Brief:
T' Standard Rockets Assembly Tool is a fin alignment and attachment jig for low t' mid power rockets. T' tool consists o' a stainless steel 8" square base, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, four stainless steel fin plates, three sets o' strong magnets, and two 3/8" wood dowels. Blimey! T' device is used with printed templates for different fin thicknesses and configurations to attach fins t' a body tube. Ya scallywag! T' templates do nay come with t' device but are available on the Standard Rockets web site. Avast, me proud beauty! At t' time I initiated this review thar was only one template available t' attach four 1/16" thick fins t' a body tube. Arrr! Additional templates have since been posted.

Construction:
T' tool includes:

• 8" square, me hearties, 3/4" thick base made o' 16-gauge stainless steel.
• 4 fin plates o' 16-gauge stainless steel with 4 small magnets attached at t' bottom
• 4 strong circular magnets in wooden holders
• 4 strong rectangular magnets (0.25" x 0.5")
• 4 strong circular magnets with protrudin' screws
• 1 3/8" wood dowel, 2" in length
• 1 3/8" wood dowel, 6" in length

T' essential idea o' t' Assembly Tool is t' position t' body tube vertical and centered on t' stainless steal base plate. Then, by use o' t' fin plates, magnets, and a fin alignment template, align and glue fins t' a rocket body tube. Specifically, me hearties, me bucko, one o' t' 3/8" dowels is inserted into a spent 13mm engine. Aye aye! Blimey! T' spent engine is inserted into the engine mount o' t' rocket body tube and t' dowel is inserted into t' hole o' t' base plate thus holdin' the body tube in a vertical position. Arrr! Blimey! For rockets usin' an 18mm engine, t' 13mm engine is inserted into a spent 18mm engine. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! For 24mm engines, t' 18mm engine is inserted into a spent 24mm engine. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once t' body tube is standin' upright on t' base plate, t' fin plates are then aligned on t' fin template, which has been previously taped t' t' base. T' fin plates stay in place via strong magnets that are attached t' t' bottom o' their base. Avast! Blimey! T' fins are held onto the fin plates and pressed up against t' body tube via another set o' strong magnets.

I used t' Assembly Tool first on a Quest Big Betty that I had won as a door prize at NARCON 2009. T' Big Betty has three 1/8" balsa fins. Ya scallywag! Since thar be only t' four 1/16" fin template available at t' time, me bucko, matey, I emailed Lyle Merdin o' Standard Rockets and he emailed me t' three-fin template t' next day. Well, blow me down! I taped t' template t' t' top of t' base, inserted t' dowel/18mm engine assembly into t' engine mount o' t' Big Betty and inserted t' dowel into the center hole o' t' base. T' dowel did nay fit snug and square into t' hole o' t' base (more on this later) and my Big Betty body tube was wobbly and leanin' t' one side. Avast, me proud beauty! I rectified this by pushin' t' four fin plates up against the body tube o' t' Big Betty. Begad! This kept t' body tube rigid and perpendicular. Arrr! Begad! I put a bead o' yellow glue on the root edge o' t' three fins and let stand for five minutes. Ahoy! I then placed t' fins on t' fin plates, pushed them up against t' body tube and held them in place usin' t' circular magnets. Begad! I also used t' small rectangular magnets to press t' fins up against t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! Lookin' side-on and top-down t' fins looked great and I let everythin' dry overnight. Blimey! Everythin' wasn't so great t' next day as I found that I had glued t' fin plates t' both t' body tube and the fins. Fortunately I was able t' pry t' fin plates off o' t' body tube and fins with minor damage that was repairable.

