Brief:
This is a relatively easy model 4FNC kit for enterin' mid-power rockets. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' quality o' t' components be high and instructions were top notch. This kit was me first foray into anythin' larger than 18mm engines, shiver me timbers, and it was a perfect start. Begad! I be initially a little skeptical o' me abilities but found t' kit so intuitive I barely needed the instructions. It's listed as a Skill Level 3, but I initially felt it's more o' a 2. Avast, me proud beauty! After launchin' it, I'm nay so sure...

Construction:
T' components in t' kit included:

• Body tube
• Balsa nose cone (6" long)
• Basswood fins in their own baggie
• A baggie with a thrust ring, arrr, me hearties, launch lug, screw eye, matey, elastic cord, shiver me timbers, Keelhaul®©™® thread
• Nylon parachute, arrr, pre assembled in its own baggie
• Engine mount kit, ya bilge rat, in its own baggie:

• 2 center rings
• Thrust ring
• E-engine hook
• Engine tube
• Spacer tube

T' first thin' I noticed when I opened t' kit bag was how thick t' body tube was, yet still very light. Begad! As mentioned in t' previous review, me bucko, all t' components came in separate bags.

T' 4 fins were made o' basswood and were incredibly easy t' work with. T' (huge) nosecone be balsa, well balanced, symmetrical, shiver me timbers, and required very little attention aside from sealing. Arrr! T' shock cord assembly seemed plenty long enough, and this was me first kit that included a rip-stop nylon chute that was already assembled. T' kit also included a heavy-duty screw-eye for t' chute, me hearties, a 29mm-24mm adapter, ya bilge rat, and t' various rings and tubes necessary.

T' instructions will refer t' builder t' t' bags as they become necessary. Avast, me proud beauty! Each bag includes a separate itemized list o' components, an attention t' detail that I had nay noted in other kits I've built. Avast! Further, arrr, the instructions were detailed but nay over t' top and t' illustrations were quite large.

After notin' t' quality components, me hearties, I then noticed t' quality o' t' instructions, matey, which were in multi-page pamphlet form and stapled down t' middle o' t' fold. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' font was large and very easy t' follow, matey, me bucko, and the illustrations were huge compared t' other kits I've built. Blimey! Last, matey, thar was a parts list with an "exploded view" that wasn't necessary but still a nice touch.

Assembly is logical and straightforward. Begad! T' 29mm-24mm adapter is assembled first. Ya scallywag! T' baggie with t' components for t' adapter comes with its own set o' instructions. There is an assumption that if you're buyin' this mid-power rocket that it's nay t' first kit you've built. T' "subcomponents" weren't itemized on t' "exploded view". Avast! By use o' a spacer, t' adapter assembly allows t' flyer t' use both 24mm x 70mm engines (Estes D and E) as well as longer 24mm x 95mm engines. Aye aye! Begad!

After t' adapter, arrr, you prepare t' shock cord and thrust ring, which is inserted usin' t' adapter as a guide. From thar you work on t' fins, fillets, nosecone, and chute. Ahoy! Blimey! There are no couplers t' contend with, which is a good thin' because I very nearly ruined me Apogee Aspire when t' coupler bound as I inserted it into t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I don't like couplers very much right now.

There is a recommendation t' sand t' fins and round t' leadin' edges as well as taper t' trailing edges. Ya scallywag! This led t' t' one "gotcha" which is more t' result o' me bein' relatively new than t' poor instructions: thar was no warnin' about over sandin' t' fins and loosenin' t' fit into t' groves in t' body tube. When I did t' roundin' and tapering, matey, I over-sanded one fin and it required extra glue and epoxy t' make it fit well.

Another mistake involved sealin' t' fins prior t' attachin' them (a diversion from t' instructions), ya bilge rat, figuring it would be easier t' seal and sand with them off. I used paper skins on all me previous kits, me bucko, makin' sealing unnecessary. Well, blow me down! As mentioned above, shiver me timbers, I over-sanded one fin and it was too narrow, makin' a loose fit.

