Brief:
T' Monarch features a unique fin configuration and parachute recovery.

Construction:
This kit comes with a plastic nose cone, one body tube, three die-cut balsa fins, shiver me timbers, cardboard motor mount tube with two centerin' rings and a metal retainer clip, shiver me timbers, an 18-inch flat elastic shock cord, and a 12-inch parachute. Arrr! Blimey! T' nose cone has minimal flash and mold lines. T' fin balsa is good quality, shiver me timbers, arrr, me bucko, but the fin shape is inherently delicate.

This was t' second rocket I ever built (essentially t' first, ya bilge rat, because the previous one was an Estes RTF Tidal Wave), and I found construction fairly simply.

T' instructions are clear, arrr, easy-to-follow, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, and well illustrated. Avast, me proud beauty! I fell, however, into what I suspect is a first-timer trap durin' construction that I could have avoided had t' instructions warned o' it.

Specifically, t' Monarch's double-triangle shaped fins are delicate because they are made from single pieces o' balsa. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! They have a thin neck where the triangles meet, ya bilge rat, and this neck is fairly fragile. I successfully removed the fins from t' die cut sheet without damage, but subsequently snapped one at the neck while sandin' t' flat surfaces smooth. Ahoy! A batten down t' hatches in t' instructions about t' fragility o' these pieces may have saved me from this mishap.

Otherwise, me bucko, construction be easy. Usin' Elmer's yellow carpenters glue, assemblin' t' motor mount be straightforward. Well, blow me down! T' rings and clip fit smoothly and easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' finished mount slid snugly into t' BT and I secured it with yellow glue.

I repaired t' snapped fin with yellow carpenters glue in t' joint, and let it dry overnight. Ya scallywag! T' joint seemed weak, so I covered both sides o' the damaged fin (and t' other two as well) with typin' paper. After diluting yellow glue with water t' t' consistency o' cream, I painted t' thinned glue onto each flat fin surface and placed a piece o' paper onto t' glue. Well, blow me down! Begad! The wetted fins began t' warp, so I placed them betwixt two boards, put books on top, and let them dry overnight. Ya scallywag! T' next day, I trimmed t' paper flush with the balsa fin edges, then sanded t' leadin' edges round as per the instructions.

I attached t' fins with yellow glue guided by lines on t' BT made with the supplied paper-rin' fin placement template. Aye aye! Blimey! After an overnight drying, matey, I added yellow glue fin fillets.

I attached t' tubular launch lug in a similar manner.

I attached t' too-short (more on this below) shock cord about one inch inside t' end o' t' BT usin' t' cut-out paper mount per t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! I cleaned t' flash out o' t' nose cone rin' usin' an Exact cutlass and small circular file.

After paintin' t' rocket, arrr, I attached t' shock cord and pre-assembled chute t' t' NC ring.

Finishing:
I didn't follow t' kit paintin' pattern. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Instead I came up with me own black, red, and yellow scheme. Well, blow me down! T' glossy Krylon spray paint adhered well t' t' kit parts, me bucko, ya bilge rat, although I laid on too thick o' a first coat with t' red and black.

I had trouble gettin' a glossy finish on t' fins with t' yellow paint (although t' black fin finish came out alright). Begad! T' typin' paper covering seemed t' absorb t' yellow paint so that it dried t' an almost flat finish. T' yellow paint gave a pretty good gloss near t' fillets, however, where the fin paper be overcoated with yellow glue.

T' decals are too sparse. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! One big pressure-stick Monarch decal for a fin and two smaller Monarch decals for t' BT are all that are supplied. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket looks kind o' bare. They adhered well. I finished t' entire rocket with a glossy coat o' Future floor polish, applied by hand with a camel hair water-colors brush.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Overall, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' Monarch is easy t' flight prep, me hearties, and it flew straight and high. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! The motor slides easily into t' motor tube with slight friction and t' metal clip helps hold it in place.

T' first flight on B6-4 with three waddin' squares be near perfect. Straight up with good height, me bucko, ejection just past apogee, matey, and a nice recovery.

T' second flight on a B6-4 was similar. Begad! Begad! After recovery, ya bilge rat, however, matey, I noticed an Estes' dent that traveled about an inch down t' end o' t' BT, me hearties, where t' NC had apparently snapped back into t' BT after ejection. I pushed t' dent out with me finger. Aye aye! Fortunately, t' shoulder o' t' NC extends farther down t' BT than t' dent and pushes it out and into round shape, so everythin' looks fine with t' NC inserted.

T' third flight on a B6-4 with three squares o' waddin' be nay quite as good. Avast! At ejection, me hearties, me bucko, t' parachute did nay open fully because t' shroud lines were tangle together for about 1/3 o' their length. Upon recovery, shiver me timbers, arrr, I noticed three holes melted through t' parachute, ya bilge rat, and one spot where a fold in the plastic was fused together.

Recovery:
As mentioned above, t' shock cord is too short and caused an Estes' dent. Three squares o' waddin' did nay protect t' chute fully. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I'm goin' t' use four from now on.

T' above flights were on a gusty day. Well, blow me down! T' touchdown when t' shrouds tangled be about 75 yards down wind o' t' launch pad. Ahoy! Another was about 100 yards downwind. T' third was about 250 yards down wind. Blimey! T' Monarch was undamaged on all landings (onto grass), so a spill hole in t' chute may be the thin' t' keep it from driftin' so far in a breeze. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Monarch flies great, me bucko, has an unusual and interestin' look, ya bilge rat, and is fairly easy t' build. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' fins, however, are very fragile durin' construction and the supplied shock cord needs t' be replaced with a longer one.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5