My next use o' t' Assembly Tool was with a Semroc Bat-Roc that we had purchased also at NARCON 2009. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Bat-Roc has two sets o' 1/16" balsa batwin' fins--four small fins that attach to t' top o' a 9" long body tube and four larger fins that attach t' t' bottom end o' t' same body tube. The rocket was bein' constructed by a 12-year-old rocketeer who attached t' upper fins t' 'normal' way. I used the Assembly Tool t' attach t' four lower fins. T' dowel/18mm engine assembly be inserted into t' engine mount o' the Bat-Roc, shiver me timbers, which in fact is its body tube since this is a minimal diameter rocket, matey, me bucko, and t' dowel was inserted into the hole o' t' base. Earlier I had emailed Lyle about t' wobble and he suggested t' use o' maskin' tape around t' dowel to make a tighter fit. I did that and it helped a bit but did nay solve t' problem completely. I aligned t' fin plates on t' four 1/16" fin template and placed t' fin plates about 1/4" from t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! Glue was applied t' t' four lower bat fins and let set for five minutes. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' fins were then held onto t' fin plates and up against t' body tube with t' circular magnets, makin' sure t' body tube be straight and fins properly aligned (by viewin' from above and side). Ya scallywag! Blimey! I did nay use t' rectangular magnets this time. A note o' caution, me bucko, t' magnets are very strong and with 1/16" balsa fins, it would be very easy t' snap one as t' magnets are bein' applied. It is important t' have t' fins sit flat on t' fin plate before t' magnets are applied. T' next day I pulled everything apart without any problems and t' fins were on nice and straight. Aye aye! Blimey!

T' third use was with t' commemorative rocket o' NARCON 2009, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' FlisKits Nantucket Sound. Begad! (With these three rockets along with a few others, ya bilge rat, several engines, shiver me timbers, a launch controller, matey, me bucko, me bucko, this Assembly Tool, shiver me timbers, and pair o' rocket ear rings, me bucko, me hearties, we certainly did our part for economic stimulation!.) T' Nantucket Sound is a 24mm engine rocket with a wide and tapered 'body tube' made from a shroud and has four 1/8" balsa fins. Well, blow me down! At this point there was still only one fin template available so I made me own four 1/8" fin template usin' t' four 1/16" fin template as a guide and Canvas 8 drawin' application. Blimey! I printed t' new fin pattern and taped it t' t' base. Begad! Aye aye! I still needed tape around t' dowel t' give a tight fit. Begad! Aye aye! I then aligned t' fin plates on t' template and placed them about 1/4" from t' body shroud. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Since t' shroud o' t' Nantucket Sound already has fin placement markings, this made alignment somewhat easier (or more difficult, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, I'm nay sure). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! My alignment template did nay match t' markings on the shroud exactly but came pretty close and on a couple o' t' fins I shifted t' fin plate t' align t' fins with the shroud markings. Avast! There are balsa fin supports behind t' fin markings on t' shroud and I wanted t' fins t' have these supports behind them. Begad! Once t' fins were glued on, everythin' looked good from side-on and from top-down. Well, blow me down! T' next day I took it all down without any problems and t' fins again were on nice and straight.

It was at this point that I emailed me review t' Lyle as a courtesy and he saw what me 'wobble' problem was. Ahoy! A small brass collar that was soldered onto t' bottom o' t' base had come loose durin' shipment. Avast, me proud beauty! Its purpose was to give t' dowel extra support, keepin' it snug and perpendicular t' t' base. Ahoy! Arrr! Its absence resulted in me wobble problem. I had seen t' collar but thought it had another use. T' collar fit perfectly into a spent 18mm engine and I had thought its purpose was t' replace t' use o' a 13mm engine. Begad! And in fact that is how I had been usin' it. I think this points out t' advantage o' includin' a parts list and illustrated instructions with any kit or tool. Ya scallywag! Anyway, Lyle sent me a new base with a brass collar firmly attached t' t' underside and I gave t' Assembly Tool two more tries. Blimey! (Along with t' replacement base came four additional circular magnets with 1/2" screws protruding. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I was told by Lyle that these will now come standard with t' Assembly Tool.) Lyle also emailed me a complete set o' four fin templates.

