Brief:
T' Cougar 660 from FlisKits is a 13mm Streamer Duration Competition Model designed t' fly on 1/4A through full A motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' kit is advertised as a competitive model with several contest wins under it's belt and appears t' incorporate many o' t' tricks used over t' years t' optimize t' models performance. Ahoy! I was nay really interested much in competition, arrr, ya bilge rat, but wanted t' try one o' these kits just t' see how well it performed; besides, it looked like a lot o' fun t' build.

Construction:
T' Cougar 660, matey, me hearties, like many from other manufacturers, came in a very colorful plastic bag. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! However, this is where t' similarity ends. Blimey! I be shocked t' actually find inside t' bag what a kit like this needed most, ya bilge rat, me bucko, detailed instructions! But wait, shiver me timbers, thar was more. Ahoy! Separate instructions included t' Front Insert Card with Checklist on t' back, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Model Construction instructions, ya bilge rat, Finishin' and Flyin' instructions, me hearties, Streamer Construction instructions, matey, Pop-Lug Construction instructions and a warranty card; I would swear thar was $10 worth o' printed paper alone in t' kit; unbelievable and unheard o' in this day and age. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' go one step further, arrr, all t' documents were well written and illustrated; nice job FlisKits! As far as actual components are concerned, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' kit included a seamless body tube (well at least it seems that way), Balsa Nosecone, 1/64" Ply sheet for t' fins with enough t' make many sets o' fins, me bucko, cardstock tail cone and templates, matey, TWO streamer kits, arrr, one for competition and one for sport, me hearties, a Pop-Lug kit , tons o' Keelhaul®©™ for recovery o' t' model, matey, a 13mm Motor Mount Tube and a Centerin' Ring.

Construction began with t' Motor Mount/Tailcone assembly. FlisKits provides printed cardstock for bodytube markin' guides on t' tailcone and I wanted t' make a note here. Ahoy! I have built many kits in t' past and several FlisKits lately and have noticed that their cardstock in particular is always perfect in size, matey, shape and form! After dealin' with many a bodytube wrap that be slightly off or cardstock that didn't roll correctly, me hearties, it was a pleasure t' work with t' stuff from FlisKits; enough said.

T' Tailcone was built and ready for fin installation. Begad! Blimey! FlisKits gives you three types o' fin patterns t' choose from, me hearties, all printed on their cardstock templates and all noted t' perform equally. I like havin' t' choice and this was a nice touch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In addition, thar be more than enough Ply t' build your set o' fins, another nice feature as they didn't skimp on materials. Begad! Blimey! I chose a pattern, matey, cut t' fins and glued them t' t' MMT. With what appeared as a completed fin can, arrr, it was time t' work on t' body tube.

I was impressed with t' detail given when preparin' t' motor tube for installation on t' fin can. Ya scallywag! They have you actually balance t' tube with fin can temporarily installed, then install t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord at t' balance point. T' shock cord comes out t' side o' t' body tube and up t' t' nose cone mouth o' t' body tube; this is done so t' model will descend horizontally, me bucko, ya bilge rat, givin' more resistance t' air and longer duration; a nice feature. Begad! Ya scallywag! I was impressed t' detail that went into designin' this model. Once t' thread is installed, shiver me timbers, matey, you glue t' body tube t' t' fin can. Begad! Ahoy! Note that you should install t' Keelhaul®©™a bit aft o' balance point for exact balance, me bucko, as t' glue for t' cord/fin can will add some weight rearward. Avast! Ahoy! For this reason, arrr, mine is a bit tail heavy but still horizontally balanced well enough. Durin' t' final step o' gluin' t' bodytube t' t' fin can, make sure t' can is square t' t' body tube. I installed mine vertically on a table and used a square t' check all three sides o' t' model betwixt t' fins. There are well done, shiver me timbers, detailed photos throughout all their instructions that help you durin' t' construction process.

Also included in t' kit are two streamers, me hearties, one for competition and one for sport flying. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! A separate set o' instructions was used for t' competition streamer and I had it built in no time. Avast, me proud beauty! Use a yardstick and a 1" wide ruler when fan foldin' t' streamer t' keep it aligned and t' correct thickness. Arrr! T' instructions tell you t' use 12lb Keelhaul®©™ t' build t' streamer, but two piece o' 35lb were included. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I emailed FlisKits about this and received a response an hour later; they switched t' t' 35lb for both t' streamer and shock cord and will update their instructions t' reflect this change. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! In addition, ya bilge rat, they noted that instructions on where t' attach t' streamer t' t' Shockcord were nay included and it should be attached 1" from t' nosecone. I really liked their quick response as I could now continue with me build. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' streamer be finished, I built t' sport streamer just for fun. Begad! It is a bright red 2" wide crepe streamer, shiver me timbers, which I am sure aids in findin' t' model durin' recovery.

