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

All t' parts fit well, 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", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, ya bilge rat, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Begad! 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, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Ya scallywag! With t' QT, ya bilge rat, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' be pretty simple. Ahoy! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, arrr, sandin' betwixt each coat. Ahoy! Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! After that, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, I set the nose aside, arrr, masked off t' white fin, me bucko, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Ahoy! Again, arrr, I used several coats, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, with wet-sandin' between each. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Then, arrr, 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! That was it for paint. Ahoy! Once it had time t' completely dry, arrr, matey, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Avast! Begad!

Now, 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. Begad! It adheres well, matey, 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, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Arrr! So, me hearties, me bucko, matey, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, and cut out t' strips I needed. Avast! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, matey, arrr, but it's doing fine so far. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! After that, I applied t' decals, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Arrr! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Begad! Finally, me hearties, 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. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! My first flight (and only, me hearties, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Begad! Unfortunately, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Begad! T' nose, 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! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, matey, forward o' t' fins. Begad! Still... Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Ahoy!

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5