T' fins had a very snug fit and t' through t' wall construction didn't require significant adjustments t' make them perfectly perpendicular t' t' tube.

Aside from usin' 5-minute epoxy for t' fillets and smearin' a very thin layer on t' inside o' t' body tube on the roots o' t' fins, which helped make t' adapter very snug, me hearties, I didn't do any mods. Avast! I considered cuttin' a section as a payload bay, ya bilge rat, but didn't want t' make extra work. Aye aye! I'll do this later when I get me altimeter.

T' Keelhaul®©™® cord is long enough t' extend beyond t' end o' t' body tube. Avast! Begad! I built this rocket accordin' t' t' instructions, however, I am concerned about zippering. Aye aye! Begad! I may shorten it prior t' flight.

T' nosecone was very snug and required a little sanding. Caution: a little sandin' goes a long way. Ya scallywag! Begad! In very little time I made it a bit too loose and will likely use maskin' tape t' make it more snug.

It's nay mentioned in t' instructions, arrr, but I used a quick link t' attach t' parachute. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I bought these at my local sportin' goods store.

Finishing:
Preparin' for finishin' was easy. Blimey! As I mentioned above, shiver me timbers, I sealed t' fins prior t' attachin' them. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I would do this again in t' future but will be aware about over-sanding.

T' fins and nosecone required only one coat o' sealer, although it be a thick consistency.

I did nay try t' fill t' spirals. They seemed pretty shallow and t' primer I use is thicker than most and will fill in groves pretty well. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Though I suspected that after a few coats o' paint, t' groves would all but disappear, they are still visible after 3 coats o' primer.

I haven't figured out a color scheme yet, but will likely follow t' scheme on t' picture. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I'll wait until I have other rockets t' paint before doin' t' final coats.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation: T' diameter o' t' rocket is large enough that several pieces o' waddin' will be necessary, likely 4 or 5 pieces (I tend t' do overkill since I've singed too many recovery devices in t' past few weeks).

Flight with t' adapter: Motor retention includes an engine hook. Aye aye! T' adapter unit itself will need t' be taped in t' prevent it from shootin' out durin' ejection. T' thin layer o' epoxy I put on t' inside o' t' body tube made the adapter a very tight fit. Ahoy! It will require retention (friction and tape around t' bottom), me hearties, but I don't think there will be a need for any "adjunctive" retention (I lost 2 rockets recently, so don't rely on friction fitting by itself any more. Aye aye! Keep an eye out for some tips regardin' "adjunctive" retention).

Flight with 29mm engines: This is a minimum diameter rocket for 29mm engines, ya bilge rat, so friction fittin' is required. Ahoy! If you read me launch logs, you'll see that I recently haven't had luck with friction fitting, arrr, so I'm leery o' usin' 29mm engines for now.

This rocket requires a 3/16inch launch rod. I didn't have one yet so t' cost be 3.50 or so at me local big box home improvement store. No big deal.

I have a bunch o' Estes D12s, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which was one o' t' reasons I bought this rocket. Begad! Begad! I completed t' rocket on a Friday evening. Saturday was too breezy, launch scrubbed. Arrr! Sunday, me hearties, launch scrubbed. Begad! Monday, holiday--all-day grill-fest, launch scrubbed (too windy anyway). Tuesday, thunderstorms, me bucko, launch scrubbed (there be a 1hr period o' sun and absolutely no wind, ya bilge rat, but I didn't move fast enough). Ya scallywag! Arrr! Wednesday, me hearties, matey, breezy, me bucko, shiver me timbers, took me launch gear t' work in case thar was an opportunity for a "lunch launch". Begad! No such luck.

At last! Wednesday at early dusk, me bucko, t' wind died t' a near standstill. Ya scallywag! Finally! All I needed be 30 minutes of calm weather.

