Photos courtesy o' DG&A  

Brief:
Anyone heard o' BSD? Well this kit is equal t' t' quality o' that now popular company. Ya scallywag! Danny Cantu, t' owner, has designed a line somewhat challengin' t' build and extremely fun t' fly kits, from t' 29mm Predator up t' t' special edition limited production Armageddon and Sonic Blast (3 K1100's no problem). Begad! Blimey! This kit is designed for a 38mm I161-J570. It has standard parachute deployment on t' main body and t' sustainer section as well. Avast, me proud beauty! This is a solid kit with clearly illustrated directions with pictures and t' most important thin' o' all, shiver me timbers, Danny's phone number if you have problems. I have opted t' make a few modifications in t' kit from normal, me bucko, but really does nay effect t' overall design.

Construction:
This is a 4 inch kit that comes with a parts list o' t' main components. Aye aye! They are t' 34" booster tube, arrr, 24" airframe tube, matey, 10" payload bay, and 34" 38 mm motor tube. Blimey! Avast! I extended t' motor mount due t' me recovery design. Well, blow me down! It has a 4 inch nose cone. Ahoy! It also comes with t' main fins, upper canard fins, ya bilge rat, 4 centerin' rings, 1 bulkhead, 8 nozzle fins and 8 win' supports. Ya scallywag! All are 1/4 inch plywood, me bucko, very beefy. Begad! Ahoy! This kit has a shock cord strap which you attach t' shock cord to, me bucko, and has t' hardware for t' standard eyebolt attachments. Avast, me proud beauty! It also comes with 1/2" launch lugs, me bucko, but I have opted t' use rail guides instead, since I have a rail.

T' instructions are very easy t' follow with pictures. Arrr! Aye aye! T' only gotcha I found was t' parachute attachment method. I did nay quite understand t' directions. Avast! I am incorporatin' Stu Barrets' anti-zipper design, me bucko, so I have me own plans. Go t' InfoCentral at ROL under construction and you will see Stu's article on this. Begad! I also added tubular nylon for t' shock cord, about 18 feet o' it. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! All I had t' add t' t' kit for this was 1 extra coupler and 1 extra 12" payload section I got with t' kit from Danny. T' assembly directions are straight forward. Lots o' sandin' on those huge wings. Avast! Danny includes pre-marked tubes for t' fins and alignment guides, me hearties, plus a wrap around win' guide for t' nozzle. Avast! Ya scallywag! This kit is extremely sturdy and constructed o' high grade components. Aye aye! I opted only t' fiberglass t' payload section, ya bilge rat, me hearties, just for a little added strength. I used t' basic 30 minute epoxy from me hobby store. Begad! You can use 5 minute epoxy on a few steps, but I prefer t' stronger 30 minute.

Finishing:
T' fins require some fillin' in t' grain, and since they are so big, I used Duplicolor auto paint. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Epoxy primer would be better, but I don't have a spray gun. Begad! Kilz also works good too. Arrr! Those fins have over 16' o' fillets, matey, go slow and get them right. Makes PML's Pterodactyl look like a baby on fillets. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I chose t' bevel t' fins somewhat. Ahoy! Aye aye! This kit should fly great even in a little wind with those big fillets. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Very nice lookin' rocket! This kit comes with its own decals. Blimey! This kit has a basic 2 color paint scheme but you can design your own if you wish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This kit goes great on I161's. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I estimate about 1200-1500 feet. I use 1 chute with t' long shock cord. I use me PML 55 inch chute I have, arrr, works great, arrr, settles it down softly. Begad! Danny's 2 parachutes that are included in t' kit will work great also. Begad! I added blind nuts t' t' aft centerin' ring, arrr, matey, just in front o' t' nozzle. Avast! I use extra long screws t' screw into them, and cover t' screw with a pre-cut launch lug so I know how far t' screw needs t' go in. Avast! Do this before you glue t' motor mount into t' main tube. Blimey! Avast! Positive motor retention works.

Recovery:
I used medium delays for t' lower flights, shiver me timbers, and plan t' use long delay's on t' J350 or J570 flights. Begad! Begad! T' fins are plywood, ya bilge rat, but a little layer o' glass on t' edges may help. Blimey! If it needs that, me bucko, I will make t' edges a different color t' set it off. Avast! Wind does nay effect those big fins.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO-strong kit, good for t' middle experience modeler, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, people who have nay had t' cut tubes for fin placement may get a little lost, me bucko, but t' great directions will tell you how t' do it right. Avast! Nice big fins, me hearties, great futuristic lookin' rocket. Begad! Ahoy! CON-I would switch t' birch plywood t' increase t' ease o' finishin' t' fins.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5