Brief:
P.O.N.G. Well, blow me down! is a highly-detailed single-stage futuristic sport model offered by Custom Rockets. Begad! This is an inexpensive kit that packs a lot o' fun, challenge, and parts in a small package. Begad! Begad! This is a skill level 3 rocket that won't disappoint.

Accordin' t' t' kit label, P.O.N.G. Arrr! Avast! is an acronym (er, matey, shiver me timbers, backronym, shiver me timbers, arrr, ya bilge rat, really) for Protector o' Ninth Galaxy. There was no background story included with t' kit, which is too bad really. Blimey! Begad! T' look o' t' kit is intriguing. Aye aye! I would be pretty cool t' have it backed up by a little story.

My finished model weighed 1.2 ounces, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but t' kit's glossy claims 0.7 ounces. Aye aye! I'm unsure o' where t' additional weight came from... Arrr! Arrr! paint, glue, me hearties, and sandin' sealer?

Construction:
Included with t' kit are:

• 1 instruction sheet, tri-fold, 8.5" x 11"
• 1 standard pin' pong ball
• 2 body tubes, BT-5, arrr, 9" long
• 2 body tubes, BT-50, me bucko, 1.85" long
• 2 tube couplers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, BT-5
• 4 centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, me bucko, fiber, BT-5 t' BT-50
• 2 wooden dowels, 1/8" dia., me bucko, shiver me timbers, 6" long
• 2 launch lugs, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 1/8" dia., arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, 1.5" long
• 1 engine block, 13mm
• 1 shock cord, flat elastic, me bucko, 1/8" wide, 17" long
• 1 balsa sheet, die cut fins, 1/16" thick
• 1 streamer, shiver me timbers, pink vinyl, shiver me timbers, 3cm wide x 60cm long
• 1 dummy engine tube, shiver me timbers, 13mm
• 1 reducer shroud sheet, printed, light card stock
• 1 decal sheet, pressure-sensitive plastic, nay die-cut
• 1 decal sheet for shroud, adhesive-backed paper, arrr, nay die-cut

Because I no longer have faith in t' tri-fold shock cord mount when nay protected by a baffle, I added t' followin' items for a Keelhaul®©™® and elastic alternative:

• 1 Keelhaul®©™® thread, 10" long
• 1 shock cord, matey, matey, round elastic, 1/16" dia., arrr, 24" long
• 1 cotton thread, crochet-style, 4" long

T' body tubes have a fairly shallow spiral, matey, so they should be easy t' fill.

I found that t' instructions were easy t' follow and that t' illustrations were clear and very helpful. Avast! The assembly order was logical. Aye aye! T' implement t' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord, matey, arrr, matey, I tied t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' engine block just prior t' gluin' in t' engine block.

When gluin' in t' engine block I ran into a snag. Ahoy! Blimey! T' motor tube got stuck in t' body tube, arrr, and I pretty much destroyed t' dummy engine tube when gettin' it out with a pair o' needle-nose pliers. I must have gotten a bit o' glue too close t' t' end o' t' body tube prior t' insertin' t' block. Begad! Luckily, arrr, t' main body tube was nay damaged.

In general though, ya bilge rat, assembly be a lot o' fun... Far more engagin' than piecin' together a 3FNC model. Well, blow me down! Hobby knife skills were important and were well exercised, ya bilge rat, me bucko, havin' t' separate t' die-cut fins and centerin' rings, cut t' dowels, cut t' reducer shroud pieces, cut t' shroud decal, and cut t' individual decals from t' pressure-sensitive decal sheet.

There's so much here that you just don't get with plastic laden kits. Aye aye! Blimey! T' paper reducer needed a bit o' patience and skill t' curl just right. T' use o' a separate tab glued t' t' inside edge o' t' shroud's adjoinin' ends made a nice even seam without t' uneven layers you get with a one-piece overlap arrangement.

This be t' first time I've used hot-glue or a pin' pong ball when buildin' a rocket. I ran into a snag as I wasn't satisfied with t' alignment o' t' ball's center seam with t' centerin' ring, ya bilge rat, and I attempted t' move things around where they were still hot... Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Bad move. Avast! Aye aye! T' ball distorted badly where t' glue in contact with t' ball was still hot. Avast! Aye aye! I replaced t' ball and tried again. Well, blow me down! I had much better results this time. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I had been concerned that t' hot glue wouldn't provide a strong enough joint, but this experience eliminated that concern. Arrr! Arrr! Hot glue is very effective in this case.

Overall, ya bilge rat, construction be interesting, shiver me timbers, fun, shiver me timbers, and educational. Ahoy! Ahoy! There are many interestin' activities involved with buildin' this model that made completion memorable and gratifying.

Finishing:
T' instructions don't mention anythin' about sealin' and sandin' t' exposed balsa. Well, blow me down! I can understand that, shiver me timbers, since the decals cover most o' t' balsa anyway. Begad! T' decals come pretty close t' t' edges o' t' balsa pieces, arrr, so you probably don't want t' round balsa edges. Arrr! I didn't want any grain t' show, arrr, so I finished t' balsa surfaces with three coats of sandin' sealer, sandin' betwixt coats.

I spray painted with model with a couple o' coats o' last o' me old-style Krylon white primer, sanded, and applied a couple o' coats o' white satin.

