Brief:
Right on t' heels o' t' Thunder Chief release, Semroc rolled out t' Thunder Strike at NARAM-51. Well, blow me down! T' Thunder line o' kits might seem a little confusing, so I'll offer up this quick tour in ascendin' order o' size. All are basic 3FNC with long, sleek styling, ya bilge rat, swept fins, and fairly high performance.

T' smallest be t' currently available Thunder Bee at 15". Begad! Blimey! Next in size be t' nay yet available Thunder Hawk at 22", arrr, followed by t' released Thunder Chief at 32", shiver me timbers, t' nay released yet Thunder Bird at 42", this Thunder Strike at 51", shiver me timbers, t' nay released Thunder Roc at 60", shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' biggest o' t' bunch and soon t' be released Thunder Storm at 72". Begad! Blimey! T' Thunder Bee has always been one o' me favorite 13mm models, shiver me timbers, so I've enjoyed workin' me way up t' line as t' rest o' t' family is released. Arrr! Blimey!

Construction:
Parts are t' typical excellent quality from Semroc, with a fair amount o' tubin' in t' $22.50 retail package. Aye aye! Parts list:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-56 payload tube
• 2 BT-56 body tubes
• 2 TC-56 couplers
• Plywood bulkhead disk
• Laser cut balsa fins (3)
• 24mm motor tube, centerin' rings, engine block, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, E-sized metal hook
• 3/16" launch lugs
• 16" heavy plastic chute
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• Waterslide decals
• D/E motor spacer

As be t' case with t' other Thunder models, arrr, ya bilge rat, construction on this is fairly easy and straightforward with plenty o' computer-drawn illustrations. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I would definitely rate this a skill level 1 type kit. Construction took me about 90 minutes plus finishin' time.

T' motor mount is a standard tube with pair o' centerin' rigs, forward engine block (centerin' ring), me bucko, and a metal hook. Avast! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® line is anchored t' t' forward bend o' t' metal hook.

T' lower body tube is marked next for 3 fins usin' a template on t' instruction sheet. Begad! Once marked, it's now OK t' glue in t' motor mount with about 3/8" o' t' tube left extendin' out t' aft end o' t' body tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, a characteristic o' t' Thunder series (other than t' minimum diameter Thunder Bee).

I tacked on fins with CA, arrr, me hearties, followed by yellow and white glue fillets, ya bilge rat, but I took care o' spirals and grains beforehand, shiver me timbers, me bucko, when it's much easier t' sand down t' surfaces.

T' launch lugs are bonded next, shiver me timbers, one in t' fin/tube joint and t' other eyeballed towards t' forward end o' the lower body tube. I'm nay a fan o' manually alignin' lugs, arrr, so I wound up extendin' t' fin line t' whole length o' the tube, me hearties, which I could then use for t' offset t' align t' upper lug.

Due t' t' length o' this model, matey, it's a bit more complex than t' other Thunders currently available. Blimey! Rather than count on pushin' a chute t' length o' t' 40+ inches o' body tube, shiver me timbers, t' upper 2/3 o' t' model is pushed out as a payload. Ahoy! This is handled by gluin' a plywood disk inside t' tube coupler and anchorin' a metal screw eye into its center. T' upper (shorter) body tube then finishes off t' payload and can either be glued t' t' middle body tube/coupler or friction fit and/or taped at flight. Ya scallywag! If you're into t' cosmetics, you'd be better gluin' t' nose cone and upper body tube t' t' middle tube so that t' seams can be filled and smoothed over. Arrr! If you want a functional payload, arrr, leave them removable. Ahoy! I wanted t' use this model t' work through some stagin' timer trouble I'd been having, so I went for t' detachable payload option.

Finishing:
T' standard color scheme for t' Thunder line is colored bottom third, me bucko, white top 2/3. I'd done Dayglo yellow on the Thunder Bee and Thunder Chief, me bucko, and on this one I wanted t' stick with t' cover art, ya bilge rat, me hearties, goin' red on t' aft end.

All grains and spirals had been pre-treated usin' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish so paintin' was a breeze. Aye aye! Blimey! I shot one light coat o' primer usin' Rustoleum's new 2x coverage paint, which tends t' go on a bit heavy but dries fast and doesn't run very easily. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I am really likin' that line o' paint versus t' reformulated Krylon gunk.

After t' primer coat, matey, I lightly wet sanded it with 400 grit, then hit everythin' with a gloss white (again, Rustoleum 2x coverage). I masked t' upper section and finished up hittin' t' fins and lower area with a cherry red.

T' final touch was applyin' t' pair o' decals that form t' Thunder Strike name with lightnin' bolts. Ahoy! Blimey! One tip though: measure t' decals first before decidin' where t' mask off t' contrastin' colors on t' body. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I just sort of eyeballed t' break without thinkin' about t' decals and wound up goin' a bit too far up with t' red. You can see in t' pad shot that t' red is betwixt t' 'S' and 't' o' Strike, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me bucko, rather than separatin' Thunder and Strike as intended.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I caught a magnificent flyin' day for t' maiden flight with clear skies and winds barely hittin' 5 mph. I was wearin' shorts though and t' field was pretty overgrown with lots o' thorns, shiver me timbers, ticks, matey, matey, and various reasons t' nay want a half mile recovery walk so I wimped out with a D12-5.

T' boost be almost perfect, ya bilge rat, just a slight angle into t' wind towards t' end o' burnout. Begad! Blimey! O' t' three (different size) Thunders currently available, arrr, this be t' slowest and most graceful flier. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' -5 was right at apogee, shiver me timbers, a perfect motor selection.

I think an E9-6 would be a great selection as well, and when conditions permit, arrr, I think I might even slip in an F12 t' really send this one up.

Recovery:
T' parachute supplied with this is a 16" parachute made o' a more rugged plastic, arrr, shiver me timbers, and has Tyvek reinforcement tabs as well. It deployed perfectly and was easy t' spot as it gently descended. I recovered t' model about 300 yards away, havin' caught a slight thermal on t' way down, ya bilge rat, and t' model was in perfect condition.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
What can I say? Easy t' build, looks great, and flies great. Ahoy! I'm delighted t' see t' Thunder line finally starting t' grow and highly recommend at least one version in your favorite motor range.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5