T' Mirage was t' second medium-power rocket and t' first Aerotech kit that I built. Begad! Well, blow me down! In addition, this kit be t' largest rocket that I have ever built, matey, matey, towerin' 87" (that's 7'- 3"!).It is 2.6" in diameter and weighs 31 ounces.It flies with 29mm motors. Ahoy! Begad! In a nutshell, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it's a whole lot o' rocket!

T' kit comes with three body tubes with couplers, arrr, me hearties, plastic nose cone, me hearties, and launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Due t' mid-separation, me bucko, matey, me hearties, it comes with t' hardware necessary t' attach two 8 foot shock cords and two nylon parachutes (one 22" and one 30"). Well, blow me down! T' motor mount hardware includes a LABYRINTH coolin' mesh and ejection baffle, shiver me timbers, which eliminates t' need for wadding, matey, ya bilge rat, as well as a motor retention hook. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! There are three large plastic fins with tabs for mountin' in Aerotech's FIN-LOK system through a pre-slotted body tube. Aye aye! Arrr! Lastly, thar be a large Mirage decal. Ahoy!

T' Aerotech web site indicates that this kit comes with a 24mm adapter. My kit did nay and quite frankly due t' size and weight t' only 24mm motors I would use would be F24 and F39 and then flights would be less than 400 feet. Ya scallywag! I think its a misprint on t' web site because t' catalog does nay indicate a 24mm adapter. Ahoy!

There are six pages o' clear, illustrated instructions. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! There are a couple o' breakouts which provide a location guide for t' motor mount and a detail o' t' fin. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' remainin' illustrations provide adequate information for assembly. Begad! T' instructions also provide clear warnings on use o' glue, such as, me hearties, ya bilge rat, nay puttin' it on t' shock cord since it will weaken it and t' avoid gettin' glue into t' FIN-LOK ring's. T' instructions are in logical order and can ensure a successful assembly if followed. Blimey!

T' instructions suggest usin' medium viscosity CA, however, I used 5 and 30-minute epoxy. Begad! Blimey! In doin' so, I had t' wait a few extra minutes betwixt steps, however, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I still built t' entire kit in about one and a half hours. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey!

T' assembly o' this large rocket be very easy and thar were no problems. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! All o' t' parts fit and went together as described. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' most difficult part o' this rocket is dealin' with it's height. Blimey! If you're nay extra careful, matey, you will certainly hit t' ceilin' a few times. Aye aye! Also dealin' with it's size adds a challenge t' finishing. Aye aye!

Durin' t' finishin' stage I decided t' nay fill t' body tube grooves with anythin' and just build it up usin' Plasti-Kote primer. Well, blow me down! This was nay t' best decision. Avast! This was nay t' best decision. Avast, me proud beauty! It took about 5 coats, sandin' inbetween each one, shiver me timbers, before t' grooves were filled. T' nose cone was one o' t' biggest problems due t' t' moldin' grooves left on each side.

Once fully primed, I chose t' paint t' rocket with a deep maroon metallic automotive lacquer. Begad! I painted t' entire rocket this color. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I took a can o' chrome paint and sprayed t' nose cone and t' upper section o' t' rocket, matey, nay protectin' anythin' from over spray. Begad! I think this gave a nice "fade-in" look.

T' kit comes with one decal with t' name Mirage™ on it, matey, shiver me timbers, however I did nay choose t' use it at first. Avast, me proud beauty! I have since gone back and used it. Begad! I followed t' directions completely and cut out t' decal, peeled t' back off, arrr, arrr, dipped it into some soapy water then applied it t' t' body. Ahoy! I adhered nicely.

Overall, me hearties, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. I didn't find a single problem. Blimey!

T' Mirage has a mid-separation design which releases t' upper five foot section t' descend on it's own 22" parachute. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' second 30" parachute carries t' bottom, me bucko, fin and motor, me hearties, section down. Aye aye! Blimey!

T' kit uses two launch lugs. Arrr! One is on t' upper section and t' other is on t' bottom section. Well, blow me down! These two need t' be aligned t' allow for a smooth launch off o' t' guide rod. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' last page in t' instructions are t' "Operation Instructions" and they indicate that "a 1/4" diameter metal launch rod at least 36" long (as measured from t' top o' t' blast deflector)" should be used. Blimey! This can nay be correct and must be a blanket operation instruction for other Aerotech kits since t' top launch lug is about 38" from t' bottom o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Avast! I used a five foot rod and even that seemed a tad bit short. Arrr! Aye aye!

T' maiden voyage was on an Aerotech Single-Use F25-6. Arrr! Blimey! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Blimey! Blimey! T' F25 powered t' Mirage to a fully observable apogee (wRASP says about 675 feet), shiver me timbers, then about 2 seconds after apogee t' ejection charge pushed t' upper section away and both parachutes deployed. T' upper section came down faster than t' lower section. Ya scallywag! T' lower section drifted more than t' upper section, ya bilge rat, so it would be good t' have a flyin' partner t' help in retrieval.

T' second flight be supposed t' be on a G80-7, however, after 4 puffs this motor was nay goin' t' ignite. Arrr! Blimey! So t' second flight was on an Aerotech EconoJet G35-7. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! This flight be also great t' watch with separation at apogee. Avast! Blimey!

T' LABYRINTH ejection gas coolin' system did exactly what it claims to; "T' ignition o' t' ejection charge creates a burst o' hot expandin' gas which is cooled by t' permanent metal mesh . Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! . Begad! Blimey! . Ya scallywag! T' cooled gas flows around t' baffle, pressurizes t' parachute bay and ejects t' nose cone (or payload bay) and parachute." I had no damage t' me shock cords or parachutes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey!  

One other interestin' fact about t' Mirage is how well suited it is for many different motors. Blimey! Blimey! Accordin' t' wRASP, t' Mirage will have excellent flights (with ejection very near or at apogee) on Single-Use motors, F20-4, me hearties, F25-4, F50-6, G80-7 and RMS motors, F52-5, G33-5 and G64-7. Well, blow me down! Begad! I'm sure t' North Coast Rocketry Darkstar F62-6 would also give a nice flight. Avast! I look forward t' usin' some o' these other motors!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points.

Overall, for t' price and ease o' build, t' Mirage is a great kit for someone lookin' for a very large, me bucko, mid-powered rocket with little experience. Blimey! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Well, blow me down! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Ahoy! For more information, me bucko, use t' two links above. Ya scallywag! Begad!

"T' Mirage is a tall, attractive model standin' 87" tall and 2. Avast! 6" in diameter. Begad! Ahoy! " 
"Her features are t' Labyrinth ejection charge coolin' system, ya bilge rat, molded plastic fins, arrr, me hearties, through-the-wall fin mounting, dual parachute recovery, arrr, large decal sheet, me hearties, and complete instructions. " 
"Flights with t' F40 were very interesting. Liftoff be slow, but then t' Mirage picked up speed. " 
"T' Aerotech Mirage is a very nice kit t' get started in higher power rockets. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! " 
"She is a large, ya bilge rat, good lookin' kit that is very easy t' build and fly. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! " 
"On a scale o' one t' ten, this model deserves a ten. Arrr! " 

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is an excellent kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!