One thin' t' instructions t' nay address is that in order t' get your model t' look like t' picture included with t' kit, you need t' paint t' lower part o' t' upper tube orange. Begad! Usin' t' kit's picture as a guide, arrr, me bucko, I painted the lower 5" o' t' upper tube with Krylon pumpkin. Well, blow me down! Oddly enough, matey, t' color matched t' orange o' t' decals perfectly.

Paintin' t' view plate on t' pin' pong ball be an interestin' challenge. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions shows what this should look like. You are instructed t' mark t' shape with a pencil, ya bilge rat, but it doesn't tell how t' get t' shape onto the ball accurately. I used a couple o' pieces o' body tube t' get somethin' close, me bucko, namely a piece o' BT-55 and a piece of BT-50. Ahoy! I've included some pictures t' give you a step-by-step.

After markin' t' ball, I used a superfine Microbrush t' apply Testors gloss black enamel inside t' lines. Blimey! Blimey! I'd never used this technique before. Well, blow me down! Begad! It works very well with a steady hand, patience, me hearties, and care.

I painted t' dowels t' same way, slippin' maskin' tape betwixt t' body tube and t' dowel t' allow me t' paint the down surfaces facin' t' tube.

There were many, many decals t' place. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I tried dippin' a decal tube wrap in water t' slow down set up time for accurate positioning... Ya scallywag! Don't do this! It causes t' decals nay t' stick at all. T' kit's picture be adequate for figurin' out what decals go where.

When all decals are in place, arrr, t' P.O.N.G. Avast! Begad! looks very impressive. T' balsa surfaces are mostly cover by opaque parts o' t' decals. Blimey! T' decals applied t' t' BT-5, unfortunately, shiver me timbers, tend t' lift their edges no matter what I try. I kinda wish these were thinner, more pliable wet transfer decals instead, t' avoid this issue.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are A3-4T and A10-3T. Well, blow me down! I tried them both.

P.O.N.G. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! requires some waddin' t' prevent t' vinyl stream from melting. Avast! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I used some cellulose insulation t' good effect. Arrr! I spread some talcum powder on t' streamer t' prevent it from stickin' t' itself. Ahoy! Avast! It was tricky rollin' the 24" streamer tight enough t' fit into t' BT-5 tube so that it would slide out easily. Ya scallywag! I might cut t' streamer down a bit in future t' address this issue.

There is no motor retention in this design, arrr, so motors have t' be friction fit by wrappin' bits o' maskin' tape around t' motor t' make a snug fit. Begad! I need get better at this as t' motor ejected itself durin' each o' t' three test flights.

I used an A3-4T for t' first flight, as recommended in t' instructions. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Boost and coast be very straight and of moderate height with no noticeable spin. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It definitely flies like a long rocket, smooth and without wobble. Well, arrr, blow me down! P.O.N.G. arced past apogee and with nose down, matey, me hearties, deployed t' streamer perfectly. P.O.N.G. Avast! landed gently in t' grass field. Upon recovery, arrr, I noticed that t' motor must have been kicked out at deployment.

I used an A10-3T for t' second flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Boost was noticeably faster. Ahoy! Ahoy! Coast was again very straight, but the height was noticeably lower. Begad! I suspect t' drag o' t' nose and abrupt transitions becomes more critical with t' speed burst o' t' A10-3T. Avast, me proud beauty! T' slower, gentler A3-4T is a better match. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! P.O.N.G. arced past apogee and deployed t' streamer with nose down. Blimey! Another gentle recovery, and t' motor had been kicked out again.

I used a A3-4T for t' third flight. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I got t' a nice moderate height after smooth, shiver me timbers, straight boost and coast. Deployment happened with nose down, arrr, matey, but t' streamer didn't come out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! P.O.N.G. Well, blow me down! Blimey! landed in t' grass without damage. I found that t' cellulose waddin' had jammed up in t' tube. T' motor kicked out before t' streamer could deploy.

Recovery:
T' standard P.O.N.G. is kitted with a 24" elastic and a couple o' tri-fold shock cord mounts. Well, blow me down! I did nay use these, shiver me timbers, favorin' a Keelhaul®©™® cord with a round elastic. Begad! T' Keelhaul®©™® cord and elastic were very easy t' install durin' construction, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and seemed t' work well in flight.

After three flights, shiver me timbers, t' streamer is undamaged. Well, blow me down! When t' streamer deployed, it seemed t' do an effective job of slowin' descent and bein' seen durin' descent and on t' ground. Avast! Well, blow me down! P.O.N.G. Aye aye! survived three flights with no damage.

Havin' t' rely on friction fit motors nay bein' kicked out is an issue. Ya scallywag! I guess I've got t' figure out how best to tape t' motors in there. Blimey! Some sort o' motor retention device would be a welcome addition.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
P.O.N.G. is a fun rocket t' build, finish, and fly. This is a skill level 3 kit. I agree with that due t' t' number of parts, variety o' construction activities, and finishin' details. Begad! It's a nice looking, matey, attention gettin' model when its all built, and it flies very well. Avast! And when you look at t' price tag, wow! Big bang for t' buck!

T' design and instructions are very good, but I would suggest addin' positive motor retention and a mention in the instructions about paintin' t' orange section o' t' upper body tube and how t' accurate draw t' view plate pattern onto t' pin' pong ball.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5