For a rocket that is only 12.3" tall and 1.02" in diameter, SRW has packed a lot into it. T' kit has 35 parts and a few decals. Avast! Blimey! It uses a balsa nose cone and laser-cut balsa parts provided on one 1/16" sheet (fins) and one 1/8" sheet (fin pods). There is a Ramjet tube and a wood core moldin' with balsa vanes. This kit comes with a lot o' nose weight provided by a large eye-screw and four washers. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' 18mm motor mount has a motor hook. A Keelhaul®©™® tether, 1/4" wide, 50" long elastic shock cord, shroud lines, matey, a swivel and a 9" mylar octagon parachute make up t' recovery system. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There are also a few little water-transfer decals.

All o' this is nicely packed into a sturdy little box, that has cellulose as packin' material. SRW, me bucko, matey, provided a small notice indicatin' that t' cellulose can be used as waddin' for t' SLAT/s' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! (If they could figure out a way t' make t' box fold into a display mount, me bucko, maybe by gluin' a expended motor t' it, then t' entire package would be utilized)

CONSTRUCTION: 

There are six pages o' well illustrated instructions and an added page with t' NAR Safety Code.T' first page o' instructions a little history about t' real SLAT/s and then reminds builders t' read t' "instructions before beginnin' to build" since t' "construction is a bit different from run-of-the-mill rockets". Aye aye! T' instructions include brief comments on the finishin' o' t' kit and then some more thorough instructions on flight preparation, specifically on Center o' Gravity position.

Assembly o' t' SLAT/s be challengin' in a fun way. Avast! Some additional challenges were created due t' some mistakes I made, matey, that will described below. 

T' first part that is assembled be t' motor mount. Begad! The motor hook is a piece o' thin sprin' wire verses t' flat metal usually found on other kits. Avast, me proud beauty! There is clear instructions and illustrations for attachin' the Keelhaul®©™® tether t' t' motor mount under t' upper centerin' ring. Installin' the motor mount into t' body tube is where t' first mistake came into play. Aye aye! Begad! This mistake actually created much more work t' correct.

In an attempt t' test a new kind o' "fast setting" glue, arrr, me bucko, t' motor mount got about 2/3rd's o' t' way in and ceased by t' "fast setting" glue! While continuin' t' try t' push t' mount into proper position, arrr, three things happened; 1) t' motor hook poked a hole in my finger gettin' blood on various parts, 2) t' back o' t' motor mount tube got damaged and 3) t' body tube was creased. Avast, me proud beauty! What t' do, shiver me timbers, what t' do?

To correct this, a replacement 18mm tube was used to replace t' motor mount, ya bilge rat, me hearties, along with a new hook (flat - don't want anymore holes in me finger) and centerin' rings. Also, me hearties, matey, me bucko, a 24mm tube was cut t' t' size o' the body tube t' replace it. T' SLAT/s uses a slightly larger body tube, in fact, the 24mm tube fits tightly into t' former SLAT/s tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This bein' t' case, required that t' balsa nose cone be sanded down t' size, me bucko, includin' the shoulder. Begad! Blimey! It also meant t' t' alignment guides didn't fit correctly and on and on. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! But, this kit was built!

Some o' t' more detailed work involved t' buildin' o' t' ramjet due t' then shapin' and t' attachment of five vanes, then bein' placed into a body tube that was cut in half length-wise. Also t' fin pod assembly required some patience and skill in shapin' and fit. Arrr! In both cases though t' instructions were clear and would allow a patient builder t' be successful.

T' recovery system is a Keelhaul®©™® tether that is tied to the motor mount as described above. Arrr! Aye aye! It is then tied t' a very long (50" or 5x t' length o' t' body tube) elastic shock cord, which is then tied t' the eye-screw on t' nose cone. T' length o' t' elastic shock cord is long, matey, me bucko, no doubt, due t' t' weight o' t' nose section. Aye aye! My rocket weighed in at 2.3 ounces, with t' nose cone weighin' 1.2 ounces.

T' shroud line requires t' builder t' cut it into four equal lengths and it is attached t' t' mylar octagon parachute usin' common household clear adhesive tape. I used some small round stickers that we had in the house. Begad! NOTE: Be sure t' make a small loop with t' shroud line and t' press the tape (sticker) down firmly. Ya scallywag! T' shroud lines are then attached t' a provided swivel t' attach t' t' nose cone.

To start t' finishin' process I used CA t' seal each of the balsa fins. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I tried somethin' I read on RMR about usin' Elmers' White Glue for sealin' balsa on t' nose cone. Avast! Blimey! This worked well and sanded nicely too. While sandin' I broke one o' t' small fins. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! After repairin' that and finishing, shiver me timbers, I started with, me favorite, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, Plasti-Kote primer t' fill t' tube spirals and t' make t' entire rocket smooth. Begad! I then painted t' entire rocket with a gloss red. Aye aye! T' instructions suggest orange, arrr, but I didn't have any.

