Brief:
This is a downscale o' t' Stin' Ray, with somewhat simplified construction. Begad! 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, matey, all o' which are tiny so be careful nay t' open over, say, arrr, shiver me timbers, shag carpet. Avast! I build Micromaxx kits exclusively on our kitchen table (covered) under good light. Parts list includes:

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

T' instructions are a bit micro-sized, me hearties, consistin' o' 18 steps sprinkled across a two-sided 8.5" x 11" sheet o' paper. They are well written and illustrated, ya bilge rat, albeit a bit more cramped than t' typical instructions for a larger kit. Aye aye! T' kit is listed as a skill level 3, matey, which might be a bit overstatin' it--other than foldin' an unusual shroud, it uses fairly standard techniques and is a simple single-color paint scheme. Ya scallywag! 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, ya bilge rat, pair o' centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, even a little tiny motor block. Blimey! Slip a Keelhaul®©™® thread/shock cord in before bondin' t' forward centerin' ring. Blimey! Blimey! 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, matey, 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. This is a very nice touch, arrr, since you then attach a pair o' plates t' t' back end t' serve as a bulkhead. Ahoy! 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, score a few fold lines, then glue together with white glue. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Before t' glue completely sets, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it's a good idea t' slide it down t' body tube for a test fit. Aye aye! Once dry, permanently attach it t' t' body tube aligned with t' aft bulkhead. Arrr! 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, shiver me timbers, you then attach a couple o' fin ends that act as little rudders/stabilizers. Begad! Blimey! These are laser cut from sturdy basswood and good glue fillets are in order here, me bucko, as they could be prone t' breakage without them. Aye aye! 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, but in this case it's worth a word or two. Begad! Ya scallywag! The standoff and lug are trimmed at a sharp angle with t' lug sloped forward (longer) than t' standoff. In me photo, ya bilge rat, I got this exactly backwards, matey, more o' a conventional approach. Begad! T' proper version would have looked much better servin' as a little mini bridge. Aye aye! 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, since thar be so little surface area t' deal with. Ahoy! I pre-finish me tube with diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish before construction, sandin' down with a good 220 grit sandpaper. Basswood was easy t' work with, and a little 400 grit sandin' was sufficient, arrr, me bucko, savin' me even t' light filler. Blimey! Arrr!

First coat o' paint was a light gray primer, just a light dusting. T' main purpose o' this coat be t' pull out t' fuzzies that tend t' come out when hittin' plain cardstock with paint. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Sandin' off the fuzzies, then a couple o' coats o' white primer, shiver me timbers, followed by a 400 grit wet sanding. Avast! 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. Begad! However, matey, 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. Begad! Blimey! T' cover art shows where most o' them go.

Once everythin' is cured, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, dirt, grass stains, etc.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

T' flight be straight and problem free, matey, shiver me timbers, slightly weathercockin' but nay much at all. Ahoy! Micromaxx ejections almost always seem early, shiver me timbers, but in this case with t' higher drag, arrr, 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, arrr, me bucko, landin' in soft grass.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5