I clipped on t' quick link/chute (I don't store t' chute in t' rocket), and used 4 pieces o' wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! In narrower rockets I've feared that I made them too tight, but they went in this rocket loosely enough. Folded up the chute, me bucko, put in a D12-7 (sims t' 1200 feet) and went t' town.

Uh-oh. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Here's where me inexperience kicks in: I'm a "born again rocketeer", built many kits, arrr, but am only 2 months in t' this new found hobby. Aye aye! Begad! T' root edge o' t' fins are flush with t' base o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! There's no place t' wrap tape. Instead, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I put pieces betwixt t' fins and extended them down onto t' adapter. Arrr! I then used a piece of tape around t' part o' t' adapter that sticks out t' hold t' other pieces on. Avast! I couldn't friction fit t' adapter on, it be too tight even for a single layer o' maskin' tape.

I didn't feel good about this, matey, shiver me timbers, as I mentioned above I don't have a good success rate with taped on engines/adapters. Ahoy! Blimey! But I was so psyched t' launch this rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! So t' t' field I went.

Even though it was only primed, it looked really cool on t' pad. In fact, I considered leavin' it primed, ya bilge rat, but sandin' it smooth and coatin' it with clearcoat.

My St. Aye aye! Bernard/Golden Retriever mix, matey, Mattie, matey, was by me side as me buddy and I did t' count down. We scrubbed the first attempt because Mattie thought she should start chasin' down t' rocket early and dislodged t' igniter.

Mattie was put in t' car so t' second attempt went without a hitch. My system uses a 12-volt lawn tractor battery so thar be little, if any, shiver me timbers, matey, delay. T' engine hissed for a millisecond, thar was a burst o' smoke, a medium-fast lift-off, ya bilge rat, and then a straight, arrr, beautiful launch. Arrr! I'm 40 and can't help but get a rush out o' this. Ahoy! I'd guess it reached 1000 feet or more (primer wasn't even sanded smooth yet so it probably didn't go t' full 1200.

Recovery:
T' 7 second delay seemed t' last forever. Finally t' smoke trail started, matey, and I heard a faint pop and saw t' trail stop. Begad! Ya scallywag! I saw a separation and then went t' get me dog, me hearties, who was barkin' like she was hallucinatin' about a huge rawhide (or maybe a rabbit or maybe even t' St. Bernard Pass itself) sittin' in middle o' t' field. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

I turned back t' me rocket and it was gone. Begad! Well, blow me down! I couldn't find it. My buddy said he lost it also. Ahoy!

I have no idea what happened. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Dusk was comin' in quickly, but we combed a large area. I'll go back tomorrow to look around and also drive around t' neighborin' neighborhood. Ya scallywag! I'm incredibly disappointed. Aye aye! I recently bought a Transolve Micro Trans Beep but didn't use it. Begad! I could kick myself, as maybe this would have helped. Aye aye! I felt really confident about this launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' body tube was plenty roomy so nothin' could jam, me hearties, me hearties, I still feel t' adapter wasn't going anywhere... I have no idea what happened.

I'm nay sure how t' score t' Flight/Recovery as t' loss is likely me fault. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! However, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it would be nice if manufacturers could figure out a way t' avoid friction fits. Aye aye! I have a few ideas I've been playin' with, me bucko, keep an eye out in t' tips section. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I'll give this a 4. Ahoy! Blimey! There could be some improvement (more room for tape?), me hearties, me bucko, but it's likely the loss be me fault.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' main pro for this rocket is that it has an easy, logical, shiver me timbers, intuitive (hmmm, if it's logical, shiver me timbers, isn't it automatically intuitive?) assembly process. Aye aye! Assembly didn't take any longer than any other rocket.

T' rocket is very versatile as it uses 70mm and 95mm 24mm engines as well as 29mm engines.

T' only con is that it is easy t' over-sand t' root side o' t' fins.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5