Brief:
I won this kit in t' DesconX contest and decided t' try somethin' that I hadn't done since '67, buildin' a kit per t' instructions, exactly per the instructions, no changes or improvements at all. Ahoy! I normally wouldn't consider a rash act like this, but while trial fittin' t' parts, I was very surprised to find that all t' parts fit on t' first try, arrr, no sandin' or other modifications were goin' t' be needed. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It was also obvious that this was nay a thin Estes tube that needed reinforcin' or extra support for 18 mm D engines. Well, blow me down! The "Tuff Tube" trademark is serious. T' BT 50 equivalent had a wall thickness o' .031, me bucko, almost twice t' thickness o' an Estes tube and .006 thicker than a LOC 24mm Motor Tube. Avast! I was very impressed t' find a tube that thick with a spiral that I couldn't feel with a fingernail. Begad! I thought briefly about buildin' it for a 24 mm mount t' try out some o' t' new C11's, but t' ID of the tube is just a bit too tight for Estes and Aerotech 24 mm motors, matey, so it was back t' buildin' it absolutely stock. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Construction:
T' kit comes with a heavy duty BT-50 and a standard BT-20 motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! The motor mount is centered by two wound cardboard rings. Begad! It has another wound cardboard rin' for an engine block, but no clip for motor retention, instead it goes back t' t' old way o' friction fittin' t' motor with tape. It uses a 24 inch long piece o' 1/8 inch sewin' elastic for a shock cord, ya bilge rat, mounted usin' a tri-fold piece o' card stock. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is a beautiful piece o' 7-inch long balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! You cut t' fins and t' launch lug stand offs out o' a piece of pre-marked balsa, arrr, t' launch lugs are standard 1/8 inch mylar. Avast! For recovery, there is a very nice little pre-assembled 10-inch nylon parasheet with a snap swivel.

This be a really nice kit t' build, t' instructions were great, pretty much followin' t' normal small model buildin' sequence. Aye aye! Blimey! Build t' motor mount, add t' fins, me hearties, then t' launch lugs. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Glue up t' shock cord and mount, place it as far down t' BT as you can reach. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Add a card stock engine nozzle and some optional card stock spin motors. Begad! Blimey! Attach t' parachute usin' a screw eye (haven't used one o' those since '67 either) and swivel clip and go paint it. Actual buildin' time be a bit less than two hours, me hearties, usin' strictly DAP Carpenters Glue (Yellow Glue), no epoxy or power tools were needed and I didn't have t' go out t' t' hardware store lookin' for any extra parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' only required tool be an Exacto Knife, shiver me timbers, I chose t' use a Razor Saw since all the cuts for t' fins are straight lines. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' most difficult step in t' assembly is gettin' t' two launch lugs and their stand offs straight. I was very tempted t' use a couple o' drops o' CA, arrr, ya bilge rat, but resisted.

T' only part that I wasn't completely satisfied with be t' motor mount. It looks like t' same blue/green tube that Estes uses, me hearties, and I feel that it should be a much stronger tube t' live up t' t' potential o' t' "Tuff Tube" used for t' BT.

I also did nay add t' optional spin motors, me hearties, arrr, shiver me timbers, I just didn't have t' time to get them right and I liked t' shape o' t' nose cone without them.

Finishing:
I used Elmers Fill and Finish (FNF) thinned down t' milky consistency and painted two coats o' that on all t' balsa surfaces. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After sandin' it down, I remembered why I was so happy when t' first plastic nose cones came out. Avast! Blimey! That beautiful 7-inch balsa nose cone needed three more coats before it showed a smooth surface. Arrr! Blimey! I then put on a single coat o' Kilz Spray Primer. Aye aye! Blimey! I was right about t' lack o' spiral lines, ya bilge rat, one coat o' Kilz completely covered what little line thar was on t' BT.

I painted mine completely with two coats o' White Krylon, arrr, choosin' nay to mask off for a Black fin. Blimey! I then added t' water slide decals and a cover coat of Clear Krylon. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' decals went on easily and look great.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight had t' wait almost four months, me bucko, because o' t' open fire ban in Colorado, arrr, no rockets anywhere in t' state all summer.

With a finished weight o' only 1 3/4 ounces (50 grams) it should be a good flyer on any engine from an A8-3 for a schoolyard safe 180 feet, t' a C6-5 for 840 feet. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! For those that really want t' see it move, me hearties, me bucko, t' D13, shiver me timbers, D21 and D24 with 7 second delays all check in at about 1400 feet, and t' D3-5 looks good for about 1900 feet after a 6 second motor burn.

I tried it first on an Estes A8-3 and had me first ever CATO o' an A8-3. T' motor burn be great, t' rocket went almost straight up, just a very slight rotation t' keep it straight, good trackin' smoke, then instead o' a nice POP at ejection, thar was just a HISS that lasted about two seconds. Aye aye! The ejection charge had just fizzled, me hearties, matey, toastin' t' waddin' and meltin' t' nylon chute and shock cord. T' only good part was that t' nose cone was pushed off just enough t' prevent a lawn dart. Avast! When I went t' pick up t' model, shiver me timbers, I expected t' see burns and blisters thru t' body tube, arrr, since I had seen smoke pourin' out both ends on t' way down. Ya scallywag! I be very surprised t' find that other than one snapped fin, shiver me timbers, t' only damage was t' melted chute and t' shock cord had been burned thru in several places. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' Tuff Tube had come thru with no damage at all, matey, fantastic considerin' t' chute and waddin' had blocked the tube, me bucko, containin' all t' ejection heat and pressure inside.

T' model be easily repaired, t' fin went right back on with Yellow Glue and a bit o' FNF t' fill t' crack, then touched up with a brush dipped in some White Krylon. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' shock cord was a bit harder, I had t' soak t' paper tri-fold shock cord mount with water until t' glue softened enough t' peel out t' old mount, and then replace it with a new mount and shock cord. T' chute was a complete loss, but easily replaced with one o' me own 10 inch nylon chutes.

T' model has flown since on A8-3, B6-4 and C6-5 with great results, matey, always straight up, me bucko, ya bilge rat, no weather cockin' at all, just a slow rotation on t' way up and ejection right at apogee. Arrr! Blimey!

Recovery:
T' 10 inch nylon chute is perfect, arrr, it packs easily, me bucko, brings t' model down quickly, but with no damage even on our hard field. T' only damage since the first flite CATO was when t' model came back down right on our club's aluminum beam launch rack, t' sharp edges o' t' aluminum rack dinged up t' nose cone and two fins, requirin' more FNF and White Krylon.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Excellent, me bucko, a well designed kit with above average parts, it gets many comments from fliers askin' where I found a vintage Estes kit. Arrr! Blimey! All are surprised when I tell them that it's nay t' Estes original, me hearties, but that it's much better. Avast! Blimey! It should be a great choice for a second or third kit for a new flyer. Begad! Blimey! It is built of much heavier materials than most kits o' this size and should be able to stand up very well t' rough handling. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You could add an engine hook, shiver me timbers, but then it won't look right and it won't stand up by itself.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5