Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, me bucko, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Begad! Accordin' t' PML, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 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), arrr, arrr, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, arrr, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, matey, ya bilge rat, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, me bucko, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, a heavy-duty nylon strap, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! Frankly, matey, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, shiver me timbers, now that I've tried both. Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, and use bigger motors. Ahoy! However, 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! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Begad! 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. Aye aye! There's not a lot you can write up, me hearties, arrr, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Ya scallywag! Construction steps are logical, arrr, me hearties, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! In both cases, arrr, ya bilge rat, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, arrr, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Blimey! Blimey!

All t' parts fit well, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Blimey! Begad!

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

Now, shiver me timbers, on t' real rocket, matey, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! It adheres well, me hearties, and looks about right. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! I chose t' not paint these, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Arrr! So, me bucko, 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, me hearties, arrr, and cut out t' strips I needed. Begad! Begad! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, but it's doing fine so far. Well, blow me down! After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Ya scallywag! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, shiver me timbers, anyway). Ahoy! Arrr! Finally, me bucko, 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, me bucko, from G t' I for this rocket. My first flight (and only, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. T' nose, me hearties, arrr, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap was burned through), and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, arrr, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, shiver me timbers, forward o' t' fins. Ya scallywag! Still... Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), ya bilge rat, arrr, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast!

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5