Brief:
Rear engine type mini-motor powered boost glider. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Designed t' imitate the appearance o' t' SR-71 spyplane. Ahoy! Blimey!

Construction:
Accordin' t' a note in t' kit, Apogee had a supply problem with t' nose cones. Aye aye! So as t' nay delay delivery any further Apogee vacuformed their own nose cones as a substitute. Ya scallywag! T' note went on t' say that t' vacuformed nose cone probably wasn’t durable enough and nicely included a coupon t' replace it with a proper nose cone for free with me next order. Ya scallywag! More on this in t' flight report. Well, blow me down!

T' kit is simply packaged and t' important little parts are thankfully sealed in separate bags. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A nice thin' I noticed also was that t' kit came with spares for t' little (easily lost) rubber bands that actuate t' elevons. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions are very clear (except for one thing mentioned below) and t' illustrations are excellent. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' first thin' I did was to apply balsa fillercoat t' t' balsa fins while they were still in their sheets. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I do this because I find it easier t' apply t' fillercoat and even sand t' a nice finish while its still safely in one big sheet instead o' a dozen tiny pieces. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Later I round t' edges, usually after its been glued t' the model. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions don’t say t' do it that way, it’s how I like to do it. I’d also like t' take a moment t' advocate t' use o' Sig brand dope and fillercoat. Begad! Blimey! Our hobby shop normally carries only Pactra products, which I hate. Ahoy! Blimey! T' Sig stuff seems t' go on better, provide a nicer finish and the label even tel! Blimey! ls you what kind o' chemistry is compatible (butyrate, nitrate, shiver me timbers, etc...). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' templates in t' kit work well and t' die cuttin' on the balsa was very sharp. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

My only complaint about t' instructions be in step 22. Begad! This regards the placement o' t' rubber band hooks for t' elevons. Avast! Instead o' a drawing, a photograph is used t' illustrate t' installation. Unfortunately, matey, the photograph reproduces almost completely black in t' critical area. Blimey! I scratched my head a while and figured it out, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, but it would be nice if that were changed. I include a picture o' t' area on me model for other builders t' consult. Begad!

Finishing:
Finishin' is straightforward since t' paint scheme can’t get any easier – flat black everywhere! My only reservation in this area be t' lack of decals. Begad! I know a secret spyplane should have no markings, but decals are always the last cool touch t' any model. Begad! Avast! Lets face it, our models spend 99.9% o' their time on t' bookshelf. Begad! They really are displays that fly once in a while. Blimey! On the other hand, ya bilge rat, t' model is a bit on t' small side anyway and frankly looks great. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I made three flights, me hearties, all usin' Estes A10-3T motors. Tim’s micro motors aren’t available in California for some reason. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I would really like t' try one. Ya scallywag! You load a motor into t' boost pod, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, fold up t' boost pod streamer, me hearties, and insert t' pod in t' body o' t' SR-72. Begad! T' pod has tabs that keep t' elevons straight durin' boost. Well, arrr, blow me down! Boost was straight and with an A10 motor this thing really leaps off t' pad. Begad! Waddin' isn’t required. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty!

Recovery:
On each flight, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, right after core ejection t' model went immediately into a flat, me bucko, fast, non-porpoisin' glide. Blimey! I had a friend press t' button while I waited with t' binoculars, me hearties, me hearties, but t' transition took place so fast I didn’t have time t' watch it. Here in t' desert we have mostly dirt and gravel, but there was no damage t' anythin' on any o' t' landings. This is surprising since I expected t' ventral fins t' suffer. Arrr!

I went t' t' launch site that day with several very skeptical model airplane buildin' friends. Ya scallywag! I have t' say we were ALL very impressed with the flight performance o' this model. Begad! Completely reliable and with a remarkably flat, fast glide. I was really expectin' this t' perform like other cool lookin' delta win' rockets, which is t' say I expected it t' fall in a flat attitude instead o' glide. Ya scallywag! I think I owe me success on this model t' two things: light weight and correct c.g. position. Arrr! Here are me weights:

Glider only, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, no paint, ya bilge rat, no ballast: 21.7 gm
Boost pod only, never painted: 8.4 gm
Glider only, painted, ballasted: 26.3 gm

Please look at t' picture I included comparin' me c.g. Avast, me proud beauty! t' t' plans c.g. I did a lot o' tests and me c.g. Begad! ended up about 1” behind t' plans c.g. Begad! You should do your own tests. Ya scallywag! I’m sure Apogee did a lot o' tests and they found t' correct c.g. Avast! Blimey! for them. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Nay much is said in t' plans on how t' test glide a model like this. Blimey! I think this is very important! Grip t' model where the chines meet t' main wing. Begad! Avast! Throw it like a javelin at a 45 deg. Begad! angle as hard as you can. Ya scallywag! There is no other way t' get enough speed or altitude t' get a realistic view o' how it will perform in actual flight! Many attempts are needed t' average out t' effects o' asymmetrically releasin' t' model. Well, blow me down! Check the trim o' t' model. Begad! Avast! If it looks straight but turns hard you are probably not releasin' it smoothly. Avast! Tim’s fear about t' temporary nose cone I got turned out t' be correct. Avast! Ahoy! I replaced mine with a spare balsa cone from Balsa Machinin' Service. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Since it be balsa I could carve a little shovel effect into the nose thereby blendin' in t' windshield a little better. Ahoy! This be slight and may nay be visible in t' photos. Well, blow me down!

Flight Ratin' : 5 out o' 5

Summary :
My main cons are: 1) t' illustration o' elevon hooks, 2) t' need for a more detailed discussion o' how t' test glide t' model, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 3) decals would make a great kit into a classic! Blimey!

T' pros: Overall this is a great kit and a great flier. Tim has done an excellent job o' designin' t' kind o' kits that got me excited about rockets back in t' 70's.

I can't ever say t' name o' this kit without smirking. Avast! I always think of that scene in Spinal Tap where t' amplifier "goes t' eleven". Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's an SR-72. Begad! That's one better now isn't it?

Overall Ratin' : 4 ½ out o' 5