Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Aye aye! Begad! Once t' rocket be complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. When t' sandin' be complete, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. T' top portion was then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section was sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step was t' paint both tube fin sections. Arrr! T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, ya bilge rat, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, me bucko, shiver me timbers, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Blimey! Blimey! Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. Avast, me proud beauty! (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, me bucko, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. Avast! When I be satisfied with t' coverage, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, I glued t' caps into place. Begad! When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, ya bilge rat, matey, removed t' maskin' tape strip, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, shiver me timbers, t' SSA is a decent performer, arrr, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. Avast! This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. Ya scallywag! Avast! It has flown twice thus far, arrr, ya bilge rat, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. Aye aye! T' two flights, in similar conditions, matey, matey, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, ya bilge rat, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Arrr! As expected, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, shiver me timbers, makin' for a nice, short recovery walk. Aye aye! After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. Begad! It was later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, matey, me bucko, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight be noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, then drifted further into t' veggies. Well, me bucko, blow me down! A longer recovery walk, arrr, me bucko, arrr, but a much cooler flight. Aye aye! Blimey! Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. Begad! I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Cool decals. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, shiver me timbers, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5