Brief:
T' best and worst part o' this kit is that it is minimalist. Arrr! When you get the box, arrr, thar are nay a lot o' parts. Ya scallywag! I have it together now and it is probably my favorite rocket in me fleet. This thin' is a tank and it looks great. It is the only rocket I have that might survive comin' in ballistic. That is why I used it on me L2 test.

Construction:
T' parts list

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 Body Tube
• 1 Fin can
• 1 54mm MMT (There is a 38mm or 54mm option at t' time o' purchase.)
• 2 Centerin' Rings
• 1 Bulkhead
• 1 Coupler
• 2 US Army Decals

That's all that comes with t' kit. I like this because it lets me do things my way. All t' parts are fiberglass and VERY strong.

Parts I added:

• 2 Eye loops
• 1 25' section 9/16 tubular nylon
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® shock cord protector (Giant Leap)
• 1 45" Rip stop nylon parachute
• 1 1/4" aircraft plywood centerin' ring.
• 7oz o' nose weight.
• 1 54mm Slimline motor retainer
• 1 54 t' 38mm Slimline adaptor
• 2 ACME Conformal 1/2" launch lugs

I used 5 and 30 minute epoxy for t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Also I used some Elmer's Ultimate Glue in t' fin can and nose weight.

I only have one con with buildin' this rocket. All t' parts fit tight--too tight. Avast! T' inner diameter o' t' fin can varied. You can see ripples in the fiberglass on t' inside. Begad! I had t' do some serious sandin' t' get almost every part t' fit, which I guess is better than too loose but it did require a ton of sanding. Once sanded down, everythin' went together nicely and fit snugly. There is also some additional sandin' you should do: sand t' points you will be gluin' t' add some bite so t' epoxy holds better.

This is a quick buildin' rocket after t' sandin' is done. Aye aye! Arrr! I didn't like the fact that thar were only 2 centerin' rings as I always like 3. I know the fiberglass rings are super strong, me bucko, but they are very thin so me brain started imaginin' them bending. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I added a plywood centerin' rin' I had layin' around, which is probably overkill but what t' heck. Aye aye! I put t' bottom centerin' ring in first and t' middle one in t' fin can also unglued t' keep it centered. Once I had t' lower one epoxied from t' bottom, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I removed t' middle rin' and poured some epoxy in on t' bottom one from inside t' fin can. Well, blow me down! Next, me hearties, I moved up and glued in t' middle plywood rin' 3 inches from t' top o' t' fin can. After that was in place, arrr, I made a good batch and lined t' walls o' t' fin can with epoxy. Begad! Quickly I slid t' coupler in till it sat on top o' t' plywood rin' in t' fin can. Avast! Took a few paper towels t' clean up t' slop. Arrr! Blimey! This dried and I poured in some ultimate glue inside t' coupler on t' points where the Coupler met t' plywood rin' on t' inside. Begad! Begad! This glue expands nicely and is rock solid. Well, me bucko, blow me down! It made a pretty much solid bond which brought t' rin' coupler fin can and MMT together. Nothin' will knock that MMT loose next t' a nuclear bomb. I drilled and placed an eye loop in t' third rin' gluin' t' threads t' hold it. Avast! Aye aye! Then, I glued that last rin' in about 1/4" from t' end o' t' MMT. Lastly, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, I put some epoxy on t' inside o' t' body tube an inch or two from the end and on t' outside o' t' coupler then slid t' BT down on t' rin' and coupler with a nice squishy sound. Avast!

Before I put t' bulkhead in t' nose cone, I wanted t' test t' stability. Chute, me hearties, shock cord, arrr, and a J350 went in and I checked for t' CP. Ya scallywag! I emailed the Performance Rocketry t' ask about t' CP but I never got a response after several weeks. Avast! I punched t' dimensions and materials into Rocsim 8.0 and got the CP, which from t' looks o' this rocket, it feels about right. Blimey! I marked that on t' tube and from t' balance test could tell we needed a little weight in t' nose. Arrr! Blimey! I started droppin' one ounce fishin' weights in t' end till it balanced out. Ahoy! Ahoy! This is where that Ultimate Glue really works. Avast! Aye aye! With t' weights in there, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I dropped in a good amount o' Ultimate Glue and let it dry. Arrr! That stuff expanded right up and over t' weights till they disappeared. Arrr! I love that stuff. Then I glued t' bulkhead in and added an eye loop. Begad!

That is about it for construction. Blimey! Blimey! I didn't add an electronics bay. Ahoy! Loki and Aerotech Js come with delays, and that is what I planned on flyin' in this bad boy. It can easily handle a K, but I have larger rockets for them. There are a few ways I thought t' do it. Aye aye! Blimey! T' nose cone is hollow and could accommodate an electronics bay. Avast, me proud beauty! For dual deployment, me bucko, you could also get another coupler, shiver me timbers, some bulkheads, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and try cuttin' t' tube. Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

Finishing:
T' texture o' t' tube is a bit rough but holds paint well. Arrr! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I put a coat of primer on then a nice dark green. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' decals went on nicely. Ahoy! Blimey! I'm an Army vet, so I love t' look o' this one.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight on this rocket be me L2 cert. Bein' me certification flight, I rechecked everythin' about 50 times before I went t' t' LCO table. Ahoy! Aye aye! I played it safe and loaded a J350 into t' MMT with t' Slimline adapter. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This baby roared off t' pad and flew nice and straight. Avast! Avast! It arched over a bit and t' medium delay popped t' chute very close t' apogee, maybe just a little past. The chute was a bit caught up but eventually deployed close t' ground. Arrr! T' rocket hit t' ground still movin' pretty fast. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Since this was me L2 cert flight, I was a bit worried, but when I got t' t' rocket, me hearties, thar was nothin' but a small scratch in t' paint. I took it t' t' prefect and got me certification paperwork signed. Avast! Well, blow me down! It wasn't perfect but I'll take it.

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

Recovery:
Since this rocket does nay include a recovery system. Blimey! Blimey! I'll pretty much leave this blank. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I will say that t' nose cone fit into body tube is good with just the right amount o' friction.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs:

• T' fin can makes construction very simple
• Nearly indestructible

CONs:

• Customer Service is very spotty.
• Inside diameter o' t' fin can is nay smooth.

If you like doin' it your way and you want a very strong good looking rocket, then this is it. It went together pretty quick and it painted pretty well. I have flown it a few times and it flies straight as an arrow and really rips off t' pad on a J.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5