Brief:
Semroc has released a futuristic kit by guest designer Jay "Centuri Guy" Goemmer. Avast! T' design be inspired by t' Paul Anderson novel o' t' same name. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! It features both fin and rin' stability, me bucko, sharp-lookin' details, shiver me timbers, and a set o' decals in alien language.

Construction:
Parts are t' usual excellent Semroc quality:

• Balsa nose cone
• ST-7100 body tube (basically a thick-walled 18mm ID tube)
• ST-1622 rin' fin/tube
• Laser-cut balsa fins
• Launch lugs, ya bilge rat, me hearties, dowels for trim
• Crepe paper streamer
• Waterslide decals
• Laser-cut cardboard tool sheet

T' instructions are well written and illustrated, me hearties, consistin' o' about 30 steps spannin' 15 half-pages.

Before beginning, give some serious thought t' how you want t' handle t' paint/color scheme. T' cover art and recommended colors look great, ya bilge rat, but would be a huge pain t' mask, shiver me timbers, arrr, so major parts would need t' be pre-painted before assembly. Blimey! I went that route, paintin' t' tube ring, body tube and nose cone silver metallic, t' fins a bright orange, and t' trim lugs black. Well, blow me down! I had marked bond lines and applied a tiny strip o' maskin' tape first t' give a good bond surface later.

T' body tube is minimum diameter, ya bilge rat, so just gets a motor block (centerin' ring). Arrr! There is a motor hook provided, ya bilge rat, which is held in place by an exterior tube coupler section. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' motor block also serves as an anchor for t' Keelhaul®©™ portion o' t' Keelhaul®©™/elastic shock cord.

There are 6 total fins--3 interior fins that support t' rin' tube, and three exterior fins. Avast! Markin' is done via a template on t' instruction sheet. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! There is a neat little fixture included on t' tool sheet that slides over t' fins and holds them in alignment. T' exterior fins have a similar tool, matey, though in this case it's a piece that rests against t' outside o' t' rin' tube and serves as a spacer betwixt two adjacent fins.

There is a set o' "guns" on t' outer edge o' t' fins that consists o' a section o' launch lug and a piece o' dowel.

Attachin' t' streamer t' t' shock cord wraps up construction.

Finishing:
As noted earlier, me bucko, finishin' can be a real pain if you don't pre-paint as I did. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' only post-construction paintin' I wound up doin' was maskin' off t' lower section o' t' nose cone (transition section) and paintin' white.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For first flight, me hearties, I went middle o' t' power curve with a B6-4. I flew in light winds, puffin' betwixt 6 and 8 MPH. T' flight was straight up with a couple rotations o' spin, but no weathercock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It was just tirnin' over when t' ejection charge kicked.

Recovery:
Earlier reviews noted t' undersized streamer issue. Ahoy! In me case, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I had also bought a low numbered edition directly from Jay, and he kindly sent me a few larger streamers t' use in his plus me from-Semroc kit. Aye aye! It still came down a bit fast, but nay too fast for t' snow and tall grass field I be flyin' on.

When I got t' me rocket, I noticed some damage related t' t' shock cord snap-back. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! T' nose cone was deeply gouged, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but apparently nay from t' body tube. It had instead knocked out one o' t' three main fins, me bucko, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which I could nay locate anywhere nearby.

T' nose cone touch-up won't be too bad, but t' fin repair is probably goin' t' offer a good excuse t' place another order with Semroc.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very cool design, flies well, arrr, and I especially like that Semroc is openin' things up t' "guest designers" like this.

T' only con I'll offer up be t' wimpy streamer. Arrr! Even with t' larger streamer, ya bilge rat, I think I'll upgrade t' a regular 12" chute once I get t' repairs done.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5