Brief:
Single-stage, ya bilge rat, single-engine rocket with piston ejection system and is suitable for Level 1 attempts.

Construction:
This Aerotech rocket has t' standard Aerotech through t' wall Fin-Lok™ system and components except t' nose cone is a different material than t' other Aerotech's. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is gray and presumably stronger. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has 4 fins about t' size o' t' Astrobee D but reported thinner than t' Astrobee. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Even though it is only 3' tall, matey, t' shock cord is 18' long! Blimey! I asked Aerotech why and they said as t' cord gets wear and tear at t' engine end, it can be cut shorter. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' shock cord is attached t' t' top o' t' motor mount usin' a eye screw like other Aerotech's but for t' SUMO you don't glue t' screw in. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! That way you can unscrew it and fix or replace t' cord. Begad! Blimey! You can do this easy because after installation, matey, arrr, t' top o' t' engine tube is only a foot or so below t' top o' t' rocket.

Also note that this Aerotech has 2 other differences from t' normal Aerotech's. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! First, me hearties, thar be no engine thrust rin' inside t' engine tube. Arrr! So you can fit all G and many 29 mm H RMS engines without problem. It does have t' engine hook and when usin' t' 29/40-120 RMS casting, arrr, you need a yellow spacer (provided). Arrr! Secondly, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it has a piston which ejects t' parachute. Aye aye! Avast! T' piston must be epoxied, matey, nay super glued together. Begad! T' 18' shock cord is attached at t' engine tube, runs through t' piston and on t' t' nose cone.

T' instructions are typical for Aerotech and are very good. Avast! Begad! Blimey! They include a parts list, matey, good photos, me hearties, spec data, shiver me timbers, matey, prep information, me bucko, etc. Aye aye! Super glue is used everywhere except for t' piston. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! This is a level 1 capable rocket takin' up t' an H210 motor. Begad! I assume if Aerotech says it is OK, super glue will work although many I know will use epoxy instead. Aye aye! I built per t' instructions usin' super glue for everythin' except t' piston (usin' epoxy for that) and it weighed in at 32 ozs. Usin' only epoxy will add weight. Begad!

T' assembly process be t' standard Aerotech flow, motor mount, ya bilge rat, fins, etc. Aye aye! Because this rocket uses t' piston, arrr, thar be no metal mesh installed inside t' engine tube. Also, as stated above, matey, t' shock cord is screwed into a blast deflector bulkhead and into t' motor mount but it is nay glue in.

T' only problems I had with t' assembly were related t' t' piston. First, arrr, they supply two clamps which are suppose t' be snapped t' t' shock cord above and below t' piston. Ahoy! These clamps are suppose t' hold t' piston on t' cord. Well, blow me down! There is no good picture o' this in t' instructions. I couldn't get t' clamps t' lock down tight enough. They allowed t' piston t' slide along t' cord so I didn't use t' clamps. I just tied a big knot on both sides o' t' piston bulkhead and it worked good. Ahoy! Arrr! Second, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, I couldn't get t' piston into t' body tube. It be too big. Begad! Aye aye! T' instructions said nothin' about this so I called Aerotech and they sounded surprised and said they didn't have a problem. Ya scallywag! Avast! But then I told them where I lived and how humid it had been and then they concluded it must have expanded t' piston. Begad! So I lightly sanded t' piston until it fit snug in t' tube.

Finishing:
I painted and put t' decals on me rocket per Aerotech's model. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' decal sheet for this short rocket is one o' t' largest I have ever seen! After paintin' t' rocket red and yellow, I applied t' decals and I think it looks great. Aye aye! Begad! I rate t' construction 4.5 because t' instructions could be a little bit better concernin' t' piston and its installation.

Construction Rating: 4

Flight:
T' smallest motor for this rocket is a G35, arrr, t' largest is an H210. I flew it on a G64-4 without problem. Ahoy! At t' same time, a friend o' mine flew his for his Level 1 with an H128 with no problems. Aye aye! There was a 5-12 mph wind and me rocket went straight up until near apogee when it started t' angle but by that time t' chute opened.

There is a minor problem with preparin' t' rocket for flight. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Because this rocket is so short and t' engine tube is quite long, and t' shock cord is so long, plus thar be a piston and chute that all has t' go in, it takes a little bit o' careful packin' t' get t' nose cone t' go all t' way down. Well, blow me down! Blimey! If you pack t' chute compactly, arrr, you can just fit everythin' in. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Because o' t' piston, me hearties, me bucko, no waddin' is needed but you have t' be careful with t' ejection charge. Begad! Blimey! Like all piston ejection systems, if you go overboard on t' black power, you'll damage t' piston. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Aerotech gives you some guidelines t' go by. Aye aye! Blimey! Also, because you can use both medium and high power engines, thar are 2 engine spacers you may need t' get t' engine hook t' click in where it should. Blimey! Blimey! Also, Aerotech recommends you use 1" maskin' tape t' seal t' engine in place t' ensure thar be enough pressure t' eject t' piston.

Recovery:
Recovery is usin' a standard 22" yellow Aerotech 'chute. Blimey! Aye aye! T' shock cord length and 'chute size are adequate for this rocket. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! On its first flight, t' aft o' t' body tube had some minor dents in it. Begad! Begad! I don't know where they came from, either t' nose cone or piston must o' hit it after ejection. Blimey! Blimey! T' engine is recessed a good bit in this design and therefore t' body tube at t' bottom o' t' rocket is a little bit weak. Blimey! I would rate recovery 4/5 because o' t' body tube damage and care needed t' pack everything.

Flight Rating: 4

Summary:
This is a nice short and fat rocket that many people will like. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! It will fly high power or medium power motors. With a G64, about 800', up t' about 2800' with an H210. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! It uses a piston ejection system so no waddin' or other protection is needed. It has through t' wall and t' t' engine fin mountin' which makes for a strong design. Avast! I have never lost a fin on an Aerotech despite some hard landings. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord is exposed t' t' motor blast and will dry out and fail over time. Begad! Unlike other rockets, ya bilge rat, it is easy t' replace t' cord in this rocket. Well, me bucko, blow me down! A little bit o' care is needed in usin' bp for t' ejection and in t' packin' o' t' shock cord, piston and chute. Ya scallywag! Arrr! If you follow t' paint scheme suggested by Aerotech, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you'll have a very bright and colorful Level 1 rocket capable o' flyin' on G engines. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I would rate this rocket overall 4.5/5 for all t' reasons stated above.

Overall Rating: 4