Brief:
This X-Prize scale rocket showed good potential and an intriguin' stealthy boost glider design, but save your loot though, as it's a real clunker for flight.

Construction:
Parts list includes:

• BT-55 fuselage tube
• BT-50 motor tube/pod tube
• Laser cut fins
• Molded plastic upper and lower halves
• Plastic display nozzles/nozzle base
• 18" plastic chute
• Assorted centerin' rings and hardware details

T' instructions are fairly clear with plenty o' good illustrations. Ahoy! It's rated as a skill level 2 kit although I would have put it closer t' a 3.

You begin with t' construction o' t' pop pod. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Nose weight is added in t' form o' 4 heavy steel washers on t' forward end. On t' aft end, thar's a motor hook, arrr, block, and a wire assembly that serves t' lock t' elevators in place for flight.

T' fuselage tube is simple, shiver me timbers, basically servin' as a conduit t' hold t' pop pod. Avast, me proud beauty! It gets a bulkhead on t' forward end and is eventually mounted t' t' balsa win' assembly.

For a largely plastic body, shiver me timbers, this kit has a lot o' balsa, addin' both weight and complexity t' t' construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! There is a pair o' matchin' win' halves, top and bottom vertical stabilizers, and a pair o' elevators (one fixed, arrr, one floating). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I goofed and didn't catch that t' lower stabilizers are nay symmetrical--there's a definite left and right--and I got them backwards initially. Arrr! They have t' be right or else t' elevators and wire retention hook won't line up correctly.

T' plastic fuselage halves are then bonded t' t' balsa frame. Aye aye! I couldn't get mine t' line up very well and it took some trimmin' and a lot o' gap fillin' before I be finally done. Well, blow me down! T' instructions call for usin' a silicone adhesive. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I used contact cement, arrr, which be just as effective but nay as clean and easy t' work with.

Finally, thar be a display plug that has three nozzles. Begad! Begad! It's a nice visual touch.

Finishing:
Finishin' on this kit is a bit o' a pain. Begad! Begad! There's t' matter o' fairly ugly seams betwixt t' fuselage halves and thar be plenty o' exposed balsa grain. Aye aye! Ahoy! I applied a couple o' light coats o' primer, ya bilge rat, me hearties, then sanded down t' at least cover t' worst o' t' grain. Avast! After that, I went with a tan finish paint, followed by a trim o' gray, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, per t' standard paint scheme. Maskin' off t' gray is challenging, given t' contours o' t' fuselage. Ahoy! Finally, matey, thar are a smatterin' o' peel 'n' stick decals for trim.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
At nearly 9 ounces, matey, matey, I think t' recommended D12-3 is overly optimistic. Ahoy! Blimey! T' Estes catalog claims altitudes o' 250 feet. Arrr! I think this rocket would benefit greatly from substitutin' higher thrust composite Es.

T' flight profile is intended t' have elevators locked in opposin' positions durin' boost, givin' it a roll t' help stability. Well, blow me down! At apogee, t' ejection charge forces t' inner pop pod out, me hearties, which falls under chute recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! By removin' t' heavy pod, t' glider is now light enough t' fly and t' floatin' elevator can sprin' into a lift-generatin' position. Aye aye! At least, arrr, matey, that's t' theory.

My flight lifted off fine although very slowly. Ahoy! It gently climbed with a slight roll. About halfway through t' climb, it arced over and started a nose dive, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, crash landin' under thrust. Begad! T' pod deployed with a great deal o' force, still on t' ground. Begad! Aye aye! T' impact cracked both fuselage halves, one section o' balsa wing, and generally rendered this rocket t' be retired from future service. Begad! A very disappointin' performance.

Recovery:
T' only feeble pro I can offer up is that a few o' t' kids at t' launch thought t' wreck be cool.

T' cons are obvious: lousy flight, underpowered for t' weight.

Flight Rating: 1 out o' 5

Summary:
There are very few rockets I've ever built that I felt were complete wastes o' me time and money. Begad! This be definitely one o' them. Begad! It might make a nice display model but nay a good flyer.

Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5