Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Begad! Accordin' t' PML, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, shiver me timbers, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), matey, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, ya bilge rat, a heavy-duty nylon strap, a length o' woven elastic, matey, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Frankly, ya bilge rat, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, me hearties, me hearties, now that I've tried both. Avast, me proud beauty! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, and use bigger motors. Aye aye! Arrr! However, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, and H or light I motors, matey, me hearties, then QT is by far t' way t' go. I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, matey, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. T' thin' t' watch is that you sand thoroughly (with coarse grit) any QT parts you are epoxying.

T' instructions for t' kit are pretty basic and straight-forward. There's not a lot you can write up, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Well, blow me down! like makin' sure the piston strap (which is epoxied t' t' motor mount) is nay positioned in a manner t' interfere with t' installation o' t' fins. In both cases, arrr, I build the kit stock, me bucko, except for t' home-made motor retention, ya bilge rat, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

All t' parts fit well, shiver me timbers, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Ya scallywag!

No motor retention is provided, me bucko, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", me hearties, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, me hearties, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Begad! Blimey! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Aye aye! Ahoy! Overall, t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket was waitin' for t' epoxy t' cure.

Finishing:
This is where that Quantum Tubin' really comes into it's own. When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, me hearties, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Blimey! With t' QT, all I have t' do be rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Blimey! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, again sandin' betwixt coats. Avast! After that, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, shiver me timbers, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Begad! Again, ya bilge rat, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Then, it was necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! That be it for paint. Aye aye! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat.

Now, me bucko, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. It adheres well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and looks about right. Aye aye! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Begad! Begad! I chose t' not paint these, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Avast, me proud beauty! So, matey, me hearties, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, and cut out t' strips I needed. Begad! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, arrr, shiver me timbers, but it's doing fine so far. After that, me bucko, me bucko, I applied t' decals, shiver me timbers, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Ahoy! Avast! Finally, matey, matey, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, matey, from G t' I for this rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! My first flight (and only, arrr, for t' phenolic one) be t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! Unfortunately, matey, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Begad! Blimey! T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), shiver me timbers, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Avast! Blimey! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, arrr, arrr, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! Still... Begad! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Avast!

Flight number two was an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Blimey! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, ya bilge rat, arrr, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight be nominal. Blimey! Avast! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, ya bilge rat, which scarred it a bit, shiver me timbers, and took a small chunk out o' one fin-tip.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system in t' kit is a two-piece affair: a thick nylon strap connects t' piston t' t' motor mount. Begad! T' piston, in turn, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Arrr! Avast! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, ya bilge rat, a slotted bulkhead, me hearties, and a D-ring. Well, blow me down! Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Ya scallywag! Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, I found that the heat o' t' day had caused t' piston t' fit a bit too tightly in t' airframe, and had t' sand it down a bit t' loosen t' fit. Well, blow me down! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, and is probably a good size, arrr, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, me hearties, arrr, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Avast! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I'd say it's an excellent kit for anyone who is just movin' up t' HPR, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. As for pros and cons... Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! well, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Begad! Aye aye! In fact, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, matey, shiver me timbers, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5