Brief:

Oversized basic rocket, 24" parachute

Construction:
Three balsa fins, me hearties, slots in t' aft body tube section t' help align them, 36 inches o' tube and a plastic nose cone. Arrr! Uses t' standard paper shock cord mount.

This be me first BETA series rocket, me bucko, and everythin' went together pretty easily. Begad! T' only tools needed are white or yellow glue, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, sandpaper, matey, a pencil, arrr, and a ruler. Avast! Begad! T' two tube couplers are supposed t' go in with 3/4 inch in each tube. Begad! T' rearward one, ya bilge rat, however, stuck in t' aft tube with only 1/4 o' an inch showing. Begad! I need t' be a little more careful with those things. Ya scallywag! I also had a little trouble drawin' t' alignment line for t' launch lugs. Otherwise, t' directions were clear and easy t' follow.

Finishing:
T' rocket is a simple introduction t' spray painting, matey, with only one color over t' whole thing. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is in this section that t' Prowler's one gimmick shows up -- t' decals glow in t' dark. Ahoy! For me first attempt t' spray paint a rocket, me hearties, t' finish was excellent. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' stylin' is better than on a lot o' other Estes kits.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' motors recommended in t' instructions are B4-2, arrr, B6-2, C5-3, ya bilge rat, and C6-3. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't have a C5-3, matey, but I substituted a C6-5. Blimey! Liftoff is loud and slow, ya bilge rat, as is t' be expected for a 4-ounce rocket with C power. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' Estes quote o' 360 feet on a C seems about right.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is attached with t' standard folded-paper mount. Begad! It seems rugged enough, but recovery might be easier with t' Estes logo cut out o' t' middle o' t' parachute. Arrr! Ejection on t' B's, particularly t' B6-2, shiver me timbers, was noticeably early. I was thinkin' o' tryin' it on a B6-4. Avast! Blimey! T' C6-3 was about right; t' 5 was so late that it might nay have worked if we weren't launchin' down a hill. A few tiny holes appeared in t' parachute, me bucko, but I saw no shock cord damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
A great demonstration rocket, ya bilge rat, big, shiver me timbers, me bucko, spectacular, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and low-flying. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! No problem except that t' parachute needs a spill hole, and occasionally smoke was seen comin' from t' grass below t' pad. This is goin' t' be a frequent flyer!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5