Brief:
Layne Pemberton contacted me, after a recommendation from Don Magness of Squirrel Works Model Rockets, me hearties, t' beta test his "Bucky" rocket. Arrr! Well, what could I say but, "Heck yeah!" This be t' first release o' three very nice lookin' rockets upcomin' in t' growin' fleet o' rockets available from PemTech. If you're lookin' for somethin' a little different, forget it. This kit, shiver me timbers, like all o' t' kits from Pemberton Technologies, arrr, is a lot different! Layne has done a superb job o' capturin' t' magic o' Sci-Fi in this 3" diameter 29mm rocket, me bucko, and it is provided at a very reasonable price.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• 3" LOC kraft angle-cut tube
• 8 18mm exhaust tubes
• 3 1/8" ply TTW pre-cut fins
• 2 1/8" basswood "probes"
• 2 3" t' 1.1" ply centerin' rings
• 7.5" 29mm motor mount tube
• wire motor retainer
• 11" LOC nose cone
• 10 nose ballast weights (105 grams total)
• 8' 9/16" nylon/Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 1/4" kraft launch lug

As noted when you visit Layne's website, you should be prepared to "build" your rocket. Begad! While that's true, t' main fins and body tube are cut for you, ya bilge rat, matey, matey, so thar isn't anythin' I would consider extremely difficult - tedious, maybe, me hearties, but nay really that difficult. Aye aye! Avast! Regardless o' t' "no frills" nature o' t' kit, me hearties, I was impressed, ya bilge rat, overall, matey, with parts quality. Most o' all, me hearties, though, me bucko, arrr, I was impressed with how all t' parts came together creatin' a beautiful rocket.

T' kit arrived with t' parts packed in t' shippin' box. Again, arrr, no frills here, arrr, however, t' included CD was a nice touch. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Besides t' printed instructions, t' CD has t' instructions in both pdf and Word files, ya bilge rat, the RockSim file with a link t' Apogee's site t' download t' trial version, me hearties, plus a lot more. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' CD is useful for a couple o' very practical reasons. First, if you get a little wild with t' CA and glue a couple pages together, you can reprint t' particular page. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Second, me bucko, ya bilge rat, after buildin' me rocket I weighed it and measured out t' CG, arrr, matey, then modified t' RockSim file t' include t' specifics of my build t' get a better idea o' how me rocket would perform. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Now that's nice! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

T' instructions are well laid out with numbered "destructions" (Layne's well-practiced humor is interlaced here and throughout the instructions) and fully illustrated, so you get lots o' help when doin' things like "creating" a cockpit from a block o' balsa. Begad! T' instructions for shapin' t' cockpit are very detailed. Avast! Begad! Followin' them, me bucko, I was able t' get somethin' close t' what's pictured, ya bilge rat, but it still displayed me own individuality. Pretty cool, really. Ya scallywag!

T' most difficult step for me was cuttin' out t' tiny forward "probes" from a small slab o' 1/8" basswood. Begad! Cuttin' t' curves on somethin' that small takes some patience. I cut them a little larger than marked and then used 100-grit sandpaper t' brin' it in t' t' mark. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' exhaust tubes also had t' be cut from longer tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! There wasn't any leftover tube, me bucko, so mark t' exhaust tube cuts first before actually cuttin' them out. Well, blow me down! T' wire hanger used for motor retention blends well into t' exhaust tubes and is a nice solution for positive motor retention in this unique design. Ya scallywag!

A Dremel is a nice tool t' use for cuttin' t' fin slots in t' tube. If you don't have one, shiver me timbers, they're a worthwhile investment for this step plus a lot of other rocket-buildin' activities. Avast! Installation o' t' motor mount, fins and forward centerin' rin' is pretty standard, except rather than fillin' t' fin cavity with expandin' foam, as suggested, I borrowed a technique from Don Magness and cut six 1/4" dowels just shy o' t' length o' t' fin tabs and tacked them in with CA on either side o' each tab against t' tube wall and then filleted t' fins, shiver me timbers, matey, motor mount and forward centerin' ring. Begad! Ya scallywag!

After installin' t' aft centerin' rin' and exhaust tubes, I made two other modifications t' t' kit. Blimey! Blimey! I installed an eyebolt in t' nose cone, and rather than usin' t' provided Keelhaul®©™® for t' shock cord attachment, I used a heavier grade for an extra safety measure. Begad! T' shock cord was long and sturdy 9/16" tubular nylon/Keelhaul®©™®. Very nice!

I cut t' kraft launch lug in half and used J-B Weld t' anchor them. The side-by-side arrangement o' t' lugs creates t' illusion o' a couple of cannons underneath t' cockpit, another very nice design feature. Avast!

