Brief:
P.O.N.G. is a highly-detailed single-stage futuristic sport model offered by Custom Rockets. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! This is an inexpensive kit that packs a lot o' fun, me bucko, arrr, challenge, me bucko, and parts in a small package. Begad! This is a skill level 3 rocket that won't disappoint.

Accordin' t' t' kit label, P.O.N.G. Blimey! is an acronym (er, matey, me hearties, backronym, really) for Protector o' Ninth Galaxy. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! There was no background story included with t' kit, which is too bad really. T' look o' t' kit is intriguing. I would be pretty cool t' have it backed up by a little story.

My finished model weighed 1.2 ounces, me hearties, but t' kit's glossy claims 0.7 ounces. Ahoy! I'm unsure o' where t' additional weight came from... paint, glue, and sandin' sealer?

Construction:
Included with t' kit are:

• 1 instruction sheet, tri-fold, 8.5" x 11"
• 1 standard pin' pong ball
• 2 body tubes, BT-5, 9" long
• 2 body tubes, BT-50, 1.85" long
• 2 tube couplers, BT-5
• 4 centerin' rings, matey, me bucko, fiber, matey, BT-5 t' BT-50
• 2 wooden dowels, 1/8" dia., 6" long
• 2 launch lugs, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 1/8" dia., 1.5" long
• 1 engine block, matey, 13mm
• 1 shock cord, flat elastic, 1/8" wide, me hearties, 17" long
• 1 balsa sheet, die cut fins, 1/16" thick
• 1 streamer, me bucko, pink vinyl, ya bilge rat, 3cm wide x 60cm long
• 1 dummy engine tube, matey, me hearties, 13mm
• 1 reducer shroud sheet, shiver me timbers, printed, light card stock
• 1 decal sheet, pressure-sensitive plastic, nay die-cut
• 1 decal sheet for shroud, arrr, shiver me timbers, adhesive-backed paper, ya bilge rat, nay die-cut

Because I no longer have faith in t' tri-fold shock cord mount when nay protected by a baffle, shiver me timbers, I added t' followin' items for a Keelhaul®©™® and elastic alternative:

• 1 Keelhaul®©™® thread, arrr, 10" long
• 1 shock cord, arrr, round elastic, ya bilge rat, 1/16" dia., 24" long
• 1 cotton thread, crochet-style, arrr, 4" long

T' body tubes have a fairly shallow spiral, shiver me timbers, matey, so they should be easy t' fill.

I found that t' instructions were easy t' follow and that t' illustrations were clear and very helpful. Aye aye! Arrr! The assembly order was logical. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' implement t' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord, arrr, ya bilge rat, I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' engine block just prior t' gluin' in t' engine block.

When gluin' in t' engine block I ran into a snag. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube got stuck in t' body tube, matey, arrr, and I pretty much destroyed t' dummy engine tube when gettin' it out with a pair o' needle-nose pliers. Well, blow me down! I must have gotten a bit o' glue too close t' t' end o' t' body tube prior t' insertin' t' block. Luckily, me bucko, t' main body tube was nay damaged.

In general though, assembly be a lot o' fun... Ya scallywag! Far more engagin' than piecin' together a 3FNC model. Ahoy! Hobby knife skills were important and were well exercised, havin' t' separate t' die-cut fins and centerin' rings, cut t' dowels, cut t' reducer shroud pieces, cut t' shroud decal, and cut t' individual decals from t' pressure-sensitive decal sheet.

There's so much here that you just don't get with plastic laden kits. Arrr! T' paper reducer needed a bit o' patience and skill t' curl just right. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' use o' a separate tab glued t' t' inside edge o' t' shroud's adjoinin' ends made a nice even seam without t' uneven layers you get with a one-piece overlap arrangement.

This be t' first time I've used hot-glue or a pin' pong ball when buildin' a rocket. Blimey! I ran into a snag as I wasn't satisfied with t' alignment o' t' ball's center seam with t' centerin' ring, arrr, and I attempted t' move things around where they were still hot... Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! Bad move. Ya scallywag! T' ball distorted badly where t' glue in contact with t' ball was still hot. Begad! Ya scallywag! I replaced t' ball and tried again. Avast, me proud beauty! I had much better results this time. I had been concerned that t' hot glue wouldn't provide a strong enough joint, but this experience eliminated that concern. Ahoy! Hot glue is very effective in this case.

Overall, construction was interesting, me bucko, fun, and educational. Ahoy! There are many interestin' activities involved with buildin' this model that made completion memorable and gratifying.

Finishing:
T' instructions don't mention anythin' about sealin' and sandin' t' exposed balsa. Avast! I can understand that, since the decals cover most o' t' balsa anyway. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' decals come pretty close t' t' edges o' t' balsa pieces, so you probably don't want t' round balsa edges. I didn't want any grain t' show, shiver me timbers, so I finished t' balsa surfaces with three coats of sandin' sealer, sandin' betwixt coats.

I spray painted with model with a couple o' coats o' last o' me old-style Krylon white primer, matey, sanded, ya bilge rat, and applied a couple o' coats o' white satin.

