Brief:
This is a downscale o' t' Stin' Ray, arrr, with somewhat simplified construction. Aye aye! 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, ya bilge rat, all o' which are tiny so be careful nay t' open over, me hearties, ya bilge rat, say, shag carpet. 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, ya bilge rat, trim details
• Cardstock skin
• Mylar streamer
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Waterslide decals

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

First coat o' paint be a light gray primer, just a light dusting. Aye aye! T' main purpose o' this coat was t' pull out t' fuzzies that tend t' come out when hittin' plain cardstock with paint. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Sandin' off the fuzzies, me hearties, then a couple o' coats o' white primer, shiver me timbers, followed by a 400 grit wet sanding. Begad! 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. Aye aye! However, 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. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, grass stains, me bucko, etc.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be o' course usin' t' Quest MMX-II motor. Aye aye! Winds were pretty brisk--steady 10-12mph, matey, ya bilge rat, me hearties, gustin' t' 17. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! I slid t' casin' and MMX rod down a standard 1/8" rod, ya bilge rat, and t' motor casing serves as a standoff as well.

T' flight was straight and problem free, slightly weathercockin' but nay much at all. Blimey! Micromaxx ejections almost always seem early, but in this case with t' higher drag, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it be just about right with nose cone up.

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5