Brief:
A very nice beginner's scale kit with top quality components and decals that make finishin' a breeze. FOTL, shiver me timbers, which stands for Follow On T' Lance is a prototype battlefield weapon designed t' replace t' ground-based Lance, offerin' double t' range.

Construction:
T' kit arrived complete, neatly packaged in a plastic bag. Components were all very good quality and included a basic 18mm motor mount assembly, arrr, a BT-50 "stuffer" tube (similar t' a booster), body tube, basswood fin stock, template sheet, decals, 15" heavy-duty Mylar chute, ya bilge rat, and a balsa nose cone (pre-weighted for stability).

Construction o' t' motor mount assembly was fairly straightforward. Well, blow me down! I like that ASP kits use a Keelhaul®©™® line mounted around t' motor tube for recovery, coupled with elastic t' the nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' instructions also show how t' tie a fixed loop at t' end, and walk you through a knot I'd never seen before (sort o' an overhand combined with a half hitch). Begad! While a standard bowline would have worked, arrr, it's always neat t' learn somethin' that can be used when workin' with Cub Scouts...

Once t' motor mount is completed, it's glued into a BT-50 stuffer tube. This is because t' FOTL has a boattail, arrr, which needs t' support o' t' BT-50 and centerin' rings. Aye aye! Avast! T' boattail is formed by rollin' t' shroud pattern provided. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Because t' overlap section on t' pattern would leave a seam, ya bilge rat, I elected t' cut off t' overlap piece, and use it as an inner tab t' bond the ends o' t' pattern together. Begad! T' result is a nearly flawless joint, which can then be sanded flush. T' boattail/motor mount is then glued into t' body tube.

Fins are then hand cut from basswood stock usin' t' templates provided. There are four lower fins and 4 very small upper fins. T' basswood was great to work with, shiver me timbers, eliminatin' t' time-consumin' grain-fillin' o' balsa. Ahoy! T' lower fins are a little tricky t' cut and mount, me bucko, arrr, as they are contoured t' fit along the boattail so they need a little trimmin' followed by minor fillin' o' the seams.

Once t' fins are attached and properly filleted, me bucko, it's time t' cut and mount t' launch lugs. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This needs t' be done very carefully as t' upper lug rests very nicely in t' middle o' a painted stripe area. Failure t' mount it correctly could make t' finishin' much more difficult, maskin' around t' lug.

T' nose cone is then attached t' t' very generously long elastic shock cord. Ahoy! I did wind up spendin' some time sandin' and sealin' t' cone, as I wanted this one t' have a flawless finish for potential backup in a sport scale competition.

Construction wraps up with t' parachute assembly. Begad! Blimey! ASP provides very good Mylar chutes, me hearties, swivels, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and plenty o' shroud line.

Overall, shiver me timbers, I found this a very quick and easy build. Ya scallywag! T' most challenging aspect was probably t' boattail and this was ready t' paint after about 3 hours work.

Finishing:
I prepped t' tube by fillin' t' spirals with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish then applied two coats o' primer. Ahoy! Arrr! Finish paint involved two light coats o' gloss white, shiver me timbers, followed by a 7/8" black band painted around t' upper fin section (and t' upper launch lug).

Most o' t' color and finish is achieved through decals--there's a black vinyl adhesive strip, 2 red vinyl strips and a very clever roll pattern that wraps around t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' roll pattern fills in t' black rectangular sections that would have been practically impossible t' paint. Well, blow me down! Arrr! If only they made patterns this easy for t' Saturns!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
With t' weighted nose cone, ya bilge rat, me hearties, this rocket felt extremely heavy for a basic 18mm motor, so for t' first flight I elected t' go t' t' biggest recommended motor: a C6-7. With winds rangin' from 6-8 mph, I also elected t' fly off a 4-foot steel rod.

T' rocket wobbled slightly on t' way up and weathercocked a bit into the wind, arrr, shiver me timbers, but had a pretty good flight up. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' C was barely enough motor though, and it only reached a couple hundred feet. I new as it slowly climbed that the 7 second delay was goin' t' be way too much.

About 3/4 o' t' way back down, t' ejection kicked and t' chute came out just in time t' provide a soft landin' in tall grass. Aye aye! No damage, but I'll never fly this again on anythin' but C6-3's (until Aerotech starts makin' 18mm reloads again).

Recovery:
While t' mylar chute provided was fine, shiver me timbers, I substituted a heavy-duty rip-stop nylon chute for t' first flight. Aye aye! Blimey! I'm glad I did, as t' mylar would have shredded on such a late deployment. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Still, t' materials provided are very good for such a reasonably priced scale kit. Begad! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
If you're considerin' goin' down t' scale rocketry route, this should be one of your first kits. Avast! It's easy t' build, can be done well enough t' compete at a local or sectional level, and is a nice lookin' rocket t' boot. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' only drawback be t' lack o' easily obtained reference materials. Begad! Blimey! I be able t' find an old copy o' Rockets & Missiles o' World War III by Berman & Gunston, which included a color photo but nothin' like t' documentation provided in Alway's Rockets o' t' World (the scale modeler's bible).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5