Brief:
This is a rocket that flies on mid and high power motors, ya bilge rat, has tube fins, and uses parachute recovery.

Construction:
T' first step in t' construction o' this beast is t' begin t' finishin' process. Avast, me proud beauty! Spirals are t' be filled in and the tubes sanded down. Blimey! This latter step is so that t' adhesives may grip better. Arrr! I did sand down t' tubes but did nothin' about t' spirals. Arrr! They were nay bad and they usually don't bother me.

After sandin' down t' tubes, shiver me timbers, I had t' check them t' make sure I knew which be which. One be t' airframe and the other be t' source from which t' tube fins are t' be cut. Avast, me proud beauty! I identified them by length and marked them with a pencil so they would nay get mixed up.

One page o' t' instructions contains two wraparound guides t' be cut out. Begad! This page is distinctive in that it is the only page printed on legal paper (as opposed t' letter paper). I cut out t' guide for t' fin tubes, me hearties, me hearties, which was the simpler o' t' two. Well, blow me down! It contained markings for 2 lines, 180 degrees apart. I wrapped t' guide around t' tube and found that it would nay quite close. Blimey! Begad! I checked alignment on everythin' t' satisfy myself that everythin' be right and everythin' was, except that t' guide had about a 1/16 inch space betwixt match lines.

I was unsure whether this gap was allowed for in t' markings or nay and sent a message t' Layne at Pemberton Technologies. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I went ahead an drew t' lines on t' tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, however, arrr, figurin' that if t' gap is incorrect, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I would make my final marks by construction offsets. For now, I just wanted t' keep on working.

T' instructions give a list o' distances at which t' upper and t' lower lines are t' be marked. Avast, me proud beauty! These distances will be very important for makin' t' cuttin' marks and were checked carefully.

Makin' t' tick marks on t' fin tube was nay too difficult. Drawin' t' lines betwixt them was. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' instructions give a well thought out method. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! You need some sort o' flexible straightedge. Ya scallywag! You line it up with t' appropriate tick on t' top and bottom lines. You make sure it's tight and flat and correctly positioned, matey, then you draw a line. It's logical, matey, it sounds easy, shiver me timbers, but it's extremely frustrating. Begad! Begad!

I used a piece o' poster board. I cut out a strip and marked the "good" side, t' side with t' factory cut that I was confident was straight. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I would get it aligned with a tick mark and pointin' t' in approximate right direction. I would tape down that end and then wrap it around, me bucko, matey, trying to keep it tight and straight. Begad! Blimey! Cellophane tape does nay work. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Neither does narrow maskin' tape. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It keeps wantin' t' let go under stress. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Finally, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I settled on some Frog Tape. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It was tacky enough for a single pair o' lines but that was only part o' t' problem. Aye aye! Blimey! Invariably, t' strip be just a little bit off and I would have t' take up t' tape and try again. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! When it was in t' right place, matey, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, markin' with a pencil was easy. Ya scallywag! Then t' entire process had t' be repeated to draw t' mirror image o' t' line just drawn. Then everythin' is shifted and you do it again...and again...and again. Avast, me proud beauty! I had t' take a break halfway through because o' t' frustration factor.

Let me be clear: This is nay a problem with t' design or t' kit. Ahoy! Part o' what makes this kit appealin' is the unusual curve o' t' fin tubes. I can't think o' a better way t' do it that t' way provided for. Aye aye! Its just that it was my first time and it was frustrating.

With t' contours o' t' fins marked on t' fin tube, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, it was time t' cut them out. Ya scallywag! T' instructions recommend usin' a fresh X-Acto blade. Avast! Arrr! I found them t' be imprecise at this point. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Things work much easier usin' a fresh blade for each separate fin.

T' process is simple. Ahoy! Blimey! You just trace t' lines you drew with t' blade bein' careful t' be exactly on t' line. You don't push very hard at all--it's more o' a scorin' than a cut. Ya scallywag! You then draw t' blade over t' same path again...and again...and keep doin' it until you cut all t' way through. For me, this varied betwixt 5 and 15 passes on any given segment. Blimey! Blimey! This is tedious but t' result is worthwhile.

Takin' a breather, me hearties, I cut out t' body tube markin' guide and applied it t' t' BT. Arrr! Ahoy! I had t' same small gap in it that I had in t' fin tube guide. By this point, shiver me timbers, I have decided that t' small amount is nay enough t' worry about. Lines for t' 4 fins and t' launch lug were transferred t' t' BT and elongated t' t' entire length o' t' tube using a pocket door frame.

With t' tube fins cut, matey, me hearties, t' next step is t' mask off t' lines along which they will be mounted. Begad! I did this on both t' tube fins and t' body tube usin' 1/4" Tamiya tape. Arrr! I ran out on t' penultimate line on t' BT and cut a strip o' Frog Tape t' finish. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I then applied Elmer's Wood Filler t' t' spirals inside t' tube fins. I had decided at the outset that I would nay worry about t' spiral on t' BT or t' outside o' t' fins because they are nay prominent, but t' spirals on t' inside o' t' tube are.

