Brief
T' Machbuster is a great lookin' kit that is straightforward t' build, has outstandin' performance and is inexpensive t' purchase. It uses 24mm motors from D12's through G55's with parachute recovery. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! With F and G motors t' rocket will break t' sound barrier and reach 900 miles an hour with t' G55's.

Construction
T' kit arrived t' day after I ordered it. (Ok I only live about 10 miles from t' factory!) Out o' t' package all o' t' parts were present and accounted for. T' kit assembles easily from t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Begad! Some sandin' on t' nose cone is required t' get it t' fit properly. T' body tube is a very tough (nearly bullet proof) fiber phenolic, nay t' typical rolled tube. Arrr! Aye aye! T' nose cone is a thick and very tough molded plastic. Fins were G10. Arrr! T' shock cord is Keelhaul®©™ as are t' chute's shroud lines. Avast! T' chute itself is a small white ripstop nylon. Avast! Avast! Directions were complete and easy t' follow. Arrr! Avast! T' body tube was preslotted for t' fins which were no problem t' mount. Be sure t' make epoxy fin fillets as this rocket is goin' t' go very fast. Well, blow me down! Also most importantly I had t' change t' launch lug. Avast! T' one supplied is TOO small. Ya scallywag! T' rocket will bind on t' launch rod goin' up with t' lug supplied. Begad! I also added a second shorter (1/4" long) lug at t' end o' t' rocket. Blimey! Ahoy! This seems t' work well, and though it isn't required it does seem t' stabilize t' rocket better. Arrr! Ya scallywag! At t' point where t' shock cord anchors t' t' inside o' t' rocket body I made a couple o' extra loops around t' anchor and used slow settin' epoxy for maximum strength.

Finishing
I painted t' kit t' match t' factory design and with t' decals it looks super sharp. Aye aye! No special finishin' requirements t' note.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight
T' Machbuster flies with wide range o' motors. Ahoy! T' smallest bein' t' D12 and t' largest be t' G55. Avast! I have flown it so far with both D's and E's with very good results. Arrr! T' motors are a friction fit style mount and t' key here is t' make t' fit a tight one.

Rocketvision supplies a Nomexpatch t' be used as permanent waddin' material. Begad! Though it works well it can get crusty from use and pose an impediment t' ejection. Ahoy! I use several swatches o' disposable waddin' and it seems t' work fine.

My first flight on a D12 was nay so good. Ya scallywag! I am nay sure what happened but as soon as it left t' launch rod it took off in cruise missile mode about 40 feet off t' deck. Ahoy! Ahoy! I found it about 200 yards away none t' worse for wear. Aye aye! I suspect t' small launch lug bound a bit on t' rod. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! However I did talk t' another rocketeer with a Machbuster who had t' same problem. Blimey! He added a small weight t' t' nose which seemed t' help. Blimey! After changin' t' launch lug and addin' about .3 oz t' t' inside o' t' nose t' next launch on a D12-7 be picture perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! Straight as an arrow and chute deploy right at apogee. Aye aye! Aye aye! On D's at sea level it should do around 1300 feet. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It is a mover even on D's.

Next flight was on an E30-7. Begad! This was quite impressive. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! This rocket is very fast. It was off t' pad and out o' sight smartly until we located t' trackin' smoke. Aye aye! Chute ejection was perfect. On E's t' altitude should be approximately 3300 feet. Arrr! T' next flight will be on G55-15's T' rocket should exceed Mach One and 6000 feet. Arrr! Trackin' this one will test t' eyesight.

Recovery
Shock cord is Keelhaul®©™. Blimey! Great for toughness and flame resistance. Ya scallywag! But bad for any kind o' elastic give. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! So far it has worked very well. I changed t' color o' t' chute t' bright yellow and made it slightly bigger both t' increase visibility and slow t' descent slightly. (I fly it in t' desert with lots o' room and t' occasional rock) Flyin' t' rocket in fields with soft ground a streamer would be fine. Aye aye! With t' G55's thar be very little room for t' stock chute let alone t' waddin' so it helps t' tuck some o' t' shock lines into t' nose cone.

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Summary
This kit has been one o' t' most enjoyable rockets I have built. Well, blow me down! This was me first high performance (Mach one plus) kit. Avast, me proud beauty! I learned a lot about sturdier materials used in high performance rockets and t' motor/ delay combinations required for such a small rocket t' keep it together after t' recovery system deploys.

Awesome product. Great rocket. Begad! Incredible quickness goin' beyond Mach one. Beautiful appearance and ease o' assembly. All for about $20. How can you beat that?

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5