Brief:
T' FlippiFin is a unique design that uses a surplus spring-loaded military flare fincan. Well, blow me down! Blimey! When loaded into its launch tube, me hearties, t' curved fins are flat against t' body. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! When t' rocket exits t' tube, t' springs pop t' fins out, providin' stabilization.

Picture courtesy o' Aerocon

Construction:
Most o' t' parts for t' FlippiFin are your standard rocket fare: a body tube, matey, plastic nosecone, shock cord material, matey, me hearties, parachute and centerin' rings. Begad! Blimey! In keepin' with Aerocon's large line o' surplus military equipment, shiver me timbers, t' included parachute is a surplus olive drab X-form. T' most important component, o' course, arrr, be t' spring-loaded fincan, which gives t' FlippiFin its name. Due t' t' weight o' t' fincan, matey, t' necessary 2.6oz o' noseweight required t' keep t' rocket stable is also included. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Rather than t' elastic we see in some kits, t' FlippiFin's shock cord comes in two parts. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' first is a thin Keelhaul®©™® cord which is used t' provide an anchor t' a tab on t' fincan. This cord is small enough in diameter that, ya bilge rat, if used alone, matey, it would easily zipper t' body tube. T' prevent this, ya bilge rat, 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, with no real surprises. Avast! Blimey! A bit o' trial and error is required in fittin' t' fincan, arrr, arrr, due t' its nonstandard dimensions. Begad! Aye aye! T' install t' fincan, ya bilge rat, me hearties, maskin' tape is used t' create centerin' rings on t' motor mount. Blimey! Since no two brands o' maskin' tape are exactly identical in thickness, t' instructions give an approximation on t' number o' wraps required. Begad! Ahoy! I found that I had t' remove some o' t' tape in order t' get a good fit. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Since t' actual mountin' rings on t' fincan are only about 1/8" wide, arrr, 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. Begad! Once t' tape rings are properly sized, t' single most critical aspect o' t' construction is next -- gluin' t' fincan in place with thin CA. Arrr! Here, t' instructions state t' make sure t' fins still open after gluing. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' implied batten down t' hatches isn't nearly strong enough! It took 3 seconds o' CA work t' render me fincan inoperative. Ahoy! Blimey! It took 3 HOURS o' work t' clean t' CA out o' t' hingset. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! On me second attempt, me bucko, I used a bottle o' CA with a small (approx 1mm) applicator extension tip, which allowed very fine control o' t' CA. Blimey! Aye aye! With t' extension tip, 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. Blimey! And, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Because o' this, me hearties, t' fincan is best masked off for spray-painting, matey, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Launch opportunities for t' FlippiFin will be limited in general, matey, ya bilge rat, due t' t' metal fincan. Blimey! T' instructions explicitly state that this rocket is nay approved for use at NARRRRR launches, me bucko, so plan accordingly! T' instructions list three motors, me bucko, only two o' which I listed in this review. Ahoy! T' D12 is listed as a "marginal" flight, due t' rocket weight. Begad! When t' vendor lists a motor as "marginal", t' me, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, that means "don't use it!" T' other two motors are single-use Aerotech motors, me hearties, me hearties, while all t' 24mm motors I buy are RMS, so I decided t' go that route, arrr, instead, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and made use o' an F39 I had available. Preparation o' t' rocket is no different than most others. Begad! Aye aye! A small handful o' cellulose insulation, followed by t' parachute and shock cord, ya bilge rat, arrr, then t' nosecone. T' 24mm RMS motor was given a TIGHT friction fit with a bit o' maskin' tape, arrr, t' make sure I got me casin' back, arrr, and everythin' be just about ready t' go. Ya scallywag! Igniter installation gains a slightly different twist, due t' t' tube launcher. T' igniter is installed in t' motor, me bucko, arrr, t' breech plug removed from t' tube, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' rocket slid in. Ahoy! 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. Begad! This is placed on t' pad, shiver me timbers, and t' exposed igniter leads hooked up. On t' F39 I've used thus far, t' rocket literally EXPLODES from t' tube. Begad! T' effect is incredibly, and everyone jumped, shiver me timbers, due t' t' noise. Blimey! Ya scallywag! One club member who was about 150 yards off, matey, recoverin' one o' his own rockets, though it was a CATO, instead o' a launch!

Recovery:
Havin' misplaced t' original parachute, I substituted another parachute o' approximately t' same size. Begad! Recovery was perfect, with nary a din' on t' rocket. Avast! T' aft o' t' rocket, me bucko, arrr, does have some minor black markings, due t' t' rocket exhaust bein' contained by t' tube launcher, 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. Begad! If your local club is a NARRRRR club, shiver me timbers, and you only have opportunities t' fly under their rules, arrr, t' FlippiFin is nay for you. Begad! Arrr! If you hold private launches, or have a local Tripoli prefect, matey, 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, ya bilge rat, addition t' a launch. While some may feel t' metal fincan makes t' rocket "unsafe", ya bilge rat, matey, ya bilge rat, I feel it is no less safe than t' G10 fins we see on some similar-sized rockets.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5