Brief: Single-staged HPR rocket, me hearties, built for Level 2 certification. Arrr! Piston-deployed parachute recovery. Aye aye! No payload capability in kit form. Ahoy! Avast!

Construction: T' parts were all thar and in excellent condition. T' Pterodactyl is actually a fairly basic HPR kit, me bucko, except for t' fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! So the parts consisted o' main airframe, six G10 fin components, motor tube, 3 centerin' rings, nose cone, me hearties, and piston assembly. Avast! Blimey!

Instructions were surprisingly good; complete and accurate. Construction gave me very few "huh?" moments. Fit o' all parts be dead on. Aye aye!

T' kit does contain one massive 'gotcha', and one 'I wish I'd thought of this before I bought this !@#$! kit factor. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Both involve t' fins: one in construction, one in finishing. Begad!

Each fin is two-piece. Blimey! T' main section (rear) is a conventional double-swept design that has a tab extendin' through t' airframe slot t' the motor tube. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' front section is a design accent which extends along the airframe and dwindles t' a point. This section is only tabbed in its rear, about 1/3 o' its length. Blimey! T' two sections fit together perfectly; PML really did a nice job. BUT...Gettin' them perfectly aligned so that they look like one fin is a real challenge. Avast! and while you're obsessin' about that, me bucko, you'll find that t' untabbed part o' t' forward fin (the point) is warping. Ahoy! Arrr! I ended up havin' t' tape t' front part o' t' forward fins down, so that they'd epoxy on straight. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' kit doesn't come with any method o' motor retention. Aye aye! I bought an Aero-pac retainin' rin' set before beginnin' construction. Avast! Begad!

Finishing: When you've got t' fins all glued on and t' fillets cured, me hearties, you'll learn that you've just committed yourself t' sandin' more than 18' (that's feet, shiver me timbers, nay inches) o' fin fillets. That's right, matey, t' fins extend more than half t' rocket's length, and thar are three o' them, me hearties, which makes six o' t' longest damn epoxy fillets you've ever seen. Aye aye! If you're like me, you'll soon wonder why this rocket looked so good in t' catalogue. Aye aye! Arrr! I did it by hand. My doctor says that with therapy I might someday resume a nearly normal life. Well, blow me down!

I also didn't consider before-hand how one goes about paintin' a rocket that's half as big as a car. Ya scallywag! I ended up buildin' an impromptu paint booth in me garage (plastic stapled t' roof trusses). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It's nay me best paint job. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Next time I find an auto painter.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight: My rocket, which I built for me L2 certification, matey, launched on a K550. Blimey! Blimey!

T' rocket preps very easily. Blimey! T' piston needs t' move smoothly but not sloppily in t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! No waddin' is needed. I got rid o' t' elastic band that came with t' kit and used 1/4" bungee. Begad! T' parachute is more than twice as big as I'm used to, shiver me timbers, so I had t' clear off me prep table t' fold it. Aye aye!

T' Aero-pac retention system I built on t' rocket makes motor retention as simple as imaginable. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Just slide t' motor in and spin t' rin' on.

All those fins provide a rocket with barely one-caliber stability. I didn't add any nose weight, and I spent a lot o' time thinkin' about that while waitin' for me turn t' launch. Even at 6.5', this is a very squat-looking rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! But it flew straight and true. Avast! Blimey! I loved it! Blimey!

Recovery: Parachute, PML kits come with elastic bands which they insist are adequate and which I always discard. Maybe I'm paranoid. Avast! Well, blow me down! I used 1/4" bungee, and with all t' separations I've watched at ROC launches lately I'm movin' t' Keelhaul®©™®. Blimey! Aye aye!

T' 6' parachute brings t' rocket down too smartly for playa clay. It's probably just right for a softer, smaller field. Begad! Ya scallywag! I notice that even PML has come out and said that they'll spec a bigger chute in kits purchased for desert landings, arrr, but they did this after I bought me Pterodactyl. T' nose cone (fiberglass) weighs 2.5 pounds. Next time I'll brin' it down with its own 30" chute and let t' main airframe have t' 78" chute. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary: This is nay a beginner's kit, ya bilge rat, because o' t' fin construction. Ahoy! Because t' rocket is so heavy and t' phenolic is so brittle, you have t' be VERY careful about bouncin' it off t' floor. Aye aye! Ask me how I know.

If I were doin' it again, I'd make two modification; I'd stretch it with enough payload space for an altimeter (may still do this) and I'd get custom centerin' rings that would let me cluster 29mm motors with t' central 54mm. (then I'd add nose weight). This is a great rocket for guys who like big heavy birds that look fantastic in flight but don't go out o' sight.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5