One thin' t' instructions t' nay address is that in order t' get your model t' look like t' picture included with t' kit, me bucko, you need t' paint t' lower part o' t' upper tube orange. Avast, me proud beauty! Usin' t' kit's picture as a guide, I painted the lower 5" o' t' upper tube with Krylon pumpkin. Oddly enough, t' color matched t' orange o' t' decals perfectly.

Paintin' t' view plate on t' pin' pong ball was an interestin' challenge. T' instructions shows what this should look like. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You are instructed t' mark t' shape with a pencil, matey, but it doesn't tell how t' get t' shape onto the ball accurately. Begad! Blimey! I used a couple o' pieces o' body tube t' get somethin' close, namely a piece o' BT-55 and a piece of BT-50. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I've included some pictures t' give you a step-by-step.

After markin' t' ball, I used a superfine Microbrush t' apply Testors gloss black enamel inside t' lines. Ya scallywag! Begad! I'd never used this technique before. Begad! It works very well with a steady hand, patience, and care.

I painted t' dowels t' same way, ya bilge rat, slippin' maskin' tape betwixt t' body tube and t' dowel t' allow me t' paint the down surfaces facin' t' tube.

There were many, shiver me timbers, many decals t' place. Ahoy! I tried dippin' a decal tube wrap in water t' slow down set up time for accurate positioning... Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Don't do this! It causes t' decals nay t' stick at all. T' kit's picture be adequate for figurin' out what decals go where.

When all decals are in place, shiver me timbers, t' P.O.N.G. Avast, me proud beauty! looks very impressive. T' balsa surfaces are mostly cover by opaque parts o' t' decals. Aye aye! Begad! T' decals applied t' t' BT-5, unfortunately, me bucko, tend t' lift their edges no matter what I try. Blimey! I kinda wish these were thinner, more pliable wet transfer decals instead, shiver me timbers, t' avoid this issue.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are A3-4T and A10-3T. Avast! I tried them both.

P.O.N.G. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! requires some waddin' t' prevent t' vinyl stream from melting. I used some cellulose insulation t' good effect. Begad! Ya scallywag! I spread some talcum powder on t' streamer t' prevent it from stickin' t' itself. Ahoy! Begad! It was tricky rollin' the 24" streamer tight enough t' fit into t' BT-5 tube so that it would slide out easily. Arrr! I might cut t' streamer down a bit in future t' address this issue.

There is no motor retention in this design, so motors have t' be friction fit by wrappin' bits o' maskin' tape around t' motor t' make a snug fit. Arrr! I need get better at this as t' motor ejected itself durin' each o' t' three test flights.

I used an A3-4T for t' first flight, as recommended in t' instructions. Avast! Arrr! Boost and coast be very straight and of moderate height with no noticeable spin. It definitely flies like a long rocket, smooth and without wobble. Begad! P.O.N.G. arced past apogee and with nose down, deployed t' streamer perfectly. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! P.O.N.G. Avast, me proud beauty! landed gently in t' grass field. Well, blow me down! Begad! Upon recovery, I noticed that t' motor must have been kicked out at deployment.

I used an A10-3T for t' second flight. Avast! Boost be noticeably faster. Ahoy! Coast was again very straight, shiver me timbers, but the height was noticeably lower. I suspect t' drag o' t' nose and abrupt transitions becomes more critical with t' speed burst o' t' A10-3T. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' slower, gentler A3-4T is a better match. Begad! P.O.N.G. Well, blow me down! Arrr! arced past apogee and deployed t' streamer with nose down. Aye aye! Another gentle recovery, shiver me timbers, and t' motor had been kicked out again.

I used a A3-4T for t' third flight. Blimey! I got t' a nice moderate height after smooth, straight boost and coast. Deployment happened with nose down, but t' streamer didn't come out. P.O.N.G. Well, blow me down! Arrr! landed in t' grass without damage. Avast! I found that t' cellulose waddin' had jammed up in t' tube. Avast! T' motor kicked out before t' streamer could deploy.

Recovery:
T' standard P.O.N.G. is kitted with a 24" elastic and a couple o' tri-fold shock cord mounts. Arrr! I did nay use these, me bucko, favorin' a Keelhaul®©™® cord with a round elastic. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® cord and elastic were very easy t' install durin' construction, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, and seemed t' work well in flight.

After three flights, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' streamer is undamaged. Well, blow me down! Begad! When t' streamer deployed, it seemed t' do an effective job of slowin' descent and bein' seen durin' descent and on t' ground. Ahoy! Avast! P.O.N.G. survived three flights with no damage.

Havin' t' rely on friction fit motors nay bein' kicked out is an issue. Arrr! I guess I've got t' figure out how best to tape t' motors in there. Begad! Some sort o' motor retention device would be a welcome addition.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
P.O.N.G. Well, me hearties, blow me down! is a fun rocket t' build, finish, shiver me timbers, and fly. This is a skill level 3 kit. Blimey! I agree with that due t' t' number of parts, variety o' construction activities, me hearties, and finishin' details. It's a nice looking, attention gettin' model when its all built, shiver me timbers, and it flies very well. Arrr! And when you look at t' price tag, matey, wow! Big bang for t' buck!

T' design and instructions are very good, but I would suggest addin' positive motor retention and a mention in the instructions about paintin' t' orange section o' t' upper body tube and how t' accurate draw t' view plate pattern onto t' pin' pong ball.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5