Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Ya scallywag! This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which be packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, three 24mm motor mount tubes, shiver me timbers, fiberboard centerin' rings, arrr, three motor retention hooks, shiver me timbers, one PVC nose cone, me bucko, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, and an eye bolt and nut. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, matey, as be t' parachute.

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, shiver me timbers, were all very straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Ya scallywag! T' three motor mount tubes, arrr, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, me bucko, matey, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. Aye aye! T' unit was then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Aye aye! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Arrr! T' t' remainin' material, me bucko, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Here's where I got a bit skittish. I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, shiver me timbers, but I strengthened this setup. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, shiver me timbers, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, me hearties, one that I had nay used before. Blimey! Avast! And frankly, me bucko, I don't know that I'd use again. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' method was really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Ahoy! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, leading, shiver me timbers, tip chord, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, me hearties, matey, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Ya scallywag! OK, matey, OK, matey, maybe it's just me... T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, arrr, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, me bucko, arrr, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Avast! Also, arrr, me hearties, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! So, matey, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Begad! Ahoy! That combined with t' white body tube, ya bilge rat, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Avast, me proud beauty! As one would expect, t' liftoff was slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! But it did, shiver me timbers, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Ya scallywag! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Blimey! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, smooth, arrr, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, shiver me timbers, anyway) altitude. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Again, deployment was right at apogee. Begad! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! However, ya bilge rat, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Given t' size o' this model, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, ya bilge rat, matey, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, shiver me timbers, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, no Junior, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you're missin' t' point. Ya scallywag! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, ya bilge rat, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Begad! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, but I have t' admit, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Ya scallywag! T' tubes, nose cone, motor mount tubes, matey, and hooks are all first rate quality, matey, as are t' parachute and shock cord. And yes, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. Ahoy! If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Ya scallywag! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5