Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Blimey! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

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

T' kit instructions, ya bilge rat, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. Blimey! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. Ahoy! T' unit be then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Blimey! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Begad! Arrr! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Avast! Begad! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. T' t' remainin' material, me bucko, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Ya scallywag! Begad! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Aye aye! Begad! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, but I strengthened this setup. Arrr! 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, ya bilge rat, matey, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, me bucko, me bucko, one that I had nay used before. Well, blow me down! And frankly, matey, I don't know that I'd use again. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' method was really very simple, arrr, matey, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Well, blow me down! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, matey, leading, tip chord, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, and no matter how much you try, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Ahoy! OK, OK, matey, arrr, arrr, maybe it's just me... Avast! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, me hearties, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Also, 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. So, arrr, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, arrr, a light blue band over a navy blue one. That combined with t' white body tube, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Arrr! Blimey! (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. Well, blow me down! As one would expect, t' liftoff be slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. Arrr! Begad! But it did, arrr, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Blimey! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, me hearties, smooth, arrr, matey, arrr, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, anyway) altitude. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Again, deployment be right at apogee. Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. However, shiver me timbers, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Ahoy! Given t' size o' this model, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, shiver me timbers, 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, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, arrr, no Junior, shiver me timbers, you're missin' t' point. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, arrr, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Aye aye! T' tubes, shiver me timbers, matey, nose cone, motor mount tubes, and hooks are all first rate quality, me bucko, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Avast! And yes, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5