Brief:
A futuristic lookin' 24mm sport rocket featurin' an unusual fin configuration. Commercial version o' t' 'Proconsul', t' anniversary kit o' t' 2003 National Sport Launch.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• 3 body tubes (one each o' BT-20, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, BT-50, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and BT-60)
• Balsa nose cone
• 16in Parachute
• 2 sheets o' laser cut balsa fins
• 24in Shock cord
• Various bits & pieces needed t' turn t' above into a rocket (e.g., centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, me bucko, launch lugs, me bucko, arrr, engine block, etc.)
• Win' gluin' jig
• Instructions

Construction begins with t' wings. T' joinin' surfaces betwixt t' wings and tips, matey, have to be beveled t' an angle o' 57 degrees. This seems dauntin' but is made easy by the inclusion o' a template. T' fins in this kit have been pre-cut. This is very unusual for FlisKits kits, which usually require t' builder t' cut their own fins. Begad! Arrr! I normally prefer t' cut me own fins, me bucko, but in t' case o' this design, I'm glad t' fins are pre-cut!

T' shroud is then cut out, and constructed. This brings me t' me biggest complaint about this kit: t' bits you are required t' cut out are printed on the back o' t' face card! This matter be discussed, on T' Rocketry Forum, where Jim Flis explained that this decision was done t' keep costs down. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Based on customers' reactions, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, I don't think FlisKits will be doin' this again! Being a new(ish) company, they do need t' experiment with how kits are put together. This experiment wasn't t' most successful, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but t' company does listen to feedback from their customers, so no points lost there! I used t' photocopier at work t' copy t' pattern sheet, arrr, which was a good thin' as I messed up cuttin' t' shroud out and had t' redo it.

Next, shiver me timbers, matey, t' engine block is inserted into t' end o' t' BT-50, usin' the whack-glue-in-the-tube-and-push-block-in-with-old-engine method. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I had real fun here, as t' engine got stuck and wouldn't come back out. I'd never flown a 24mm rocket before, matey, so I had t' use a live engine. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! After 5mins o' pullin' with a pair o' pliers, matey, I decided that t' priority was savin' t' engine as I got out me knife and performed surgery. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Needless t' say, shiver me timbers, t' body tube be a write off...but after a few e-mails with FlisKits, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, a free replacement body tube with engine block pre-installed arrived with a Flea kit I'd ordered. Begad! Blimey! Yet another good example o' t' superb service provided by FlisKits.

T' BT-50 is then marked-up for fin and launch lug locations, t' shroud slipped on, and then t' wings were attached. This could have been a very awkward step but t' gluin' jig makes this one o' t' easiest fin attachments I've ever done. Aye aye! A couple o' centerin' rings are then attached t' t' end o' the BT-50 and t' BT60 was attached. Well, blow me down! T' shroud is then glued in place t' form a smooth transition betwixt t' two tubes. Ahoy! I found this step a bit fiddly, matey, due to the tight fittin' o' t' centerin' rings makin' it awkward t' leave a little bit o' t' aft rin' showin' t' glue t' shroud to. Well, blow me down! I had t' bodge this a little, but t' result is most satisfactory.

After cuttin' t' BT-20 into t' "ram-jet" shape, ya bilge rat, it was attached to t' top o' t' lower body tube, and t' top stabilizer fin be attached. Here I again came close t' disaster as I initially glued t' fin on t' wrong way! This fin faces forward, me bucko, NOT backward as you would expect. Arrr! Luckily, matey, I noticed before t' glue had cured, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so was able t' turn it around--other people reportedly haven't been so lucky. T' illustrations in t' instructions show very clearly t' orientation o' t' fin so it is nay at fault. I believe that the next version o' t' instructions will be revised t' emphasize t' fin's orientation even more, savin' dozy builders like me from disaster. Aye aye! T' launch lugs are then attached along t' edge o' t' stabilizer fin.

T' instructions emphasize t' need for extremely strong glue joints, arrr, as the wings are put through huge drag forces when launched. Avast! I used me usual wood glue throughout and then went back over t' joints filletin' and reinforcing them with epoxy. Avast! Arrr! Overkill possibly, ya bilge rat, but I wanted t' be sure. I also reinforced the tube openin' where t' nose cone fits with CA.

Finishing:
No decals, me hearties, or any specific colorin' guidelines are provided with this kit. Avast! Ya scallywag! The kit is very unusual and leavin' t' decoration t' t' builder is a good thing, as this gives t' modeler a chance t' get his/her creative juices (Deuces?) flowing. Begad! After a few coats o' sandin' sealer and primer, arrr, I gave t' Drake a good coat o' white gloss, then started on t' main paint scheme. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! As t' kit looks a little like a duck, me bucko, me hearties, I thought o' a bath time rubber duck and painted mine (mostly) bright yellow. Aye aye! Arrr! When I say bright, arrr, I mean REALLY bright! I used Plasti-kote #142 (Yellow Glow) and this stuff is amazing! In t' sun you have to squint when you look at me Drake--it's so bright!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I had just got some Nomex® from an eBay auction so I decided t' try it with this model. Begad! For t' first launch I used a D12-5 (C11s don't seem t' be available in t' UK and you need an explosives license for Es), arrr, and complemented t' Nomex® with 3 sheets o' wadding. Avast! Blimey! She shot off t' pad and flew a lovely, stable, and straight flight t' apogee. Begad! Blimey! Bein' a large'ish model she was visible throughout and looked graceful all t' way. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' chute ejected at apogee and she drifted down t' a safe landin' a couple o' fields away. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! No damage but one o' t' chute shroud lines had come unstuck (this was easily fixed).

A couple o' days later, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I took a few friends out t' help me launch me Drake, so I could get some piccies [pictures]. Aye aye! Begad! Both flights were on D12-5s and were as awesome as the maiden flight. T' first launch o' this session I only used 2 sheets o' wadding resultin' in a singed chute. Arrr! I used 3 on t' second flight and t' chute was OK. Blimey! No other damage was sustained on either flight.

Recovery:
This bird does tend t' drift a bit so make sure you've got a few hundred meters of clear downwind area. T' generous 24in shock cord does its job nicely. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! With such an unusual design, this bird looks almost as cool comin' down as it does goin' up.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a challengin' but fun kit t' build and is sure t' attract a couple of comments at a launch due t' its design. At first glance, me bucko, this kit looks like it should have been rated at skill level 4, but t' ultra-clear instructions and extras, matey, like t' gluin' jig, ya bilge rat, brin' t' skill level down t' a solid level 3. This was me first kit with t' emphasis on model, me bucko, rather than rocket and is a good introduction t' t' 'futuristic looking' side o' model rocketry.

I did like t' history o' t' design printed on t' back o' the instructions. Ahoy! It would be nice t' see a history o' t' design included in all kits.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5