Brief:
I chose this rocket because I be sick o' all t' "normal" looking rockets. Aye aye! In New Zealand, ya bilge rat, only Quest and SOME Estes kits are available, and a look through what was available in NZ made me realize that, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, on t' most part, they all looked t' same. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Then I came across this little beast! A very unusual "rocket" indeed. Well, blow me down! Looks just like its full-sized counterpart, with "solar panels", "fuel tanks" and a unique nose cone assembly. Begad! Six (6) fins at t' base o' t' satellite provide good stability to this high-drag rocket, and six (6) "fuel" tubes make this rocket stand out from t' crowd! It is now t' most popular rocket in me small local rocket club and is a firm favorite o' spectators.

Construction:
T' heart o' t' kit be t' unique molded nose cone, me hearties, which is rather difficult to describe, so check out t' pic included with this review. With 10 cardboard tubes in t' kit, it pays t' identify them a.s.a.p and mark them with a pencil. Fins were well made.

This kit is nay hard t' make, but does require patience and attention to detail. Begad! With 6 fins and 6 "fuel" tanks havin' t' be installed, it does get a bit tricky. But patience and attention t' detail with result in one hot lookin' rocket! A word o' warnin' and advise. Ahoy! Make sure you fillet the fin/body tube joints WELL, as they can be a bit fragile. Well, blow me down! Fuel cells are just over 2" long tubes, which are topped and tailed with cardboard discs. Begad! Ahoy! Two rectangular "solar panels" are installed on t' body tube just above the fins. NOTE: When you mark t' body tube as per t' fin markin' template included in t' kit, make sure you write down in pencil on t' body tube exactly WHAT each line/guide is for, as you need t' draw 16 lines in all!

Finishing:
Paint t' rocket as per t' instructions, ie: white body, silver fins and nose cone. Arrr! I found when I coated t' finished rocket with clear paint, me hearties, the chrome-painted parts dulled, me bucko, which was a little disappointing. Ya scallywag! I HATE water-slide decals! I see this as a major downfall. I thought water-slide decals disappeared shortly after me youth, matey, but obviously t' need t' make a few cents extra by usin' cheap water-slide decals is all powerful. Avast!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' 18mm motors are retained by a Estes motor clip. Aye aye! Begad! After havin' a few problems in t' past with Quest motor clips breakin' and bending, I found this particular clip t' be far superior. Well done, Estes! There is a lot of parasitic drag on this rocket, and you really need t' launch it on a C motor. Blimey! I prefer usin' a C6-3 for this baby, me hearties, me bucko, matey, so that it looses as little altitude as possible after apogee. Begad! Arrr! With its low-speed take-off's, it REALLY does look impressive, ya bilge rat, indeed! Max altitude is around 300feet. Avast! Begad!

Recovery:
I love Estes parachutes! Havin' been disappointed with Quest parachutes, it was good t' find a half-decent parachute from Estes. Ahoy! Standard Estes shock-cord mountin' is used. Aye aye! Do put an extra sheet o' waddin' in it. Avast, me proud beauty! One o' t' downfalls of this kit from a purely cosmetic aspect be t' fact t' t' tops o' t' fuel cells gets a bit "burned" by t' ejection smoke. Aye aye! I have suffered fin damage on more than half me flights, shiver me timbers, me bucko, this is due t' me launchin' it in less-than-perfect weather conditions. Begad! If launched on a clear, me bucko, fine day with no wind, shiver me timbers, everythin' is fine. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
If you want a rocket that is "different" and unusual, arrr, go for this one. I don't know if t' SDI Satellite is still in production, as we in New Zealand are, alas, me hearties, behind t' times.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5