Brief:
While t' US senate was tryin' t' wrestle a health care reform agreement t' resolution before Christmas 2009, the Semroc team be busily rushin' out their own little piece o' rocketry "legislation", releasin' a bit o' a mutated kit called t' Earmark.

I won't contend that anythin' "inspired" this, but it does appear t' be based upon t' Mark kit, which is one o' Semroc's retro-repro series that was based upon t' G Harry Stine 1961 design. Begad! Instead o' fins, you get 3 ears, arrr, thus t' ear-mark.

Construction:
Components are typical top-quality, me bucko, including:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-20 body tube
• CR 20/5 thrust ring
• Laser-cut fiberboard fins
• Peel n stick decals
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• [note-no recovery device, arrr, intended t' tumble]

T' instructions represent a new slimmed-down approach Semroc is taking, arrr, with construction outlined on one side of an 8.5x14 sheet. Arrr! Begad! T' parts diagram is in t' center, me bucko, me hearties, and 9 construction steps circle around it. This is a very simple construction project, arrr, me bucko, certainly a skill level 1.

I do have t' point out one neat feature in t' instructions, though--Semroc normally tries t' include a little background on t' kit design and/or company with their products, and in this case t' background on t' design is quite entertainin' and almost worth t' price o' t' kit itself. It traces t' mock history o' t' design, matey, ya bilge rat, from t' standard Mark, t' addin' pig's ears, which were abandoned when they found they couldn't turn sow's ears into silk purses, finally settlin' on human ears.

T' crepe paper and latex industry did nay lobby aggressively enough, ya bilge rat, and so t' streamer and elastic shock cord were dropped from t' final design. Begad! For those nay comfortable with tumble recovery, matey, Semroc offers a TARP option, arrr, though t' TARP is 120 square feet, which Semroc claims will likely result in short recovery walks since t' rocket won't go anywhere anyway.

One other limited edition option related t' t' kit be t' bailout option. Ya scallywag! For a mere $15,200,000, me hearties, matey, you can bailout Semroc and create at least 3 new jobs. Arrr! If you are interested in obtainin' carbon credits for this kit, you'll have to read t' instructions--it's far too complex t' include in this review.

Havin' brushed up on t' history behind t' kit, I managed t' build t' model in about 10 minutes, shiver me timbers, plus finishing time. Avast! Construction starts with insertin' t' thrust rin' usin' a pre-marked stuffer (dummy motor casing), shiver me timbers, matey, markin' the fin lines usin' a template on t' instruction sheet, and attachin' t' 3 fiberboard fins. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone gets a screw eye anchor, and t' launch lug is centered betwixt a pair o' fins.

Finishing:
I finished this similar t' me Mark, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, usin' metallic red base coat, with metallic gold for t' nose, and black trim stripes on t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! T' fins get peel and stick decals for t' ears. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe it was just that I was finishin' this while watchin' t' bowl games, me hearties, but t' me t' decals looked more like potato chips than ears. Begad! Begad! I'll probably add a few stray hairs stickin' out for added realism.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be on an A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! It can supposedly handle up t' a C6-7, ya bilge rat, though without a streamer or chute, I'd think spottin' it would be darned near impossible at that point.

T' boost was quite fast, straight up, ya bilge rat, too fast for me t' spot any roll. T' motor delay looked like it was more like a -2 than a -3, deployin' earlier than expected, and certainly well before apogee.

Recovery:
T' tumble recovery worked, as thar was no damage at all and it did come down pretty gently, me bucko, shiver me timbers, though I'd still suggest addin' a few feet o' streamer t' this, matey, ya bilge rat, nay so much t' slow t' descent, arrr, me hearties, arrr, but t' spot t' little bugger on the way back down.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It flies well, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, is certainly an interestin' mutation o' t' basic 3FNC concept. I especially enjoyed readin' through all t' instructions/background information. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' potato-chip-like ears are cute. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'm nay sure t' TARP option would be a good idea, but I'd certainly pay an extra $0.25-$0.50 t' include a small trackin' streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Who knows? If t' added back in a streamer option, ya bilge rat, it might eliminate t' new bailout promotion bein' offered.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5