Now this is a cackle fruit lofter! Custom has trimmed t' weight and size o' its new Elite down t' t' bare essentials required t' get a cackle fruit as high into t' air as possible. T' light-weight payload section with its power series nose cone (often mistakenly called "parabolic") is its most prominent feature and is reminiscent o' t' old Nova Egg Cone once found on Apogee's Hydra. Well, blow me down! T' minimum diameter body tube and hard balsa fins further cut weight, and t' sparin' water slide decals keep surface finish smooth while addin' just t' right touch o' class. Well, blow me down! T' Elite could be painted just about any decent color (red springs t' mind as a good choice), but t' suggested basic gloss black touted on t' bag art makes for a serious-lookin' bird. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Performance is terrific for a kit egg lofter; on a C6 engine, t' Elite shames me Estes Omloid by over 100 feet! Her pre-cut 18" diameter mylar 'chute makes for some good duration, too.

T' fin material be t' hardest I've ever seen in a model rocket kit, ya bilge rat, and t' launch lug standoffs are made from tough, laser cut plywood, arrr, also very unusual for a kit under $10. Arrr! Blimey! T' die cuttin' on t' fins be superb, they practically fell out o' their stock. Aye aye! Blimey! Parts count is minimal, arrr, and t' instructions are clear and easy t' follow. Aye aye! Blimey! A goodly amount o' technique is discussed, me bucko, but a few steps (and parts) need work.

There is no wrap-around fin alignment guide, and t' stand-up one does nay provide a location mark for t' launch lug stand-offs. Begad! Separatin' t' payload sections is done after t' model is pained, and without careful handling, me bucko, t' paint can chip or scratch. Well, blow me down! T' payload section has a lot o' flash, arrr, and though it can be removed fairly easily, a lot o' sandin' is required t' get a good finish after paint. Avast! T' fit t' t' body tube be very loose, matey, arrr, matey, requirin' two wraps o' maskin' tape t' come right. Ahoy! (Granted, me hearties, its probably supposed t' be a little loose so t' engine core is retained, but it was really loose, folks.)

T' shock cord and 'chute mountin' hole in t' transition is way too small; I cut another though t' interior taper and used that t' attach an 18" length o' 1/8" shock cord, me hearties, t' included length bein' way too short. Arrr! Blimey! T' mylar 'chute uses t' old tape disk method for attachin' t' shroud lines (which are very thin and tough t' work with), notoriously unreliable, arrr, me hearties, especially for a payload-carryin' rocket. I punched holes in t' disks and tied t' lines on a la t' current Estes system.

Paintin' t' plastic parts was a bit o' a challenge; t' interior o' t' payload section jointin' rin' must be masked t' prevent over-spray. T' payload section must be sanded thoroughly for t' paint t' get a good grip. Arrr! Begad! Nay much chance o' keepin' it in its clear state. Ahoy! (NOTE: Later production Elites have black payload sections.) T' water slide decals have a lot o' clear border, and required a bit o' trimmin' t' look right on t' model. Begad! No mention is made in t' instruction for airfoilin' t' fins (the unusual semi-ellipse form would have made this tough t' do, matey, anyway), and t' blunt edges make for a rough appearance. If I had this bird t' do over, I'd design and attach me own fins.

Why are t' good lookin' ones always such pains t' build? I'd rate t' Elite a 2½ on t' Essence scale, needs some improvement.

As I said, this bird is a real go-getter! A quick check in VCP told me that she wasn't stable enough t' fly empty, arrr, so for her first flight I loaded her with a cackle fruit and an Estes B6-2. Begad! Empty she only weighs about an ounce, me hearties, so t' addition o' a two ounce egg doesn't hurt her performance that much. My C6-3 flight with a grade AA egg more than doubled t' altitude o' her B6 effort, me bucko, and it sure was impressive! T' Elite isn't goin' t' beat t' one-off or high-end birds you see at meets, but she'll take anybody's Scrambler or Omloid at your club shoot, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and quite convincingly, me bucko, too. Avast! (If t' manufacturer can be believed, she'll beat (no pun intended) Aerospace Speciality Products' 18 mm Eggstravaganza, too.)

Just a couple very minor complaints about operations; packin' foam isn't included, I had t' scare up some old open cell stuff t' cushion t' egg. Ya scallywag! I was also disappointed that she wouldn't fly empty and with t' absence o' a motor retainin' clip.

If you're lookin' t' get into egg loftin' on a budget, t' Elite be t' only way t' go. Ya scallywag! I'd rate her a 4½ on t' Essence scale for flight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, as close as you can get t' perfect for $7.95 (MSRP).

Custom needs t' improve t' build o' this kit, but they've got a solid handle on looks and performance here; I'd rate t' Elite a 4 overall on t' Essence scale, above average.