T' filler had a day t' dry out and then I started sandin' it. Aye aye! It filled t' spirals well but sandin' inside of them be a nightmare because me hands are too big t' fit them well. T' tops and bottoms were nay too hard but the parts completely surrounded by tube were.

With t' spirals filled, me bucko, arrr, I proceeded t' prime t' Kraken with Kilz. Aye aye! It covered t' pencil marks very well and did better than anythin' else I could think o' for primin' t' inner surface o' t' tube fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! However, shiver me timbers, matey, sprayin' the insides o' tubes is nay easy. Arrr! It needed another coat. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, me hearties, t' sandin' I had done on t' inside o' t' tubes resulted in t' primed tubes havin' a bad case o' t' fuzzies. Arrr! This will probably mean one extra iteration o' sprayin' and sandin' before it is ready for t' finish paint.

T' fuzzies got sanded down and I learned somethin' important: If me hands are goin' t' sand t' insides of tubes, shiver me timbers, they need t' be a bigger diameter. Avast! It was painstakin' work, nay because o' t' difficulty o' doin' it but because o' t' difficulty o' gettin' access. Ya scallywag! Even so, I judged that another coatin' o' primer would nay be needed. Begad! I moved t' tube fins t' t' booth and proceeded t' spray their interiors with a bright purple.

When t' purple had dried, I decided t' go ahead and paint t' black. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' instructions give a creative way to mask o' t' interior o' t' tube fins and protect them. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! You just roll up a piece o' cardboard, matey, insert it in t' tube and let it expand. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Much t' me surprise, it worked very well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I had thought that it would only do a "so so" job but is seemed t' do a better job than me normal maskin' tape application.

T' tube fins were placed in me booth as well as t' BT. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then began applyin' coats o' black. Avast, me proud beauty! I applied the paint lightly for three coats and be satisfied with t' result.

While waitin' for t' black t' dry, ya bilge rat, arrr, I tackled t' nosecone. Begad! Blimey! It has 2 canards which needed t' be mounted. These are nay mounted on t' surface but in slots which must be cut. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions say t' use t' 2 mold lines for guides and make marks 4 inches back from t' tip. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! These points mark t' forward edges o' t' fitting. T' canards were then used t' mark t' width and length o' t' cut.

T' instructions recommend t' use a Dremel tool t' cut t' slots. I have still not located mine since movin' me shop, matey, and I decided t' do it t' "hard way" with multiple passes o' an X-Acto. Well, blow me down! T' me surprise, this turned out t' be easy. Begad! Begad! It was much easier than cuttin' t' tube fins!

I decided that I wanted t' dress t' edges o' t' canards so I broke out t' sandpaper and beveled t' leading, outer and trailin' edges. Ya scallywag! I then mixed a small amount o' 5 minute epoxy and used that t' mount them.

T' kit comes with a small bag o' lead droppings t' be used as nose weight. Aye aye! In order t' better facilitate getting it into place, ya bilge rat, I drilled a 3/8" hole in t' base o' t' NC. Begad! T' shot was then poured into place and allowed to settle at t' very tip. Begad! Arrr! Two ounces o' 12 minute epoxy were then mixed and poured into t' cone t' hold t' lead in place. While t' epoxy was still fluid, I canted it over t' let it flow over t' tabs on both o' t' canards. Begad! T' hole I had drilled was large enough t' be able t' look in and make sure that I had tilted t' cone far enough t' accomplish this. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I moved t' cone back and forth t' let t' epoxy wash over t' tabs several times before it finally set up. This way, a thicker layer be able t' be applied t' t' tabs than would otherwise be t' case. Blimey! When t' epoxy started to stiffen, me bucko, I set t' cone up on its nose t' allow it t' finish curing.

Attention then turned t' t' motor mount. Arrr! One o' t' centerin' rings needed t' be designated as the "forward" ring. Begad! Aye aye! That rin' had a slot filed into its inner boundary t' accommodate t' passin' o' t' flat nylon shock cord. Avast! A Dremel tool is recommended for this, shiver me timbers, arrr, but as I mentioned previously, mine is MIA. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' file I used was supplemented with some judicious cuttin' with t' X-Acto.

Maskin' tape was used t' hold down t' end o' t' nylon tubin' against t' motor tube. T' forward rin' be then slipped into place and epoxied 2 inches from t' end. When that had set, t' aft rin' be epoxied into place 2 inches from t' back end. Avast! Ahoy! Both rings were filleted with epoxy.

Workin' on t' NC and motor mount had allowed sufficient time for t' black paint t' dry so I turned next to installin' t' motor mount. Arrr! Arrr! T' rings had t' be sanded a little bit, shiver me timbers, but that be smartly taken care o' and t' mount was put in place with epoxy and a generous amount o' filleting. Arrr! It was installed so that t' end o' t' motor mount was flush with t' aft end o' t' BT.

With t' motor mount in place, I stripped off t' maskin' o' t' fins. Arrr! Begad! T' instructions say t' use carpenter's glue so that's what I did. Aye aye! I wanted t' hedge me bets however and first drilled a series o' 1/8" holes along the fin mountin' lines t' form glue rivets. Blimey! Yellow glue was then used t' put t' first fin in place and it be allowed to dry.

