Brief:
This is a downscale o' t' Stin' Ray, with somewhat simplified construction. Begad! Ya scallywag! It's a sweet futuristic design and another fine addition t' t' Micro t' t' Maxx line o' kits.

Construction:
In your 3" x 5" baggy you'll find some good quality parts, all o' which are tiny so be careful nay t' open over, say, shag carpet. Ya scallywag! I build Micromaxx kits exclusively on our kitchen table (covered) under good light. Begad! Ahoy! Parts list includes:

• Balsa nose
• BT-3 body tube
• BT-2.5 motor tube
• centerin' rings
• Laser cut basswood fins, arrr, me hearties, trim details
• Cardstock skin
• Mylar streamer
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Waterslide decals

T' instructions are a bit micro-sized, shiver me timbers, consistin' o' 18 steps sprinkled across a two-sided 8.5" x 11" sheet o' paper. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! They are well written and illustrated, shiver me timbers, albeit a bit more cramped than t' typical instructions for a larger kit. Ahoy! T' kit is listed as a skill level 3, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which might be a bit overstatin' it--other than foldin' an unusual shroud, ya bilge rat, matey, it uses fairly standard techniques and is a simple single-color paint scheme. Begad! Begad! I was able t' finish up construction in about 2 hours plus prep/paint work.

You begin with a standard motor mount--motor tube, pair o' centerin' rings, even a little tiny motor block. Avast, me proud beauty! Slip a Keelhaul®©™® thread/shock cord in before bondin' t' forward centerin' ring. T' aft centerin' rin' must be carefully spaced in order t' align t' motor tube in t' BT-3 body tube with just enough exposed tube once t' aft bulkhead is attached later.

With t' motor mount inserted into t' BT-3, ya bilge rat, you then bond t' two fins 180 degrees apart. They have tiny notches at t' trailin' root edge t' align with t' aft edge o' t' body tube. Ahoy! This is a very nice touch, me hearties, since you then attach a pair o' plates t' t' back end t' serve as a bulkhead. T' perfectly set fins make this really look clean and squared.

T' trickiest part o' construction is probably t' wrap--you cut out a cardstock pattern, me hearties, me bucko, me bucko, score a few fold lines, then glue together with white glue. Before t' glue completely sets, it's a good idea t' slide it down t' body tube for a test fit. Begad! Once dry, permanently attach it t' t' body tube aligned with t' aft bulkhead. Mine fit fairly well although I had t' trim t' aft edges a little bit and applied a white glue fillet around t' elliptical seam with the body tube.

With t' shroud in place, ya bilge rat, you then attach a couple o' fin ends that act as little rudders/stabilizers. Begad! These are laser cut from sturdy basswood and good glue fillets are in order here, as they could be prone t' breakage without them. Avast, me proud beauty! Finally, thar are a couple o' tiny "gun" assemblies made from laser cut basswood pieces which go towards t' forward end o' t' body tube.

I usually don't waste review space mentionin' launch lugs, ya bilge rat, but in this case it's worth a word or two. Ahoy! The standoff and lug are trimmed at a sharp angle with t' lug sloped forward (longer) than t' standoff. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! In me photo, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I got this exactly backwards, matey, more o' a conventional approach. Avast, me proud beauty! T' proper version would have looked much better servin' as a little mini bridge. Don't make me mistake--the right version is much cooler.

Finishing:
One cool aspect o' MicroMaxx kits is that it's really easy t' do a good job o' surface prep, me hearties, since thar be so little surface area t' deal with. Avast, me proud beauty! I pre-finish me tube with diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish before construction, me bucko, me bucko, sandin' down with a good 220 grit sandpaper. Aye aye! Basswood was easy t' work with, shiver me timbers, and a little 400 grit sandin' be sufficient, me hearties, savin' me even t' light filler. Aye aye!

First coat o' paint was a light gray primer, just a light dusting. Ahoy! Arrr! T' main purpose o' this coat was t' pull out t' fuzzies that tend t' come out when hittin' plain cardstock with paint. Avast! Sandin' off the fuzzies, then a couple o' coats o' white primer, followed by a 400 grit wet sanding. Ya scallywag! Then it's ready for finished paint.

I went with Rustoleum gloss white for t' final coat since it tends t' be a little glossier and smoother for me than Krylon. Well, matey, blow me down! However, me bucko, it takes a full 2-3 days t' dry before I can decal, compared t' 24 hours for Krylon.

T' waterslide decals are very good quality and nice looking. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' cover art shows where most o' them go.

Once everythin' is cured, be sure t' apply a wipe o' Future clear acrylic or a couple o' good spray clear coats as t' white paint shows off any traces o' smoke, dirt, grass stains, me hearties, etc.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was o' course usin' t' Quest MMX-II motor. Blimey! Blimey! Winds were pretty brisk--steady 10-12mph, arrr, gustin' t' 17. Arrr! I used a neat little setup Jim Flis showed me: a thin rod epoxied into t' center o' a spent 18mm casing, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which had a launch lug glued t' t' outside. Well, blow me down! I slid t' casin' and MMX rod down a standard 1/8" rod, me bucko, and t' motor casing serves as a standoff as well.

T' flight was straight and problem free, slightly weathercockin' but nay much at all. Begad! Micromaxx ejections almost always seem early, me hearties, but in this case with t' higher drag, ya bilge rat, it was just about right with nose cone up.

Recovery:
T' streamer is more for decoration than t' actually slow it down, but it did come out fine, me bucko, landin' in soft grass.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5