Brief:
Who am I t' resist t' "sexiest kit alive"? Giant Leap's Talon 2 is a 48" tall, 2.1" diameter, 29mm mid/high power downscale o' their flagship design. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction:
Orderin' was a breeze and t' kit arrived undamaged despite severe damage to the shippin' box. Begad! Aye aye! Durin' t' orderin' and early construction phase, I exchanged several emails with Kent at Giant Leap and found him t' be extremely helpful regardin' t' shipping, matey, matey, kit components, motor retention, and flight/motor performances. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' kit components all seem top quality, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and include great extras like a 30" nylon parachute, Keelhaul®©™® shock cord sleeve, Keelhaul®©™® chute protector, and conformal lugs. T' body tube and boat tail are pre-slotted. Ya scallywag! T' fins are 1/16" (0.062") G10.

Construction be generally straightforward, but I did deal with a number of issues that are worth mentioning. Aye aye! I don't want me focus on these issues to detract from what overall is a good kit. Begad! This is only me second mid-power kit, so perhaps some o' me construction gripes should be taken with a grain o' salt. Nevertheless, arrr, construction was considerably more challengin' than what I experienced with me Binder Design Thug. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! After all, GL presumably wants to attract relative newcomers like me with this downscaled, me bucko, me bucko, lower-priced Talon kit.

T' instructions are in paragraph form, matey, me bucko, but I prefer numbered steps. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! You are explicitly invited t' call GL if you have any questions whatsoever during assembly--a very nice touch.

T' phenolic body tube had t' deepest spirals I had ever seen plus dimpled irregularities that were only revealed when t' first round o' fillin' and primin' revealed low spots. Aye aye! On t' positive side, t' tube was exceptionally thick and strong.

T' second CR is t' be glued flush "on t' end o' t' motor tube"--but which end? Someone nay visualizin' t' big picture might glue it on t' wrong end, shiver me timbers, leadin' t' a major problem. (Even t' first CR is slightly vague: 9.75 inches from one end o' t' tube t' which side o' t' CR?)

No positive motor retention is included. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Kent says GL considered addin' a Slimline retainer to t' kit, but balked at t' $20 price hike. Begad! Blimey! I balked too and opted for the assembly shown in t' photo here, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which mostly retains t' "sexy" boat tail profile.

My biggest concern related t' assemblin' t' aft o' t' rocket, especially the fins. Avast! Ahoy! Note that t' aft fins span t' seam betwixt t' boat tail and the body tube, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so t' slots are half in each piece.

Now in one single step, ya bilge rat, you are supposed t' glue t' motor mount in the body, arrr, me bucko, glue t' boat tail t' t' body, and glue t' end o' t' motor mount to the end o' t' boat tail. (GL gives a clear, highlighted warnin' t' use 30-min epoxy and be sure t' fully understand t' 3/4 page o' instructions about what must be accomplished durin' t' cure time.) This leaves a totally enclosed rocket. Begad! Then you are supposed t' apply epoxy t' t' ends o' t' 0.062 G10 fins, squeeze them through t' fin slots t' smear a little epoxy on t' motor tube, pull them out and repeat this procedure until sufficient epoxy has been applied to glue t' fin permanently.

T' fin slots are so thin and epoxy is so gooey this seemed rather unrealistic t' me--it's tough enough with bigger slots! Couldn't thar be a way to retain access t' t' interior o' t' rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, so we could put internal fillets on t' fins, or at least see inside t' confirm that we got enough glue at t' root? I thought long and hard about this before divin' in. In t' end, t' fin and CR placements just didn't seem t' allow any choice that would clearly be better, matey, so I forged ahead as instructed. Blimey! Blimey! However, matey, t' ensure a secure bond for me motor retention brackets, I glued t' MMT t' t' boat tail first, me bucko, separately, usin' t' dry body tube t' ensure alignment. Avast! Blimey! I then glued this assembly in t' t' body tube in a second step.