I took gluin' o' t' tube fins slowly, applyin' one and then tapin' it into place and lettin' it dry. Ahoy! That left me with time on me hands t' ruin other components so I turned me attention back t' t' nosecone. It had been primed with Kilz and sanded. T' Kilz be t' only filler on t' wooden canards and seemed t' do t' job well. Begad! After sanding, I sprayed it black.

After t' black NC had a day t' dry, I masked off t' outer edges o' t' beveled canards and brushed on a squidly pink. My intention was t' let it dry and then remask and get t' leadin' and trainin' edges but I kind o' like just the tips.

I also started highlightin' t' cut edges o' t' tube fins with t' same hot pink. While I was at it, I began to experiment with some pink blobbin' and t' forward tips o' t' tubes. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Originally, I be just givin' a first coat over the black and planned t' mask off a simple area and go over it again with another coat. Blimey! Close up, arrr, it doesn't look all that good and still needs some touchin' up but from a few feet away, it has a look o' "biological coloring" to me.

After starin' at t' results o' t' pink for a while, I decided t' go back t' me original idea and masked off a roughly diamond shaped area at t' front o' each tube. Begad! I also masked off a small triangle at t' rear. Well, blow me down! I then started brushin' on t' Panther Pink.

On t' day after, me bucko, I pulled off t' maskin' and be horrified t' see some o' t' bleeds. Arrr! They will be "fixed" by remaskin' and hittin' it with t' black again. Begad! For t' time bein' though, me bucko, I started filletin' the fins.

T' instructions warned that this can be difficult, shiver me timbers, but it be nay as bad as I expected. Blimey! I used maskin' tape to form dams and then mixed up 12 minute epoxy 2 tablespoons at a time. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used a plastic cup t' pour t' epoxy into the troughs and when it started t' thicken, ya bilge rat, arrr, I pulled off t' tape. Ahoy! Blimey! This usually left some bad stringies but a rubdown with ethanol smoothed things up. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This be done 4 time t' hit all t' joints.

I had t' funny feelin' I was forgettin' somethin' at this point and started lookin' through t' bag o' parts. Aye aye! I found t' launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Begad! That could have made Saturday embarrassing. Arrr!

I located t' tape that was maskin' t' lug location and peeled it off. Arrr! Begad! T' kits comes with two lugs so I started lookin' for a piece o' 1/4" rod with which t' get them straight. Arrr! I could nay find it and sat for a few moments. Then I looked in one o' t' drawers again. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! I did nay find t' rod but I did find a 4" x 1/4" lug. Aye aye! I decided to use that. I attached it with 5 minute epoxy at t' forward lug mark.

I let t' lug epoxy set overnight and then got t' work with a brush and some black acrylic t' clean up pink blobs, matey, matey, arrr, paint t' lug and touch up t' rocket. Well, blow me down! It be goin' t' need more but it was startin' t' bother me.

PROs: This is a fairly simple rocket but has a cool design. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions for cuttin' t' fin tubes are first rate.

CONs: While t' instructions for cuttin' t' tubes are first rate, actually markin' and cuttin' them is tedious.

Finishing:
I finished me Kin' Kraken while it be bein' constructed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is described above and made simple what would be a nightmare o' maskin' if t' rocket had been assembled.

After assembly, a brush be used t' touch things up.

PROs: T' black gives a powerful look.

CONs: None.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Kin' Kraken is sold as a HPR but for t' maiden flights, I had no Hs and t' field would have been too small for them anyway. Begad! Pemberton Tech also says that t' rocket can be flown on Gs and even Fs. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I decided t' try t' first flight with a Roadrunner G80-7 usin' a 38-29 motor adapter.

T' boost was perfect but t' delay was a little long. Even so, t' chute deployed and t' Kin' Kraken landed without a scratch. Blimey! That is some feat in t' midst o' all t' whitebrush.

Click here t' see a video o' t' maiden flight.

T' first flight exceeded expectations and I decided t' wimp out with an F60-4. Blimey! THe rocket was prepped and set up. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Again, me hearties, arrr, it be a flawless flight and t' 4 second delay seems t' be perfect for this motor.

A video o' t' second flight can be found here.

An inspection o' t' rocket after recovery showed that t' nylon recovery cord had just started t' zipper t' BT. This will be an easy fix.

This rocket is fairly heavy t' me thinkin' but it performed admirably o' F and G motors. Avast! Blimey! I can only imagine what the bigger stuff will do.

PROs: Impressive in flight, durable.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
T' shock cord consisted o' nylon tubin' attached t' t' motor mount. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This was in turn connected t' t' NC with a snap ring. Well, blow me down! T' generous, me hearties, quality nylon chute was similarly attached t' t' NC.

Except for a minor zipperin' problem noted above, t' system worked well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a simple high power rocket that is somethin' other than a 3FNC. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! It provides a good introduction t' the buildin' o' these bigger rockets.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5