T' first attempt with t' new base be with a Custom Rockets Elite egg lofter. Begad! This is a simple rocket that uses a BT-20 body tube and 3 small 1/16" fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! This time t' body tube fit very snuggly and upright on t' base. Avast! Arrr! The fins were aligned usin' a three 1/16" fin markin' template I made (usin' t' three 1/8" markin' template as a guide and Canvas 8). Ahoy! T' fin plates were aligned, me bucko, placed about 1/4" from t' body tube, me bucko, and fins glued t' the tube. Well, blow me down! T' next day everythin' came apart easily and t' fins were on nice and straight.

T' final use was with a FlisKits Richter Recker. T' Richter Recker comes as a three 24mm engine cluster, but I was modifyin' mine t' accept both t' cluster and a single 29mm engine (see EMRR Richter Recker review by Jason Toft). To create a dowel/engine assembly for t' 29mm engine mount, shiver me timbers, I wrapped cardboard from a paper towel tube around a spent 24mm engine, shiver me timbers, arrr, glued it in place with CA and then wrapped that with maskin' tape until it fit snuggly into t' 29mm engine mount. Begad! T' short 3/8" dowel was inserted into an 18mm engine and this was inserted into t' modified 24mm engine. Well, blow me down! Begad! This dowel/engine assembly was inserted into t' 29mm engine mount that was already in t' bottom BT-70 tube of the Richter Recker. Finally, t' dowel be inserted into t' base o' t' Assembly Tool. Ahoy! T' Richter Recker uses four 3/16" fins. A template for four 3/16" fins be in t' set that Lyle had emailed me earlier. Ahoy! T' fins were attached as described above. Everythin' worked well and I was very happy with how t' fins came out.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros: T' Assembly Tool is easy t' use and easily adaptable t' most single engine rockets usin' 13mm, 18mm, 24mm, shiver me timbers, and even 29mm engines. And I would think it could be modified t' handle larger size engines as well. Begad! T' adaptability is due t' t' use o' a flat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, free-form base, arrr, arrr, strong magnets, and printed templates that can be modified as needed. However, arrr, t' free form nature also means that care must be taken in drawin' t' template, me bucko, attachin' it t' t' base, arrr, and alignin' t' fin plates on it. Ya scallywag! On t' five rockets I have used t' Assembly Tool with so far, thar was slight error in the placement in all cases. None came out perfect, but this was due t' me alignin' abilities and nay a fault o' the templates or tool itself. Avast, me proud beauty! And even though t' alignment was nay perfect, it was a darn sight better than what I have done in t' past. Blimey! T' tool is small and easy t' store--another pro. T' price is also a pro. Avast! At $50.00, shiver me timbers, this is one of the cheaper, if nay cheapest commercial tool t' align and attach fins that I've seen. A price that with t' dozen or so rockets per year that I construct or help construct, I could easily justify.

Customer service falls somewhere in betwixt a pro and a con. Avast! T' first few email messages I sent Lyle were answered within 24 hours and he emailed me t' three-fin template also within 24 hours. However, after that I did not receive a reply t' other emails I sent nor t' me request for a four 1/8" fin template (and so I made me own for use on t' Nantucket Sound). Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! However, shiver me timbers, Lyle offered and sent a replacement base as soon as he noticed that t' original base was defective.

Cons: T' only limitation I see is with rockets that utilize engine clusters (canted or straight), non-standard fins (e.g. tube fins) or non-standard fin configurations. Ya scallywag! Begad! I don't think it would be impossible t' use t' Assembly Tool under these conditions but it could be a challenge. Avast! Blimey! Another con be t' lack o' instructions. T' kit arrived with no instructions or component parts list. A good set o' illustrated instructions is needed. Ahoy! As o' this writing, me bucko, thar be a complete set o' both 4-fin and 3-fin templates on t' Standard Rockets web site but nay much else.

Still, me hearties, I'm very tempted t' give t' Assembly Tool an overall ratin' o' 5/5 because it is well designed, arrr, versatile and well built. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I really do like it and think it is well worth t' price. Begad! However, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' lack o' instructions, me bucko, parts list, shiver me timbers, and mediocre web site necessitates somethin' less. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For now, I'll rate t' Assembly Tool a 4/5. Begad! Once these items are remedied, arrr, it will rate a 5/5.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5