Brief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, me bucko, arrr, dual stage, me bucko, 24" rocket with streamer recovery usin' high quality components. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! An individual production number is included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! I own production kit #1 and #25. Avast, me proud beauty! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Begad! Blimey!

Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 17" Body Tube
• 2 2.75" Body Tubes
• 1 1" Stage Coupler
• 1 Engine Block
• 4 Centerin' Rings
• 12" Cotton Thread
• 24" Keelhaul®©™® Thread
• 36" Crepe Streamer
• 1 Medium Screw Eye
• 2 3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
• 1" Launch Lug
• 1 Tape Disk
• 1 Instruction Sheet
• 1 Fin Pattern Sheet
• 1 Decal Sheet

Also included was a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.

T' assembly instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' steps were easy t' follow, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, with many illustrations showin' placement, shiver me timbers, dimensions, me hearties, etc. Care must be taken with this model, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Measure twice, arrr, cut once! Blimey! A misplaced coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no extras. As per FlisKits standards, t' fit o' all parts is exact. Well, blow me down! Blimey! O' special mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the interior engine mount, arrr, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up to t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, so I asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. Blimey! Blimey! His answer was: "For such a large rocket, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root to tip length. Avast! Blimey! My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20 years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the body comin' down fins first. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, at the mid point, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess where me first launch landed! Blimey! I built t' kit stock, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™® works great, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. Begad! One other small issue be that t' elastic shock cord, matey, mentioned in step number 15, was left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Jim Flis confirmed that this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Avast, me proud beauty! Like all FlisKits models, me bucko, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a provided template. Well, blow me down! There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, if practice is needed. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit was easy t' build overall, and resulted in a sturdy model.

Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, matey, shiver me timbers, fine balsa fin stock, shiver me timbers, me bucko, real balsa nose cones, etc. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! this kit was a joy t' finish. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' body tubes required no filling, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon. I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights. I was very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, although me personal preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Aye aye! Blimey! They gave little trouble, me hearties, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as the rest o' t' model. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' finished model looks quite attractive.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, preparation for flight is a little more lengthy with an external mount. Waddin' was added, me bucko, and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Multi-stage models require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is required. Begad! I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, and an A8-5 for t' upper stage, me bucko, due t' t' small park I was launchin' in. Aye aye! T' launch was very straight, with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. Arrr! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! It recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' upper stage flew very high even on t' A motor, matey, shiver me timbers, landin' well out o' t' park area. Avast! Be warned: Anything more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, even with yellow paint and a large launch area! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' landin' was on a pavement street a block outside the park. Begad! One fin snapped at t' root, ya bilge rat, arrr, but was smartly repaired. Arrr! Blimey! There be no other problem, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other surface. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. Begad! Arrr! This is another high quality rocket kit from FlisKits, ya bilge rat, Inc. Arrr! T' kit components are first rate, finish nicely and come together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Ya scallywag! For those modelers lookin' for a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, this will be a refreshing, attractive, sleek addition t' their fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5