Brief:
T' Star Watcher is one o' 4 new Sunward designs and it is a break from their typical flyin' fighter jet design with a definite outer space look t' it. Aye aye! It's a quick and simple build and a nice diversion from t' basic 3-fin/nose cone kits crowdin' t' market.

Construction:
I actually received two copies o' this kit for review and t' one I built had an extra baggy o' parts (centerin' rings, streamer, motor mount components). I'm usually missin' stuff, nay gettin' extra, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, so I definitely won't complain about this.

T' parts are all very good quality and include:

• 1 8" BT-56 body tube
• 1 Plastic nose cone with a cast in cockpit
• 5 1/8" launch lugs
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• 18m motor mount assembly

As Sunward is a Canadian company, arrr, t' instructions are in both English and French. Blimey! I won't vouch for t' French version, but t' English version worked fine for me and t' illustrations were very good.

T' motor assembly be t' basic tube with a pair o' centerin' rings and a 13/18 centerin' rin' block. Blimey! Ahoy! One unusual aspect o' Sunward kits is their motor retention method. Aye aye! Instead o' a metal clip, they use an L-shaped bolt which is glued into t' aft centerin' ring. Blimey! Ahoy! Even after t' glue sets, me bucko, it can be turned a bit and when turned inward secures t' motor.

The instructions call out two options for fin mounting: regular 90-degree orientation and an X-win' pattern. T' X-win' pattern looks pretty cool and I will build that version with kit #2. Arrr! Ya scallywag! (I will post a comment t' this review with feedback.) Unfortunately, matey, thar was no tube markin' guide for t' X-pattern. There is a warnin' t' add nose weight if usin' that option, matey, but thar are no guidelines for how much t' add or where t' target CG should be. There is a section explainin' how t' perform a strin' test for stability although I'd suggest makin' a fairly clear dimensional reference for CG placement.

I would like t' point out some excellent customer service at this point: after readin' me comments on t' lack o' X-win' pattern, me hearties, Sunward developed one and will be addin' it t' all kits. Aye aye! On top o' that, I be t' lucky recipient of one o' their kits from EMRR's Virtual Longneck contest and found t' new X-wing pattern added t' me prize package shipment.

Fin attachment on Sunward kits is also a bit unusual. Blimey! After tackin' on t' fins, instead o' glue fillets, me hearties, ya bilge rat, they call out paper reinforcement tabs. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! These work fine but personally I prefer t' visual appearance o' fillets over t' paper tabs.

T' fins/wings also get launch lug tubes bonded on t' ends for trim. Arrr! There were no specific suggestions for alignment as t' lugs are longer than t' fin, so I set mine back about half an inch, bein' careful t' space them evenly from fin t' fin so that they wouldn't be crooked when standin' t' rocket on end.

Recovery consists o' a rubber shock cord anchored with paper tri-fold and an orange plastic 1" x 40" streamer.

Finishing:
Finishin' is left up t' t' builder's imagination on this one. Arrr! T' bag's header card shows a black finish with a splash o' red trim. Blimey! There are no decals, so this would be a bit tricky t' emulate with paint. Begad! Instead I went with a royal blue base and applied some red pinstripe tape I had layin' around. Avast! Blimey! I then hand painted t' cockpit gloss black.T' finished look wasn't too bad.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on a chilly day with relatively light winds (6-8 mph is great for Ohio in March). Aye aye! I opted for a B4-4. Begad! Avast! Other than a slight weathercock, it flew very well, shiver me timbers, straight, shiver me timbers, and a little slow.

Deployment was a bit late but close enough t' apogee as t' be t' right delay.

Recovery:
T' shock cord was plenty long and avoided any snap back. T' streamer deployed fine and was easy t' spot against t' overcast sky, matey, me bucko, but a 1x40 streamer doesn't really slow down t' decent o' a 2 ounce rocket much. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This came down quickly, practically a tumble recovery, matey, and landed fairly hard on soft, wet grass. Fortunately thar was no damage although on a drier day I suspect I'd have been replacin' at least one or two o' t' trim lugs. Well, blow me down! I will definitely be switching to a 12" chute for future flights.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very nice kit for t' money, and a solid flyer.

PROs: unusual design, matey, nice lookin' nose cone, very "spacey".

CONs: streamer recovery insufficient, me bucko, lack o' accent decals.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5