Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, ya bilge rat, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Avast! Ahoy! 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, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, me hearties, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a heavy-duty nylon strap, ya bilge rat, a length o' woven elastic, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

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

All t' parts fit well, matey, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Well, blow me down!

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

Now, on t' real rocket, ya bilge rat, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Avast! Aye aye! T' replicate this, ya bilge rat, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. It adheres well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and looks about right. Also, matey, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Ahoy! I chose t' not paint these, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Ahoy! So, matey, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Avast! 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, me hearties, matey, but it's doing fine so far. Aye aye! Begad! After that, arrr, ya bilge rat, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, arrr, ya bilge rat, and Rockets o' t' World. Ahoy! Ahoy! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, matey, anyway). Avast, me proud beauty! Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. 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, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Blimey! Begad! Unfortunately, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap was burned through), ya bilge rat, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Ahoy! Blimey! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, ya bilge rat, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, ya bilge rat, forward o' t' fins. Begad! Still... Aye aye! 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, me proud beauty! Begad!

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5