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

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, arrr, arrr, 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, ya bilge rat, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, matey, 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, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, me hearties, 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. Begad! However, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, me hearties, matey, and H or light I motors, 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. Ahoy! Well, 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. There's not a lot you can write up, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Aye aye! Begad! Construction steps are logical, 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. In both cases, I build the kit stock, ya bilge rat, except for t' home-made motor retention, shiver me timbers, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Begad!

All t' parts fit well, arrr, 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, matey, 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. these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Avast! Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Begad! Avast! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, arrr, matey, sandin' betwixt each coat. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, again sandin' betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! After that, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Well, blow me down! Again, ya bilge rat, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Arrr! That be it for paint. Blimey! Begad! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat.

Now, shiver me timbers, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Begad! Aye aye! T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Ahoy! It adheres well, and looks about right. Ahoy! Avast! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Blimey! I chose t' not paint these, ya bilge rat, me hearties, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! So, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Begad! Avast! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, 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. Blimey! Blimey! After that, me bucko, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Aye aye! Ahoy! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, me hearties, anyway). Ahoy! Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Ahoy! Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! My first flight (and only, me hearties, me hearties, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Arrr! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' nose, me hearties, 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, me bucko, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, matey, forward o' t' fins. Aye aye! Still... Arrr! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), shiver me timbers, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path.

Flight number two was an F50-6, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me bucko, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Arrr! 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. Aye aye! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Blimey! T' only downside was 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. Aye aye! Begad! 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). Ya scallywag! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Aye aye! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, and a D-ring. Blimey! Seems t' work well, ya bilge rat, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, me hearties, and is probably a good size, matey, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Arrr! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), ya bilge rat, matey, I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Begad! Well, blow me down! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! As for pros and cons... well, shiver me timbers, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Ahoy! In fact, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5