A bright yellow 30" nylon parachute with nylon shrouds is provided to brin' Bucky safely back t' t' ground. Blimey! Ahoy! T' lines were epoxied t' t' nylon and lightly tacked in, so I had a friend sew over them again for extra security. Avast! To protect t' fins on recovery, a length o' Keelhaul®©™® is also attached through a small hole in t' dorsal fin and attached t' a loop in t' shock cord t' brin' t' rocket down flat.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket was a lot easier considerin' t' quality o' t' main tube. It is really nice. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! So nice, ya bilge rat, I didn't even attempt t' fill t' lines. Avast, me proud beauty! You have to get really close t' see them. Arrr! After filletin' t' fins with epoxy and sandin' everythin' with 220-grit, arrr, I completed final sandin' with 400-grit. Avast! Then sprayed on an undercoat o' Kilz t' seal off t' epoxy and sanded with 320-grit. Sprayed on a coat o' Krylon primer and then spot sanded, me bucko, sprayed another coat of Krylon primer and then sanded with 400-grit. Masked off t' fins and body and painted t' exhaust tubes and motor tube with DupliColor millennium silver. After t' back end dried, me hearties, I covered it with tin foil and applied t' first coat of Rustoleum gold t' t' rest o' t' rocket. After that dried, arrr, I sanded with 600-grit and then applied t' final coat o' gold. Aye aye! There are no decals t' apply, so next I applied a couple o' coats o' Future floor wax t' protect t' finish and improve t' shine. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Tada!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
After what seemed an eternity, ya bilge rat, finally, t' day for Bucky t' fly arrived. Ya scallywag! He would be flyin' from t' DARS Windom field, a huge plowed field that often sports flights t' 16,000 feet or more. Begad! Skies were partly cloudy but t' ceiling was well above Bucky's intended altitude. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, t' wind be blowing between 15-20mph with occasional let-up t' maybe 7-12mph. Well, blow me down! Nay t' best conditions for a flight, me hearties, considerin' Bucky's large fins. Begad! However, t' ground was soft, which be great for landin' in high winds. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! This also provided an advantage due t' t' horizontal recovery method Layne engineered for Bucky. Begad! Well, blow me down!

A buddy o' mine be plannin' t' come with me t' watch over t' assembly of my first reload motor, arrr, me hearties, but he had t' work. Ya scallywag! Well, me bucko, blow me down! So, rather than use t' reload motors I had, I went down t' Bob Korman's area t' pick up a couple o' his single use Roadrunner motors. Arrr! His F60 motor looked like a good choice, but the only available delays were 4 and 7 seconds. Blimey! Two o' t' recommended motors were the Aerotech F52-5 and G64-7. Begad! Avast! Hmm. Avast, me proud beauty! What t' use? Considerin' t' wind, me bucko, I opted to use t' 4-second delay. T' lip on t' back o' t' motor fit t' motor retainer perfectly, but for extra security I taped t' motor retainer t' the motor tube. After preppin' (PemTech included plenty o' cellulose wadding), Bucky and I headed t' t' launch pad. Avast, me proud beauty!

Slidin' Bucky over t' ¼" launch rod, ya bilge rat, I noticed I needed something to hold Bucky up further from t' bottom o' t' pad. Ahoy! So, shiver me timbers, I found a corn stalk that was used t' prop t' rocket up about eight inches above t' pad. Arrr! Great! Igniter was hooked up (Roadrunner motors come with a very nice igniter), ya bilge rat, pad was tested and armed, and Bucky was ready for flight. Avast!

Naturally, Bucky had gained everyone's attention so most everyone was waitin' for t' launch. Begad! Blimey! Bucky is holdin' firmly t' t' launch rod and ready to go. Begad! He looks confident, ya bilge rat, majestic and very cool. Launch was truly spectacular and really wowed t' crowd. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Despite t' wind, Bucky jumped off t' pad with authority and climbed arrow-straight into t' air. With no twists or even the slightest turn, ya bilge rat, it was a beautiful flight. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I could hear t' oohs and aahs of the crowd as t' rocket began t' coast upwards.

Recovery:
T' chute popped just before t' top, but it had slowed down enough that the chute deployed without problem. Ahoy! Gracefully, Bucky returned t' Earth in horizontal fashion. Arrr! T' chute is perfect for this rocket. Begad! With t' parachute leadin' t' rocket, it landed on t' rounded edge o' t' fins and then dipped the front o' t' body tube into t' ground. Avast! I had strengthened t' front o' the tube with CA, arrr, so no problem with that, shiver me timbers, and with t' firm grip on t' dirt the parachute couldn't drag t' rocket (several others had problems with that durin' t' day because o' t' high winds). Recoverin' in perfect shape I had planned t' fly Bucky again t' next day, but it rained. Arrr! Great flight, though, with a great rocket! Stay tuned for t' further adventures o' Bucky Jones - Space Cadet!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This was me first time t' build a rocket t' fly on anythin' bigger than an Aerotech E-motor. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! I found t' instructions very easy t' follow and logically arranged. Bucky is a nice rocket t' build if you want t' make t' transition from model rockets t' mid-power with some flair. Begad! Blimey! It's a very cool rocket!

Pros:

Great design, shiver me timbers, quality parts, excellent instructions, arrr, and a nice long shock cord

Cons:

NC/Shock cord attachment - I like this t' be solid. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' recovery o' your rocket is dependent upon that holdin' together.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5