Brief:
This is a micro-sized downscale o' t' very popular Deuce's Wild!, scaled to fly on t' Quest MicroMaxx engines. Begad! While it's a very cool concept, given the tiny size o' t' components, arrr, I would recommend it only t' skilled and patient modelers. Blimey! Well, blow me down! This is a tiny kit in appearance only--it's still got at least as much construction work as a "regular size" low power rocket.

Construction:
FlisKits has spent a great deal o' time preparin' t' enter t' Micromaxx market, and that effort shows up in t' quality o' t' components in this kit. T' body tubes are good quality kraft paper and centerin' rings are laser cut from what appears t' be plywood. Ya scallywag! T' kit did nay come with a parts list, so when you open it up be careful nay t' sneeze as you won't know what t' look for!

It includes:

• 2 Motor mount tubes
• 1 Body tube
• 1 Balsa nose cone
• Balsa fin stock (4 fins)
• 2 Centerin' rin' motor blocks
• 1 Canted motor mount alignment disk
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® (thread) shock cord
• 1 Crepe paper streamer
• 2 Launch lugs

In a clear break from t' normal FlisKits instruction style, t' micro kits include a single two-sided page o' instructions. Aye aye! While these are OK, arrr, I don't think they are quite as thoroughly written or illustrated as t' standard kit instructions. Begad! Still, me bucko, t' illustrations are well done, me bucko, me hearties, matey, and t' instructions are sufficient t' guide an experienced builder. I would rate this a skill level 3 kit, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, mainly due t' t' intricacy o' t' motor mount and t' tiny scale o' the project.

T' motor mount is composed o' two tubes with angled cuts at t' forward end. Avast! Begad! They are then bonded on t' angled portion with a disk spacer mounted a half inch from t' bottoms t' keep them aligned. Aye aye! This is very much like the standard Deuce although t' standard Deuce doesn't require cut motor tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! I found this assembly took a good deal o' patience as t' fit on me angled cuts wasn't exactly perfect.

One interestin' aspect o' t' motor mount that gives you a real taste for the challenge o' buildin' micro scale be t' engine blocks. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Yeah, arrr, it's just a basic centerin' rin' pushed most o' t' way up t' tube, but this particular rin' is less than 0.25" OD and you have t' use somethin' like a toothpick to apply t' bead o' glue inside t' motor tube.

T' make room for t' canted motor mount, you'll need t' scallop out the bottom o' t' body tube, me bucko, me bucko, just like t' standard Deuce. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This is done usin' a template and was pretty simple. It does however require a steady hand and sharp blade. Begad! Before gluin' t' mount in, you'll want t' anchor t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord.

With t' motor mount in place, it's a good idea t' fillet/fill t' seam between t' motor mounts and t' body tube. Begad! Once that's done, matey, you can then cut out and mount t' 4 fins. Begad! If you don't fill t' seams before mountin' t' fins, you'll find thar's no room t' work--another aspect o' buildin' micros.

T' nose cone is held in place by pokin' a hole in t' base and gluin' a knotted end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® into it. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! A wire brad is included t' do t' pokin' if you lack a tool.

T' original release o' t' FlisKits micro kits included plastic coffee stirrers as launch lugs (they must have come in a package deal with all those foam cups they're usin' in other designs). T' current release o' these kits include very nicely wound paper tubes and older kits can get t' paper lugs for free upon request. Aye aye! Begad! I held out for t' paper ones as I liked t' look better, plus felt they were easier t' bond.

Finishing:
I've found workin' in this tiny scale, shiver me timbers, me bucko, maskin' for multi-color paint jobs can be a real pain. Well, blow me down! Begad! For this kit, ya bilge rat, I skipped me usual seam-fillin' routine and went straight t' a couple o' coats o' primer followed by 2 coats o' Krylon OSHA yellow. I then hand painted t' fins and nose a neon green from Testors. Ya scallywag! The finished effect was pretty good, but it might have been worth t' effort to mask and spray.

There were no decals included in this kit. It would probably be cost prohibitive, me bucko, but I would really like t' have seen somethin' in t' way of waterslide decals for this as it's a very cool design and would benefit from at least a name on t' tube.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Clusterin' can be challengin' enough, but when you're talkin' about clustering Micromaxx motors, you're really workin' out thar on t' fringe. Well, blow me down! Blimey! First off, don't even think about usin' that UFO tower launch system that you probably got when you first went into MMX! Blimey! You might be able t' get away with t' tripod pad included in t' deluxe starter set, but ideally you'll need at least your own launch system t' deliver plenty o' juice t' heat up t' nichrome quickly.

T' instruction sheet devotes half t' space t' launch prep and tips. Blimey! The main thin' you'll need t' do is learn t' rework t' plastic plug-in igniters (or make/dip your own). Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Then you need t' extract t' nichrome wire and poke the loop all t' way into t' MMX motors and twist t' leads together.

Recovery:
I'm goin' t' have t' give Jim t' benefit o' t' doubt on t' flight as I only managed t' light one o' t' two motors on me maiden flight and had just finished off me pack that day so I didn't have spares on t' field. Begad! Blimey! T' single motor, shiver me timbers, firin' at a cant, caused an amusin' spin but nay enough thrust t' lift off, so t' Diminutive Deuce just twirled on t' rod, arrr, matey, concludin' the performance with t' deployment o' t' streamer. Avast! Blimey! All that was missin' was confetti waddin' instead o' t' dog barf wadding.

I'll make at least another couple o' attempts and post updates in the comment/opinion section at a later date

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: You just have t' love t' concept o' a Micromaxx cluster! Havin' bought a couple hundred motors when folks were dumpin' them for under $3 per 6-pack, it's great t' finally find some interestin' designs in this scale.

CONs: Clusterin' MMX has got t' be a pretty iffy proposition.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5