Brief:
Aerotech's 4", G-powered, parachute recovered rocket usin' their proprietary LABYRINTH ejection baffle system.

Construction:
Pros: Big (for Aerotech) Easy t' build, shiver me timbers, me hearties, very nice flyer
Cons: Limited recommended motor range. Well, blow me down! Very thin fins. Ya scallywag! Begad! Pricy.

Bein' me first 4" kit, me first impression was WOW! Blimey! There's somethin' very nice about bein' able t' get your hands into t' airframe t' work. All t' parts listed in t' instructions were present, ya bilge rat, even an extra centerin' ring. Everythin' fit nicely with t' possible exception o' a very tight tube couple. Begad! Blimey! A little sandin' brought that little annoyance into line.

A few basics about t' kit: It has two 4" tubes. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' tubes are fairly sturdy and t' spirals are pretty shallow. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' coupler fit nicely (if nay a little too snug). T' nose cone is an old plastic ACE nose cone. Ahoy! It has two standard Aerotech 3/16" square plastic lugs. Begad! 1/4" lugs would have been nice and probably should be upgraded. Nay really sure what t' centerin' rings are made from. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Aerotech has their own name for t' material, but they feel like a partial/slate composite. Ya scallywag! Begad! They are very sturdy. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' elastic shock cord is about 12' long. Well, blow me down! I was a little concerned about it bein' elastic, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but it worked without a hitch. Aye aye! T' shock cord attaches t' t' top o' t' Labyrinth baffle like all t' other Aerotech kits and t' other end attaches t' an eye hook in t' bulkhead in t' upper section.

T' instruction were clear and concise for t' most part. (although a couple o' times I had t' re-read a step t' make sure I understood what they were talkin' about. Ya scallywag! They had clear illustrations for most t' steps that made it very clear from a visual stand point. Ya scallywag! I didn't use any new construction techniques with this rocket that I haven't done before with t' exception o' only usin' epoxy. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't bother usin' CA in areas that they said t' use it. Blimey! System 3 epoxy worked fantastic.

As designed, on G motors, flights were a lot o' fun! Slow take off and low altitude are a lot o' fun for me so flyin' this rocket on G's be a blast. Arrr! I realized very early on that I didn't want t' limit this bird t' only G motors. Ahoy! I decided that this was also goin' t' be me cert rocketry t' qualify level 1. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Modifications were goin' t' have t' be made. Well, blow me down! I used t' "bonus" centerin' rin' t' add Kaplow Klips and left out t' motor clip and motor block. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I used only System3 epoxy t' glue everythin' (quite liberally I might add). Avast! I will also glass t' pathetically thin fins for t' H and above flights.

Finishing:
Mine is nay finished yet, but I wanted a unique look, ya bilge rat, so I am nay goin' t' go with t' recommended paint and decal scheme. Blimey! T' decals are t' usual self adhesive decals that AT uses on all their kits.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Built stock, shiver me timbers, it flies only on G's, arrr, but it fly's as designed on them rather well. Well, blow me down! I have only flown mine on G64-4's so far and have nay had a single problem. It was very stable, even in high winds (20mph). Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! No weather-cockin' at all, matey, no conin' or spiraling, me hearties, no problems at all. In fact, shiver me timbers, me bucko, in t' 20mph+ winds, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it didn't cock into t' wind at all. Begad! T' wind actually gently pushed it. Begad! Begad! On t' video tape, arrr, t' only effect o' wind you see be t' smoke from t' motor goin' smartly down range. Ahoy! Begad! T' rocket didn't even seem t' notice it at all.

5/00 Update:I successfully used t' G-Force in this review (with some modifications) t' get me Level 1 certification. It was fairly heavy when I was done modifyin' it (4lbs fully loaded), but flew perfectly on an H128. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Cannonball Works RRc2 told me it hit 666 feet on a gusty and pretty windy day.

Recovery:
AT used their ever-popular "boin' cord" shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It worked well even though I was concerned. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I will modify it even further by addin' bunched up tubular nylon around t' elastic for insurance. T' 36" parachute brought it down rather slowly. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Blimey! In t' high winds, I had about a 3/4 mile walk t' retrieve it.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
When built stock, arrr, arrr, this is a really fun bird t' build and fly. Arrr! Avast! It has one really bad drawback that kept it's overall ratin' down in me eyes. Ahoy! It's price. If t' cash doesn't matter t' you, me hearties, then this is a great rocket t' have in your collection, but keep in mind that it's nay "the only fish in t' sea".

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5