Gluin' t' fins through t' slots turned out t' be nay nearly as messy and frustratin' as I had anticipated. T' G10 fins are so straight and t' slots are so precise that t' task went smartly with nay too much slop. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! With solid external fillets, maybe uncertainty about t' fin-to-motor-tube bond won't matter much.

My final concern related t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord sleeve. Well, blow me down! (What a luxury t' be worryin' about that!) I followed the instructions and did nay slide t' sleeve on t' cord until t' very end. However, inside t' rocket, arrr, t' cord ties on t' a steel cable looped through the upper CR. Ahoy! I had used a bowline knot and some CA drops. Begad! But t' knot so big and t' steel cable loop was so big and inflexible that I doubt I got the sleeve down all t' way t' protect t' very bottom o' t' nylon shock cord. Begad! I think it would have been better t' tell users t' place t' sleeve over the nylon cable (and maybe even anchor it thar with a couple o' Keelhaul®©™® thread stitches) before gluin' t' motor mount into t' body. This way, complete protection o' t' very bottom o' t' cord could be ensured. Begad!

Those were t' issues I encountered. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! T' rest was trouble free.

I beveled t' fins t' 15-degree edge usin' a homemade jig and a vibrating floor sander. Avast! I used rail buttons instead o' t' lugs.

Finishing:
I do a first round o' fillin' and primin' before major assembly because it's easier, but you need t' sand clear any spot where glue will bond. Arrr! See t' photo of me final paint scheme. Begad! Aye aye! I like t' Rustoleum yellow because it produces a finish that seems almost plasticky. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' sticker provided by GL was high quality and usin' their detailed "hinge" instructions, shiver me timbers, I got a very pleasing result. Blimey! Two light coats o' Wal-Mart clear coat went over t' top o' everything. T' final result was spectacular.

PROs: outstandin' component quality and extras

CONs: some issues worth notin' durin' assembly

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kids and I set out early Saturday mornin' t' a great new site in northern Colorado, despite t' cold, me hearties, low clouds, shiver me timbers, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and breeze. Well, arrr, blow me down! Fearful o' conditions worsening, arrr, I launched t' Talon 2 early in a very stiff breeze. Begad! Little did I know that by t' end o' t' day it would be calm, me hearties, clear, ya bilge rat, and 20 degrees warmer. Darn! T' winds were 10-15mph for t' first two flights and 5-10 for t' last one. Well, blow me down! Begad! We used AT G64-7W for t' first flight, ya bilge rat, and AT G64-4W for t' last two flights. All three flights were somewhat wobbly off t' 6 foot rail in the stiff wind, and (surprisingly) arced cross-wind or downwind. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first flight was t' most severe, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and t' delay way too long. Aye aye! T' bird was 2/3 o' t' way back down before t' chute opened. Arrr! We walked at least 1/2 mile downrange in a strong cold wind. Ya scallywag! T' 4-second delay on t' next two flights was fine. Well, blow me down!

I think t' G64 is just enough motor for launchin' in these conditions. The fin profile is rather large, arrr, matey, me hearties, and t' big fins are quite a ways up t' body. Thus, in t' wind t' Talon 2 struggled a bit t' orient itself off t' rail, but once it established a direction, arrr, ya bilge rat, it was straight on its arc. Begad! With a more powerful boost or less wind, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I believe t' rocket would fly straight and true.

Recovery:
T' chute is a bit snug in its Keelhaul®©™® protector, ya bilge rat, but is perfectly sized for recovery. It opened fully and quickly each time. Avast! Despite t' wind, me hearties, all three descents were swift but gentle. Begad! The rocket is almost totally unblemished after three landings. Arrr! This is a testament to t' chute and t' t' quality o' t' materials.

I'm lookin' forward t' more flights on a calm day, and I must admit I wonder what she'd do with an H in her!

PROs: stable flight, matey, perfect recovery

CONs: nay fond o' stiff wind, shiver me timbers, tempts you t' certify

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
It just looks so darn cool and flies great.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5