T' final step for construction was t' Pop-Lug. Avast! This should be an item that those in competition would recognize, however, arrr, me bucko, it was new t' me. I understood t' theory and liked t' idea, but had t' build it t' see how well it would work. A separate instruction sheet was included for t' lug, me bucko, shiver me timbers, with a piece o' brass wire taped t' it so you wouldn't loose it. Blimey! T' instructions are exact size for wire bends, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so you simply cut it and make it fit t' drawing; pretty easy. Begad! T' mount t' wires, they are tac-glued t' t' 1/8" launch lug, then wrapped with 8 lb Keelhaul®©™thread. This be a bit tedious, shiver me timbers, but I really enjoyed wrappin' t' wire.

I finished by addin' a couple drops o' thin CA t' coat t' ends. Avast! One note be t' fact that they give you twelve inches o' thread, but I used a good nine inches on me first wrap; I am nay sure if I went a bit overboard on t' wrap, but luckily I had just purchased some extra Keelhaul®©™thread from t' FlisKits parts section o' their website and had enough extra t' finish t' wrap. T' kit could include an eighteen inch piece o' Keelhaul®©™ t' insure thar was enough t' complete t' wrap. Aye aye! I did test t' pop lug and it really works sweet! T' lug hooks under t' fins well and comes right out o' t' model when it hits t' top o' t' rod.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' model is straight forward. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! If you plan on usin' this model in competition, shiver me timbers, they recommend you use a few light coats o' sealer on t' rocket and that is all. Begad! Ya scallywag! If it is t' be flown just for sport, you can have at it and finish it any way you wish. Ya scallywag! Begad! I opted t' go for t' competition mode and actually used thin CA t' 'paint' t' nosecone and tailcone/fins. Ahoy! Streamer and Pop-Lug were attached and it was time t' go play.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For me first launch I chose t' Estes 1/2A3-4 motor, matey, nay super large but enough t' see how well t' model performs. Well, arrr, blow me down! Some tissue be installed, ya bilge rat, followed by t' competition streamer, wrapped per t' instructions. Avast! Ya scallywag! Note that this streamer is six inches wide and took up t' bulk o' t' space inside t' bodytube. Begad! T' rocket was placed on t' pad and a piece o' maskin' tape was added t' t' top o' t' rod t' retain t' Pop-Lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! When t' button be pushed, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' model came off t' rod like a bullet, t' lug remained and it swiftly climbed out o' sight. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Man, I was surprised how high a 1/2A put t' model.

Recovery:
Ejection was right at apogee and t' competition streamer opened up. Blimey! This is where t' big test would begin as recovery is probably 70% o' t' required performance on a duration model. Begad! Blimey! T' landin' took quite some time, shiver me timbers, however, nay bein' thar for a competition, matey, me hearties, I forgot t' brin' a stop watch t' clock it. Aye aye! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! I will have t' re-do t' launch and will post t' results on a follow up. Begad! Blimey! T' model landed without a scratch and I be very pleased with t' flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Winds picked up a bit, so I did nay launch another time, but will try again soon. Arrr! Everythin' worked as planned and I be pleased with t' results o' me first competition model.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
FlisKits has done somethin' t' competition flyin' that I am sure has been difficult t' achieve in t' past. They have created a Streamer Duration Kit worthy o' purchase for even t' most competitive o' fliers, one that should swiftly become popular at meets across t' country. Aye aye! Moreover, it's a great entry/starter model for rocketeers new t' competition and many o' t' features/buildin' techniques make for good teachin' material regardin' competitive construction methods. Begad! T' only problems that were encountered durin' construction were very minor, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' include simple things like Keelhaul®©™ thickness change and tie point, two items they are correctin' in future kits. Avast! I highly recommend this rocket t' anyone who wants a quick sport flier or competitive streamer model. Arrr! T' features, matey, performance and sheer ease o' construction alone are worth t' modest price for t' kit, nay t' exclude what seems like pounds o' paper used for very well documented instructions. Begad! For these reasons, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I have t' give t' kit a 5 o' 5 for total score. I am very happy with me FlisKits Cougar 660, a fun and hopefully quite competitive Streamer Duration Model!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5