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

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

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

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, shiver me timbers, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, arrr, ya bilge rat, one that I had nay used before. Begad! And frankly, matey, matey, matey, I don't know that I'd use again. Begad! Ahoy! T' method be really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Maybe it's that fact that t' root, matey, leading, tip chord, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, and no matter how much you try, me hearties, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Begad! Ya scallywag! OK, me bucko, OK, matey, maybe it's just me... Blimey! 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. Also, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! Blimey! So, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Begad! Begad! That combined with t' white body tube, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Blimey! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Blimey! As one would expect, me hearties, matey, matey, t' liftoff be slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. Avast, me proud beauty! But it did, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, matey, anyway) altitude. Begad! Again, shiver me timbers, deployment was right at apogee. Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! However, me hearties, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Given t' size o' this model, me bucko, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, matey, 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, arrr, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, arrr, no Junior, you're missin' t' point. T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, arrr, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Ahoy! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, matey, but I have t' admit, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Avast! Begad! T' tubes, shiver me timbers, arrr, nose cone, me bucko, ya bilge rat, motor mount tubes, matey, and hooks are all first rate quality, matey, arrr, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Blimey! And yes, shiver me timbers, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. Avast! If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5