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

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

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

All t' parts fit well, me hearties, 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", me bucko, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! 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. Begad! 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! Begad! With t' QT, me bucko, 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 hearties, sandin' betwixt each coat. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! After that, matey, I set the nose aside, matey, masked off t' white fin, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Again, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I used several coats, shiver me timbers, matey, with wet-sandin' between each. Ahoy! 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! Begad! That was it for paint. Avast! Once it had time t' completely dry, ya bilge rat, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat.

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

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Begad! 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, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! As for pros and cons... Avast, me proud beauty! well, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Ya scallywag! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Begad! In fact, shiver me timbers, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, matey, matey, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5