Attention then turned t' t' motor mount. Blimey! One o' t' centerin' rings needed t' be designated as the "forward" ring. That rin' had a slot filed into its inner boundary t' accommodate t' passin' o' t' flat nylon shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! A Dremel tool is recommended for this, but as I mentioned previously, shiver me timbers, mine is MIA. T' file I used was supplemented with some judicious cuttin' with t' X-Acto.

Maskin' tape was used t' hold down t' end o' t' nylon tubin' against t' motor tube. Ahoy! T' forward rin' was then slipped into place and epoxied 2 inches from t' end. Begad! When that had set, t' aft rin' be epoxied into place 2 inches from t' back end. Blimey! Both rings were filleted with epoxy.

Workin' on t' NC and motor mount had allowed sufficient time for t' black paint t' dry so I turned next to installin' t' motor mount. Blimey! Blimey! T' rings had t' be sanded a little bit, arrr, me bucko, but that was smartly taken care o' and t' mount was put in place with epoxy and a generous amount o' filleting. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It be installed so that t' end o' t' motor mount was flush with t' aft end o' t' BT.

With t' motor mount in place, arrr, I stripped off t' maskin' o' t' fins. Blimey! T' instructions say t' use carpenter's glue so that's what I did. Begad! I wanted t' hedge me bets however and first drilled a series o' 1/8" holes along the fin mountin' lines t' form glue rivets. Well, blow me down! Yellow glue was then used t' put t' first fin in place and it was allowed to dry.

I took gluin' o' t' tube fins slowly, ya bilge rat, applyin' one and then tapin' it into place and lettin' it dry. Avast! Well, blow me down! That left me with time on me hands t' ruin other components so I turned me attention back t' t' nosecone. It had been primed with Kilz and sanded. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' Kilz was t' only filler on t' wooden canards and seemed t' do t' job well. Ya scallywag! After sanding, I sprayed it black.

After t' black NC had a day t' dry, arrr, I masked off t' outer edges o' t' beveled canards and brushed on a squidly pink. Avast, me proud beauty! My intention was t' let it dry and then remask and get t' leadin' and trainin' edges but I kind o' like just the tips.

I also started highlightin' t' cut edges o' t' tube fins with t' same hot pink. While I was at it, I began to experiment with some pink blobbin' and t' forward tips o' t' tubes. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Originally, I was just givin' a first coat over the black and planned t' mask off a simple area and go over it again with another coat. Close up, it doesn't look all that good and still needs some touchin' up but from a few feet away, it has a look o' "biological coloring" to me.

After starin' at t' results o' t' pink for a while, me bucko, I decided t' go back t' me original idea and masked off a roughly diamond shaped area at t' front o' each tube. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I also masked off a small triangle at t' rear. Arrr! I then started brushin' on t' Panther Pink.

On t' day after, arrr, I pulled off t' maskin' and was horrified t' see some o' t' bleeds. They will be "fixed" by remaskin' and hittin' it with t' black again. For t' time bein' though, me bucko, I started filletin' the fins.

T' instructions warned that this can be difficult, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but it was nay as bad as I expected. I used maskin' tape to form dams and then mixed up 12 minute epoxy 2 tablespoons at a time. Aye aye! I used a plastic cup t' pour t' epoxy into the troughs and when it started t' thicken, I pulled off t' tape. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! This usually left some bad stringies but a rubdown with ethanol smoothed things up. Well, blow me down! This be done 4 time t' hit all t' joints.

I had t' funny feelin' I be forgettin' somethin' at this point and started lookin' through t' bag o' parts. Avast! Ahoy! I found t' launch lugs. Ahoy! Blimey! That could have made Saturday embarrassing. Blimey!

I located t' tape that was maskin' t' lug location and peeled it off. Ahoy! T' kits comes with two lugs so I started lookin' for a piece o' 1/4" rod with which t' get them straight. I could nay find it and sat for a few moments. Then I looked in one o' t' drawers again. Blimey! I did nay find t' rod but I did find a 4" x 1/4" lug. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I decided to use that. Aye aye! I attached it with 5 minute epoxy at t' forward lug mark.

I let t' lug epoxy set overnight and then got t' work with a brush and some black acrylic t' clean up pink blobs, me bucko, paint t' lug and touch up t' rocket. Avast! It was goin' t' need more but it was startin' t' bother me.

PROs: This is a fairly simple rocket but has a cool design. Begad! T' instructions for cuttin' t' fin tubes are first rate.

CONs: While t' instructions for cuttin' t' tubes are first rate, matey, actually markin' and cuttin' them is tedious.

Finishing:
I finished me Kin' Kraken while it was bein' constructed. Begad! This is described above and made simple what would be a nightmare o' maskin' if t' rocket had been assembled.

After assembly, ya bilge rat, matey, a brush was used t' touch things up.

PROs: T' black gives a powerful look.

CONs: None.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Kin' Kraken is sold as a HPR but for t' maiden flights, I had no Hs and t' field would have been too small for them anyway. Pemberton Tech also says that t' rocket can be flown on Gs and even Fs. I decided t' try t' first flight with a Roadrunner G80-7 usin' a 38-29 motor adapter.

T' boost was perfect but t' delay be a little long. Even so, t' chute deployed and t' Kin' Kraken landed without a scratch. Begad! Begad! That is some feat in t' midst o' all t' whitebrush.

Click here t' see a video o' t' maiden flight.

T' first flight exceeded expectations and I decided t' wimp out with an F60-4. Blimey! THe rocket was prepped and set up. Again, it was a flawless flight and t' 4 second delay seems t' be perfect for this motor.

A video o' t' second flight can be found here.

An inspection o' t' rocket after recovery showed that t' nylon recovery cord had just started t' zipper t' BT. This will be an easy fix.

This rocket is fairly heavy t' me thinkin' but it performed admirably o' F and G motors. Aye aye! Begad! I can only imagine what the bigger stuff will do.

PROs: Impressive in flight, me hearties, durable.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
T' shock cord consisted o' nylon tubin' attached t' t' motor mount. Begad! This was in turn connected t' t' NC with a snap ring. T' generous, ya bilge rat, quality nylon chute be similarly attached t' t' NC.

Except for a minor zipperin' problem noted above, arrr, t' system worked well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a simple high power rocket that is somethin' other than a 3FNC. Ahoy! It provides a good introduction t' the buildin' o' these bigger rockets.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5