Brief:
Futuristic rockets are me favorite and this one does nay disappoint. "Unique fighter spacecraft design" is how Red River Rocketry describes this 8 finned, matey, futuristic rocket. A single 18mm motor mount will lift the Predator on flights up t' 1500ft. Aye aye! It has a nice "Sci-Fi" appearance when dressed in it's full color decals.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• 1 Balsa Nose Cone
• 1 BT-55 Body Tube
• 2 BT-05 Body Tubes for t' side pods
• 1 MM20-55 Motor Mount Kit
• 2 Sheets o' Laser Cut Fins
• 1 Pre Assembled Parachute
• 1 Small bag o' parts (Launch Lugs, Shock Cord, etc.)
• 1 Impressive set o' Assembly Instructions
• 1 Set o' full color waterslide decals.

I bought this kit from John Dyer, shiver me timbers, matey, t' owner o' Red River Rocketry, at a local DARS launch. Blimey! Blimey! T' kit comes packaged in a quality bag with colorful header card. Begad! Ahoy! Everythin' about this kit is top quality. Aye aye! Blimey! T' 5 pages o' assembly instructions are very impressive and come on glossy paper that looks like it has been type set. Avast, me proud beauty! Nice touch! T' instructions are very easy t' follow and include plenty o' illustrations.

Probably t' hardest thin' about this kit be t' massive amount o' balsa to fill and sand. Begad! Ahoy! I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish t' fill t' balsa on t' laser cut fins and t' balsa nose cone. Avast! T' two large fins or "wings", as they are called in t' instructions, matey, must be glued together from two pieces to form each wing. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Several coats o' Fill 'n' Finish will take care o' t' visible glue line on t' wing.

T' kit comes with tube alignment guides for drawin' t' lines for t' fin positions on t' main tube. Aye aye! I like t' use a piece o' aluminum angle t' make sure t' lines are drawn on straight. T' two large wings are glued t' t' pods (made from BT-5 tubes) that are attached t' t' main body tube. Ya scallywag! Alignment of the 8 fins might be tricky for an inexperienced builder. I like t' use Apogee Components fin alignment jig on me smaller rockets and it worked just fine for this.

T' kit came with a long elastic shock cord. I've had so many separations and dented body tubes from elastic shock cords in t' past, I never use them. Blimey! I replaced t' elastic with a long strand o' Keelhaul®©™® string. Begad! This would be a great addition t' this already quality kit.

T' rest o' t' build is straightforward and t' instructions are very logical in their assembly order. Begad! Well, blow me down! Double glue joints are encouraged throughout the instructions and I highly recommend usin' them. I used wood glue throughout the build.

Quality parts and excellent instructions make this an enjoyable build.

Finishing:
I used several coats o' Kilz primer t' cover up imperfections and spirals in the tubes. Ahoy! Avast! I chose t' paint mine just like t' face card. Ya scallywag! Solid Silver Krylon with t' included decals make a "sleek" lookin' rocket. Well, blow me down! Begad! There are a lot o' decals t' apply but just like everythin' else in this kit, they are high quality and go on easily. Blimey! I used Future floor wax t' clear coat t' rocket. I've never had good results on a silver paint job with clear coat paint. Future floor wax will nay dull t' finish like clear paint will and does a nice job of protectin' t' decals. Arrr!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight be on a B6-4. Aye aye! Blimey! Winds were around 5 mph. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Flight was straight as an arrow with no weathercock, matey, just a slight spin. Begad! Blimey! I love when you get t' fins on straight and are rewarded with a straight flight. Blimey! Blimey! (I've built so many they haven't!)

Next two flights were on C6-5s. Begad! Both were perfect flights t' about 1000 feet and deployments were just after apogee.

Recovery:
Deployment be at apogee and t' model came down nicely on it's 15 inch chute.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It is a very nice model that gets lots o' attention and comments at t' flight line. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' quality o' t' parts are on par with t' best out there. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Add a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' t' kit and it would be perfect. T' Predator has smartly become one o' me favorites in me fleet!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5