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

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

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Ahoy! Avast! Frankly, arrr, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, now that I've tried both. Aye aye! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, and use bigger motors. Ahoy! However, me bucko, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, ya bilge rat, arrr, and H or light I motors, arrr, me hearties, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Avast, me proud beauty! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! 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. Begad! There's not a lot you can write up, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Arrr! Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... 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. Arrr! Avast! In both cases, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Blimey!

All t' parts fit well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit.

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", matey, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Ya scallywag! Blimey! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! With t' QT, me bucko, all I have t' do be rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, arrr, 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, arrr, again sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! Ahoy! After that, I set the nose aside, matey, masked off t' white fin, me bucko, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Again, I used several coats, arrr, with wet-sandin' between each. Then, it be necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! That was it for paint. Once it had time t' completely dry, ya bilge rat, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Flight number two was an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Begad! Blimey! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, 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. T' piston, me hearties, in turn, me bucko, me hearties, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Begad! Aye aye! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Avast! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, ya bilge rat, a slotted bulkhead, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and a D-ring. Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Begad! Avast! 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. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, and is probably a good size, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5