Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Aye aye! This is a single-staged, matey, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. Avast! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit, ya bilge rat, which be packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, three 24mm motor mount tubes, me bucko, fiberboard centerin' rings, me bucko, arrr, three motor retention hooks, one PVC nose cone, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, me hearties, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, matey, and an eye bolt and nut. T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, me hearties, matey, as was t' parachute.

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, arrr, were all very straightforward. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, matey, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! T' unit was then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord mount be different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Ahoy! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Blimey! T' t' remainin' material, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Ahoy! Blimey! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, me bucko, but I strengthened this setup. Arrr! Blimey! I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, one that I had nay used before. Arrr! Blimey! And frankly, shiver me timbers, arrr, I don't know that I'd use again. T' method was really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Maybe it's that fact that t' root, arrr, me bucko, leading, ya bilge rat, tip chord, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, matey, and no matter how much you try, shiver me timbers, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Begad! OK, OK, me bucko, maybe it's just me... Ahoy! Begad! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Also, me hearties, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! So, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, matey, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Arrr! Blimey! That combined with t' white body tube, me hearties, arrr, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Ya scallywag! Arrr! As one would expect, t' liftoff be slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. Arrr! But it did, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Ya scallywag! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Arrr! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, smooth, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, anyway) altitude. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Again, ya bilge rat, arrr, deployment was right at apogee. Aye aye! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage be t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! However, matey, ya bilge rat, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Blimey! Ahoy! Given t' size o' this model, me bucko, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, ya bilge rat, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, me hearties, no Junior, me hearties, shiver me timbers, you're missin' t' point. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Ahoy! Blimey! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. Avast! Blimey! No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, arrr, but I have t' admit, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... T' tubes, me hearties, nose cone, motor mount tubes, and hooks are all first rate quality, me bucko, as are t' parachute and shock cord. And yes, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. If I had t' build t' Integrator over, me hearties, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5