Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

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

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. Ya scallywag! Avast! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Aye aye! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. T' unit be then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Aye aye! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Begad! Ahoy! 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. Begad! Aye aye! T' t' remainin' material, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Begad! Begad! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Aye aye! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, one that I had nay used before. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! And frankly, I don't know that I'd use again. Avast! T' method was really very simple, me bucko, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, matey, leading, ya bilge rat, tip chord, ya bilge rat, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, ya bilge rat, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Begad! OK, OK, me bucko, maybe it's just me... Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! 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. Arrr! Also, 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. Well, blow me down! So, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, a light blue band over a navy blue one. That combined with t' white body tube, me hearties, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Arrr! (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. Aye aye! As one would expect, t' liftoff be slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. But it did, ya bilge rat, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Ahoy! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Blimey! Blimey! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Aye aye! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, me hearties, arrr, smooth, matey, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, anyway) altitude. Again, shiver me timbers, deployment was right at apogee. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Very satisfying!

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

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5