Brief:
T' Custom Rockets S.L.V. Begad! Blimey! is a futuristic rocket kit with three different sizes o' body tube, me hearties, two different card stock tube transitions, ya bilge rat, and six small fins. Begad! T' manufacturer lists it as a Skill Level 3, and I feel that it is more o' a 2, ya bilge rat, with a few tricky spots.

Construction:

• 1 plastic nosecone with base
• 1 BT50 2.75"
• 2 BT20 9"
• 1 BT20 coupler
• 1 BT60 3"
• 1 Engine block for BT20
• 4 Centerin' rings BT20 t' BT50
• 6 Centerin' rings BT20 t' BT60 (Cardstock
• 2 Sheets o' balsa fins (die-cut, but with sharp dies)
• 2 1/8" dowels 6" long
• Sewin' elastic shock cord 16" x 1/4"
• 12" plastic bag parachute
• Pre-printed card stock for transition shrouds
• Self-adhesive decals
• Tri-fold shock cord mount

Openin' t' bag, I laid out t' parts and took inventory. T' first thin' that I noticed was t' lack o' any motor retention. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Oh, joy, me first friction-fit rocket kit.

T' instructions were printed on both sides o' a single sheet o' legal-sized paper, shiver me timbers, me bucko, folded into a pamphlet. Readin' through t' build details, ya bilge rat, I realized that this was a dressed-up minimum-diameter rocket, and as such, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I had no separate motor mount t' tie me Keelhaul®©™ to. That was gotcha #2.

I followed t' instructions, me hearties, arrr, and soon found gotcha #3, me hearties, arrr, t' measurements for t' spacin' o' t' aft centerin' rings are just shy o' 1/8" off, and as such, me hearties, t' 3" BT-60 did nay cover all t' centerin' rings like it was supposed to. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! With some creativity concernin' t' mountin' o' t' lower shroud, me hearties, matey, I avoided a complete mess.

Once t' gotchas were past, t' rest o' t' build was fairly easy, matey, shiver me timbers, sand t' fins, me hearties, double-glue t' fins with Titebond, assemble t' upper half with t' card stock shroud and t' smaller centerin' rings, and join t' 2 halves with t' BT-20 coupler. Ya scallywag! I had fillets on t' fins and launch lug dryin' before bedtime, arrr, and t' next day after work, matey, ya bilge rat, I was ready for finishing.

Finishing:
I brushed thinned Elmer's Wood Filler onto t' fins, sanded them when dry, shiver me timbers, and painted with 2 coats o' primer and 2 coats o' Rustoleum Painters Touch gloss white. Begad! After 48 hours o' drying, I masked off everythin' but t' fins and added 2 coats o' Painters Touch gloss black t' t' fins. Ya scallywag! Testors gloss black (tiny glass bottles) was brushed onto t' small dowel details, and I be ready for t' stickers. Aye aye! I was surprised t' see that t' shroud details were printed on a sheet o' vinyl, rather than t' cheaper paper stickers, arrr, shiver me timbers, and that thar were no pre-cut edges, so that they could be tailored t' t' exact shrouds installed on t' model. Blimey! T' rest o' t' decals were ordinary peel and stick, and they went on fairly easily. Begad! Two more coats o' clearcoat, matey, and I was ready for launch. Aye aye! T' only trouble I had was t' adhesive on t' upper shroud decal was a bit weak, matey, and I needed t' add a drop o' CA t' keep t' decal in place.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew this little missile three times at t' NOVAAR August monthly launch, shiver me timbers, and aside from some recovery annoyances, me hearties, and t' fact that I don't trust friction-fit motor retention, me hearties, all three launches were picture perfect. Ahoy! On a C6-5 each time, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, boosts were almost straight up, arrr, matey, with a slight spin from most likely a slightly crooked fin. Begad! With a rocket this small and light, ya bilge rat, t' C6-5 sent it high enough that it was tough for me t' track, ya bilge rat, matey, shiver me timbers, but I saw t' ejection event each time, and each time it was right at apogee. Blimey! T' only negative about flight that I can think o' be t' launch lug is a bit tight on t' smallest launch rods we have. Aye aye! Otherwise, me bucko, t' SLV is a solid little performer, and I would nay hesitate t' launch on anythin' from an A motor up t' a C motor.

Recovery:
This is a small rocket, shiver me timbers, with minimal internal space, so I went with t' trifold shock cord mount, ya bilge rat, rather than tryin' t' rig up an extended Keelhaul®©™ cord attachment. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! On t' plus side, t' shock cord was fairly long and made o' sewin' elastic which should outlast any similar sized rubber-band shock cord. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' drawback t' t' recovery system be t' "coil t' shroud under t' sticker on t' corner o' t' parachute" which never fails t' lose grip on one or more shroud lines durin' descent. Begad! If thar were space, I would replace it with a nylon 'chute, ya bilge rat, but as it is, arrr, if I choose t' continue flyin' this one, I will substitute a mylar parachute. Ahoy! Avast! Stuffin' dog barf into t' thin center tube from either end provides a damage-free recovery, me bucko, shiver me timbers, even with t' loose shroud lines makin' it more o' a streamer than a parachute. After three launches, matey, t' only damage t' t' rocket be t' shroud lines that won't stick.