Brief:
This kit is a 3FNC (3 Fins and a Nose Cone) piston-ejection, streamer duration competition rocket. The "ELM" stands for "Extremely Low Mass." It is a companion kit t' its only slightly larger brother the Stratos-18 ELM.

Construction:
My kit came with balsa nose cone, two sheets o' 1/32" balsa fin stock, matey, balsa nose block for t' piston, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, me hearties, an elastic shock cord, engine block, launch lug, shiver me timbers, white BT-5 body tube with very fine groves and a light glassine coating. Arrr! Aye aye! T' instructions were written onto a compact disc in PDF format. Ya scallywag! Even though t' kit comes with two sheets o' balsa, only one is needed.

I ordered both t' Stratos-13 and Stratos-18 together. Blimey! Begad! When they arrived I found that t' body tube had been bent beyond use by t' post office. Begad! Begad! I sent Carlos at Heavenly Hobbies an email about t' tube and he sent me out a replacement right away and free o' charge. Blimey! I built t' Stratos-18 while waitin' for t' replacement BT-5. Well, blow me down! As that only took a few hours o' build time t' complete, arrr, I decided t' use a "modular" approach t' assemblin' t' rest of the rocket.

First I cut t' fins from t' 1/32" balsa fin stock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' protect in from chippin' or splitting, shiver me timbers, I covered t' back with blue painters tape. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! After t' fins were cut I decided nay t' round t' edges. At that thickness I don't think it would have made a difference and why take t' chance on splittin' a freshly cut fin.

Next I assembled t' engine block and Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr! A groove gets cut into t' outside surface deep enough t' fit t' shock cord in t' it. Blimey! I secured it usin' a bowline knot and set it with CA.

After that came t' nose cone and elastic shock cord. Ya scallywag! Accordin' t' t' instructions, shiver me timbers, t' elastic cord is t' be knotted at one end and stuffed into a pre-drilled hole. Ahoy! There was no hole. Arrr! Arrr! I used a 1/8" drill bit t' make one. T' balsa also looked a bit soft so I coated it with CA and allowed it t' harden. Followin' that came a brushed on layer o' thinned Elmer's Wood Filler. Begad! Once that had dried I sanded it down until smooth. Blimey! T' finish up I pushed the elastic knot into t' shoulder o' t' nose and secured it with 30 minute epoxy.

All that left was t' streamer. Avast! All I did thar was fold one end into a point and tie on a 9" section of Keelhaul®©™® cut from t' length provided. I used hole reinforcements t' keep it from tearin' out.

When t' body tube arrived at last, me bucko, it was time t' put everythin' together. Ahoy! Engine block in, matey, fins on, tie shock cords t' one another. I do need t' mention that as t' rocket uses a balsa block as its piston. It comes with a small hole drilled through it and threaded on t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Ahoy! Knots are tied above and below t' piston t' hold it in place. Begad! T' piston provided be a good bit narrow and had t' be built up with maskin' tape. Avast, me proud beauty! This may actually be a good thin' as I'll cover in a moment.

Finishing:
I left t' rocket unfinished as it is supposed t' be a competition rocket. T' only finishin' I did be t' before mentioned work t' harden t' nose cone.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For its maiden flight I used an A3-4T. Avast! With t' piston ejection it requires no wadding. Place an igniter in a motor and place t' motor in t' rocket. T' motor is friction fitted and secured with two wraps o' maskin' tape. T' take off was right quick and blended in with t' overcast skies.

Recovery:
I was able t' track t' rocket once t' ejection charge blew. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Then I knew I had a problem. Blimey! Somehow t' nose and streamer had separated from t' rest o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Begad! T' body landed gently in t' flyin' field but t' nose and streamer continued t' drift toward t' road. Ahoy! It landed gently enough but balsa was never intended t' hold up against cars. T' nose cone was crushed. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Turns out that t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord snapped at t' piston. Blimey! It was either too thin, too short, or a combination on t' two. Arrr! Arrr! Also, matey, matey, after the flight t' piston be a bit resistant t' go in. Avast! I peeled off a bit o' t' maskin' tape and all be fine. It was cool and damp when I flew and that may have had somethin' t' do with it. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a very nice little kit. Avast! I would nay recommend it as a first kit as you need a motor case t' set t' engine block in place. It would work well as a first completion kit as long as t' builder had some experience with cutting their own fins from stock.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5