Brief:
T' Space Ark Jr. Ya scallywag! is a downscale o' Pemberton Technology's midpower rocket. Begad! Layne Pemberton offers a lot o' really cool retro-futuristic designs. He's also a nice guy whose instruction booklets are well known for their humorous off-beat writin' style. Begad! Aye aye!

Construction:
T' package arrived with all necessary parts in good condition, except that t' balsa nose cone had a couple small dings. Ya scallywag! After readin' a back-story about t' Ruskie commies, me hearties, matey, Martians, me hearties, and gung-ho American heroes, me hearties, it be time t' start the build.

First came insertion o' lead ballast in t' nose cone, me hearties, and some general sandin' and filling. T' fins are cut from stock balsa usin' paper fin patterns. Ya scallywag! I had some difficulty because t' instructions referred t' various fins with names like "wing" and "horizontal stabilizer", but t' patterns/figures had no labels identifying which be which. By process o' elimination, me hearties, arrr, matey, I eventually figured it out.

To attach t' fins, alignment lines must be drawn on t' tailcone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This was a very tricky process. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The installation be made more difficult by t' approach o' through-the-tail-cone fin installation. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It would have been much easier and surely sufficiently strong t' surface mount t' wings with an appropriate shape cut along t' root edges. Also, me bucko, t' fin tabs weren't slanted, shiver me timbers, which was also a bit confusing.

T' extra-long Keelhaul®©™® shock cord was glued t' t' outside surface o' t' motor mount tube, and this assembly was pushed/glued in t' tail cone. Because t' cord lay against t' exterior o' t' motor tube, I found it impossible t' insert t' tube into the tail cone. I had t' cut a trough inside t' tail cone t' make room for t' cord. Well, blow me down! It be still a snug fit.

T' rest o' t' assembly, includin' t' remainin' fins, me bucko, was straightforward with one exception. I be confused about how far back along t' airframe t' mount t' wings. Ahoy! I guesstimated it from t' picture and adjusted slightly further back for safety. Begad! I skipped t' fin-tip pods because these sorts o' things tend t' snap off so easily.

Finishing:
Finishin' was mostly straighforward. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I fill and sand before assembly, so all that remained was touchup and then painting. Avast, me proud beauty! With this retro-futuristic design, me hearties, metallic paint is a great way t' go, so I chose silver. Begad! Begad! T' only tricky part is gettin' t' spray into t' crevices above t' crossbar.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My problems occurred durin' t' flight, arrr, which was unstable. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I was a bit rushed so I smartly looked at t' recommended motors (B6-2 through E18) and chose a B6-4 because it was what I had. Begad! Well, blow me down! Rather than wrap t' 18mm motor in duct tape (as recommended) for friction fittin' (the only option), I used a spend 24mm casin' as a motor adapter. Arrr! Begad! This works well and should be lighter than a large quantity o' duct tape.

I failed t' notice two instruction points about flying. Avast! T' instructions clearly said t' strin' test t' rocket before flying. Ya scallywag! Also, matey, in t' middle o' construction step three, away from t' sections on flight prep, ya bilge rat, launch, me hearties, and recommended motors is a sentence that says that a 48in rod is required for B motors.

Clearly it is me fault for nay followin' t' instructions, but I have a couple comments. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! First, arrr, he strin' test recommendation is sensible, but I think it is reasonable t' believe that any commercially marketed model kit would have the CG/CP relationship sufficiently above minimum safety margins that modest variations in construction techniques by various builders should nay cause problems for recommended motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Why flirt so close t' edge? Perhaps I placed the wings too far forward.

Second, I would suggest that t' comment about 48in rods be moved t' t' recommended motor section; it is easy to overlook in t' construction section. Avast! Ahoy! Actually, matey, matey, I would omit B motors from t' recommended list altogether since most LPR Estes motor fliers might nay have a 48in rod on hand and might nay understand t' importance o' t' extra rod length. Begad! Aye aye! I understand it, arrr, but I didn't notice t' advice.

Anyway, arrr, me hearties, t' rocket became unstable after leavin' t' rod, doin' t' typical "bumblebee" flight pattern. Upon crashing, arrr, t' aft portion o' t' rudder broke. Avast, me proud beauty! Repair is possible.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Because o' me experience, it is unfair t' judge flight performance for this rocket. I have rated it on me expected performance, knowin' about PemTech's other kits. Quality o' parts was fine, construction be mostly straighforward with a few difficulties, style was fantastic, matey, and I expect that flight should be good.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5