Brief:
T' FlippiFin is a unique design that uses a surplus spring-loaded military flare fincan. Ahoy! Blimey! When loaded into its launch tube, shiver me timbers, t' curved fins are flat against t' body. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! When t' rocket exits t' tube, t' springs pop t' fins out, matey, matey, providin' stabilization.

Picture courtesy o' Aerocon

Construction:
Most o' t' parts for t' FlippiFin are your standard rocket fare: a body tube, arrr, plastic nosecone, shock cord material, me hearties, parachute and centerin' rings. Begad! Aye aye! In keepin' with Aerocon's large line o' surplus military equipment, me bucko, t' included parachute is a surplus olive drab X-form. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' most important component, o' course, be t' spring-loaded fincan, which gives t' FlippiFin its name. Arrr! Due t' t' weight o' t' fincan, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, t' necessary 2.6oz o' noseweight required t' keep t' rocket stable is also included. Avast, me proud beauty! Rather than t' elastic we see in some kits, t' FlippiFin's shock cord comes in two parts. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' first is a thin Keelhaul®©™® cord which is used t' provide an anchor t' a tab on t' fincan. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! This cord is small enough in diameter that, arrr, if used alone, it would easily zipper t' body tube. T' prevent this, me bucko, t' exposed portion o' t' shock cord is a much wider length o' different material which will help protect t' body tube.

Assembly o' t' FlippiFin is very straightforward, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, with no real surprises. Well, blow me down! A bit o' trial and error is required in fittin' t' fincan, due t' its nonstandard dimensions. Begad! Aye aye! T' install t' fincan, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, maskin' tape is used t' create centerin' rings on t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Since no two brands o' maskin' tape are exactly identical in thickness, matey, t' instructions give an approximation on t' number o' wraps required. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I found that I had t' remove some o' t' tape in order t' get a good fit. Since t' actual mountin' rings on t' fincan are only about 1/8" wide, after achievin' t' proper thickness, I used an X-acto cutlass t' trim their width down so t' tape is completely hidden by t' fincan. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once t' tape rings are properly sized, matey, me bucko, t' single most critical aspect o' t' construction is next -- gluin' t' fincan in place with thin CA. Begad! Here, t' instructions state t' make sure t' fins still open after gluing. Begad! T' implied warnin' isn't nearly strong enough! It took 3 seconds o' CA work t' render me fincan inoperative. Aye aye! It took 3 HOURS o' work t' shipshape t' CA out o' t' hingset. Begad! On me second attempt, I used a bottle o' CA with a small (approx 1mm) applicator extension tip, me hearties, ya bilge rat, which allowed very fine control o' t' CA. Avast! With t' extension tip, ya bilge rat, I got sufficient CA wicked into t' tape t' harden those, as well as enough t' form a good solid bond betwixt t' fincan and t' tape. Ahoy! And, me bucko, arrr, matey, most importantly, me fincan works as it should! I plan on suggestin' t' Aerocon that they recommend t' use o' an extension tip in their instructions.

Finishing:
T' metal fincan on t' FlippiFin introduces an extra challenge in painting. Aye aye! Applyin' paint t' t' fincan would have t' same effect as gettin' CA into t' hingset and springs -- t' fincan would no longer operate. Begad! Because o' this, arrr, t' fincan is best masked off for spray-painting, arrr, and any finishin' o' t' fincan area should be done by hand. T' instructions recommend usin' a Sharpie-type black marker t' color in t' motor mount tube that is visible betwixt t' opened fins. Well, blow me down! Careful application o' paint with a small paintbrush would work as well, and would allow for more color options.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Since sprin' flyin' season is just startin' here in Nebraska, I've only had one opportunity t' launch me FlippiFin, shiver me timbers, at our most recent high-power launch. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Launch opportunities for t' FlippiFin will be limited in general, ya bilge rat, due t' t' metal fincan. Ahoy! T' instructions explicitly state that this rocket is nay approved for use at NARRRRR launches, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so plan accordingly! Blimey! T' instructions list three motors, arrr, only two o' which I listed in this review. Aye aye! T' D12 is listed as a "marginal" flight, due t' rocket weight. When t' vendor lists a motor as "marginal", shiver me timbers, t' me, that means "don't use it!" T' other two motors are single-use Aerotech motors, shiver me timbers, while all t' 24mm motors I buy are RMS, shiver me timbers, so I decided t' go that route, arrr, instead, and made use o' an F39 I had available. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Preparation o' t' rocket is no different than most others. A small handful o' cellulose insulation, followed by t' parachute and shock cord, me bucko, me bucko, then t' nosecone. Arrr! T' 24mm RMS motor was given a TIGHT friction fit with a bit o' maskin' tape, t' make sure I got me casin' back, matey, and everythin' was just about ready t' go. Begad! Avast! Blimey! Igniter installation gains a slightly different twist, due t' t' tube launcher. Well, blow me down! T' igniter is installed in t' motor, ya bilge rat, t' breech plug removed from t' tube, and t' rocket slid in. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' igniter leads must then pass out a small openin' right above t' breech plug, then t' plug can be reinstalled. T' tube launcher itself has a launch lug, t' allow a standard rod t' hold t' launcher vertical. This is placed on t' pad, and t' exposed igniter leads hooked up. On t' F39 I've used thus far, shiver me timbers, t' rocket literally EXPLODES from t' tube. Ahoy! Blimey! T' effect is incredibly, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and everyone jumped, ya bilge rat, due t' t' noise. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! One club member who was about 150 yards off, arrr, recoverin' one o' his own rockets, shiver me timbers, though it was a CATO, instead o' a launch!

Recovery:
Havin' misplaced t' original parachute, matey, I substituted another parachute o' approximately t' same size. Aye aye! Recovery was perfect, with nary a din' on t' rocket. Ya scallywag! T' aft o' t' rocket, arrr, does have some minor black markings, due t' t' rocket exhaust bein' contained by t' tube launcher, me bucko, me bucko, shiver me timbers, somethin' t' instructions mention will happen.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' only true detraction t' t' FlippiFin be t' limit that some people will experience in launch opportunities for this rocket. If your local club is a NARRRRR club, shiver me timbers, arrr, and you only have opportunities t' fly under their rules, t' FlippiFin is nay for you. Avast, me proud beauty! If you hold private launches, or have a local Tripoli prefect, shiver me timbers, then this is a fun little rocket! T' metal fincan and tube launcher makes for a unique, shiver me timbers, but safe, addition t' a launch. While some may feel t' metal fincan makes t' rocket "unsafe", matey, I feel it is no less safe than t' G10 fins we see on some similar-sized rockets.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5