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

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Arrr! Frankly, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, me bucko, now that I've tried both. Aye aye! Arrr! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, matey, me bucko, and use bigger motors. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! In both cases, matey, matey, ya bilge rat, I build the kit stock, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Well, blow me down! Begad!

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, me bucko, 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, me hearties, arrr, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Aye aye! Arrr! Overall, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, shiver me timbers, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Blimey! Ya scallywag! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' be pretty simple. Well, blow me down! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, shiver me timbers, sandin' betwixt each coat. 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. Arrr! Avast! After that, ya bilge rat, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, ya bilge rat, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Again, arrr, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Ya scallywag! Then, me bucko, it be 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! Begad! That was it for paint. Ahoy! Begad! Once it had time t' completely dry, ya bilge rat, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Begad! Well, blow me down!

Now, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Arrr! T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. It adheres well, matey, me bucko, and looks about right. Arrr! Also, me bucko, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. I chose t' not paint these, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Ahoy! So, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Ahoy! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, me hearties, and cut out t' strips I needed. I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, shiver me timbers, but it's doing fine so far. Arrr! After that, shiver me timbers, I applied t' decals, ya bilge rat, referencin' both t' kit instructions, arrr, and Rockets o' t' World. Blimey! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, me bucko, anyway). Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Avast, me proud beauty! T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, arrr, from G t' I for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! My first flight (and only, me bucko, for t' phenolic one) be t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Begad! Unfortunately, matey, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Ahoy! T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), me hearties, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, matey, ya bilge rat, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Still... 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!

Flight number two be an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Begad! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, me bucko, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Avast! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Ahoy! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, me bucko, 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' piston, arrr, in turn, me hearties, ya bilge rat, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, and a D-ring. Blimey! Blimey! Seems t' work well, matey, me hearties, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, matey, arrr, 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. Begad! Blimey! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, me hearties, arrr, and is probably a good size, me hearties, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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, me bucko, matey, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Well, blow me down! 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! As for pros and cons... Arrr! well, 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. In fact, ya bilge rat, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5