Lastly, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, t' decals were t' be put on. Well, blow me down! SRW provides an extra "NAVY" decal "so you can practice". Well, blow me down! There were no problems with t' "NAVY" decals, which soaked for about 10 seconds and slide off easily. T' "STARS and BARS" decals, me bucko, were another story. Arrr! Ahoy! After waitin' about t' same amount o' time on t' first one, I tried to slide it off and it tore in two. For t' second one, I waited almost 30 seconds in water before it would slide easily. Blimey! Blimey! I have never had such troubles with wafer transfer decals.

After completion o' assembly, I checked the Center o' Gravity and compared it t' t' instructions. Blimey! Well, blow me down! T' instructions indicated that it be at least 4.5" from t' aft o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! With a C6-5, ya bilge rat, me CG was exactly 4.5". Ahoy! Avast! With a C6-5, me bucko, me CG was exactly 4.5". Somethin' went right!

Overall, matey, me hearties, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points with me only real complaint bein' with t' decals and the self-induced hole in me finger.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY: 

After all o' t' issues I enjoyed durin' construction, one would think it could only improve. Ahoy! Avast! Well, I packed t' SLAT/s up for my drive t' NARAM-40, matey, ya bilge rat, only t' find that a fin had been broken in transit. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time t' get this repaired and fly at NARAM, since me main focus be gettin' Level 1 certified. Ya scallywag! However, 3 weeks later on a beautiful late-summer day, t' SLAT/s was ready t' fly.

Followin' t' list o' recommended motors, t' SLAT/s was loaded with an A8-3 for its first launch. Begad! A piece of Rogue Aerospace's Perma- Wadding™ was attached in place o' t' provided cellulose from the kit.

T' SLAT/s doesn't have a launch lug. Begad! T' launch rod is placed through one o' t' ramjet slots.

Its maiden voyage be low altitude, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, considerin' it weighs 2.3 ounces without t' motor and was usin' an A8, but was great t' see the whole flight. Ahoy! Begad! Upon ejection, me hearties, which was before apogee, t' parachute did not open. Avast, me proud beauty! T' descent was horizontal, with t' nose cone on one side and t' body on t' other with t' entire length (50") o' t' elastic shock cord in between. Avast! Ya scallywag! It landed in some tall grass, arrr, me hearties, undamaged.

After, arrr, shakin' out the parachute and refolding, a B6-4 was loaded for t' second flight. Blimey! It be also a nice flight t' watch, shiver me timbers, comin' off t' pad that be set up t' about a 20 degree angle. Ya scallywag! T' rocket had a slight rotation, matey, which looked like t' ramjet positioned itself t' t' bottom. Aye aye! I'll have t' watch that on some future flights. Well, blow me down! Ejection occurred before apogee and t' parachute deployed and brought the SLAT/s t' t' ground safely. Upon inspection, ya bilge rat, me bucko, one o' t' shroud lines had pulled loose. Ya scallywag! It looked as if t' sticker was nay firmly pressed down, matey, however, ejection prior t' apogee can put additional stress on t' recovery system.

For t' third flight, me bucko, t' SLAT/s be loaded with a C6-5 and a 14" nylon parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! With t' change t' t' nylon parachute and havin' t' Perma- Wadding™ and that extra-long shock cord, me bucko, it was a challenge t' get all o' that stuffed into t' body tube. This time t' launch angle be set up vertical and off she went. Avast! Blimey! Again I could see a slight rotation o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It was nice, me bucko, because it reminds me o' flyin' my Estes' SR-71, arrr, which I always enjoy how it looks flying. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I am pretty sure that deployment be again before apogee. Begad! Blimey! T' parachute opened smartly and brought the SLAT/s into a low tree t' be recovered without damage.

Third through sixth flights were all on A8's and all seemed t' eject at apogee (or slightly before) with zero wind conditions and a vertical launch position.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points.T' only draw-back that I can see is on all three recommended motors (which thar isn't much choice anyway) it deployed early. I'm sure t' taped on shroud lines will nay hold up in t' long run and would recommend a 9" nylon parachute.

Overall, t' SLAT/s is a sharp little flyer providing somethin' more t' look at than 3 fins and a nose cone (3FNC). Begad! I would almost recommend only flyin' it on A's and B's so you can see t' whole flight. It is also a great buildin' kit for those that like t' spend time buildin' a more detailed kit. I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr!

Note: This kit was reviewed when produced by Seattle Rocket Works which has transferred rights t' LawnDart Rocketry.