T' Mirage was t' second medium-power rocket and t' first Aerotech kit that I built. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! In addition, this kit be t' largest rocket that I have ever built, ya bilge rat, towerin' 87" (that's 7'- 3"!).It is 2.6" in diameter and weighs 31 ounces.It flies with 29mm motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In a nutshell, arrr, it's a whole lot o' rocket!

T' kit comes with three body tubes with couplers, shiver me timbers, plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and launch lugs. Blimey! Due t' mid-separation, shiver me timbers, it comes with t' hardware necessary t' attach two 8 foot shock cords and two nylon parachutes (one 22" and one 30"). Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' motor mount hardware includes a LABYRINTH coolin' mesh and ejection baffle, me bucko, which eliminates t' need for wadding, as well as a motor retention hook. Begad! There are three large plastic fins with tabs for mountin' in Aerotech's FIN-LOK system through a pre-slotted body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Lastly, thar be a large Mirage decal.

T' Aerotech web site indicates that this kit comes with a 24mm adapter. Aye aye! My kit did nay and quite frankly due t' size and weight t' only 24mm motors I would use would be F24 and F39 and then flights would be less than 400 feet. Ya scallywag! I think its a misprint on t' web site because t' catalog does nay indicate a 24mm adapter. Begad!

There are six pages o' clear, illustrated instructions. Arrr! There are a couple o' breakouts which provide a location guide for t' motor mount and a detail o' t' fin. Ahoy! T' remainin' illustrations provide adequate information for assembly. Blimey! T' instructions also provide clear warnings on use o' glue, me bucko, shiver me timbers, such as, nay puttin' it on t' shock cord since it will weaken it and t' avoid gettin' glue into t' FIN-LOK ring's. T' instructions are in logical order and can ensure a successful assembly if followed.

T' instructions suggest usin' medium viscosity CA, however, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I used 5 and 30-minute epoxy. In doin' so, I had t' wait a few extra minutes betwixt steps, however, matey, I still built t' entire kit in about one and a half hours. Arrr! Avast! Blimey!

T' assembly o' this large rocket was very easy and thar were no problems. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! All o' t' parts fit and went together as described. Begad! T' most difficult part o' this rocket is dealin' with it's height. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're nay extra careful, you will certainly hit t' ceilin' a few times. Aye aye! Ahoy! Also dealin' with it's size adds a challenge t' finishing. Begad!

Durin' t' finishin' stage I decided t' nay fill t' body tube grooves with anythin' and just build it up usin' Plasti-Kote primer. Begad! This was nay t' best decision. Well, blow me down! This was nay t' best decision. Arrr! It took about 5 coats, shiver me timbers, sandin' inbetween each one, before t' grooves were filled. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' nose cone be one o' t' biggest problems due t' t' moldin' grooves left on each side.

Once fully primed, I chose t' paint t' rocket with a deep maroon metallic automotive lacquer. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' entire rocket this color. Well, blow me down! Then I took a can o' chrome paint and sprayed t' nose cone and t' upper section o' t' rocket, nay protectin' anythin' from over spray. Begad! Aye aye! I think this gave a nice "fade-in" look. Begad!

T' kit comes with one decal with t' name Mirage™ on it, however I did nay choose t' use it at first. Begad! I have since gone back and used it. I followed t' directions completely and cut out t' decal, ya bilge rat, peeled t' back off, dipped it into some soapy water then applied it t' t' body. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I adhered nicely. Arrr! Avast!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. Blimey! I didn't find a single problem. Begad! Blimey!

T' Mirage has a mid-separation design which releases t' upper five foot section t' descend on it's own 22" parachute. Avast! T' second 30" parachute carries t' bottom, me hearties, fin and motor, section down.

T' kit uses two launch lugs. Well, blow me down! One is on t' upper section and t' other is on t' bottom section. Blimey! These two need t' be aligned t' allow for a smooth launch off o' t' guide rod. Aye aye! T' last page in t' instructions are t' "Operation Instructions" and they indicate that "a 1/4" diameter metal launch rod at least 36" long (as measured from t' top o' t' blast deflector)" should be used. Blimey! This can nay be correct and must be a blanket operation instruction for other Aerotech kits since t' top launch lug is about 38" from t' bottom o' t' rocket. Blimey! I used a five foot rod and even that seemed a tad bit short. Ya scallywag!

T' maiden voyage be on an Aerotech Single-Use F25-6. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Avast! Begad! Excellent slow and loud lift off. T' F25 powered t' Mirage to a fully observable apogee (wRASP says about 675 feet), then about 2 seconds after apogee t' ejection charge pushed t' upper section away and both parachutes deployed. T' upper section came down faster than t' lower section. Aye aye! Arrr! T' lower section drifted more than t' upper section, me hearties, so it would be good t' have a flyin' partner t' help in retrieval.

T' second flight be supposed t' be on a G80-7, arrr, however, arrr, after 4 puffs this motor be nay goin' t' ignite. Ya scallywag! So t' second flight be on an Aerotech EconoJet G35-7. Avast! This flight be also great t' watch with separation at apogee. Aye aye! Begad!

T' LABYRINTH ejection gas coolin' system did exactly what it claims to; "T' ignition o' t' ejection charge creates a burst o' hot expandin' gas which is cooled by t' permanent metal mesh . . Arrr! . Arrr! Arrr! T' cooled gas flows around t' baffle, pressurizes t' parachute bay and ejects t' nose cone (or payload bay) and parachute." I had no damage t' me shock cords or parachutes. Arrr! Aye aye!  

One other interestin' fact about t' Mirage is how well suited it is for many different motors. Accordin' t' wRASP, t' Mirage will have excellent flights (with ejection very near or at apogee) on Single-Use motors, F20-4, me bucko, ya bilge rat, F25-4, me hearties, F50-6, ya bilge rat, arrr, G80-7 and RMS motors, F52-5, G33-5 and G64-7. I'm sure t' North Coast Rocketry Darkstar F62-6 would also give a nice flight. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I look forward t' usin' some o' these other motors!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points.

Overall, shiver me timbers, for t' price and ease o' build, ya bilge rat, t' Mirage is a great kit for someone lookin' for a very large, me hearties, shiver me timbers, mid-powered rocket with little experience. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Ya scallywag!

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Begad! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Avast! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Arrr! Begad! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Blimey! For more information, use t' two links above. Aye aye! Aye aye!

"T' Mirage is a tall, me bucko, attractive model standin' 87" tall and 2. Arrr! Well, blow me down! 6" in diameter. Ahoy! " 
"Her features are t' Labyrinth ejection charge coolin' system, me hearties, molded plastic fins, through-the-wall fin mounting, arrr, dual parachute recovery, shiver me timbers, large decal sheet, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and complete instructions. Aye aye! Avast! " 
"Flights with t' F40 were very interesting. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! Liftoff was slow, me hearties, but then t' Mirage picked up speed. " 
"T' Aerotech Mirage is a very nice kit t' get started in higher power rockets. Avast, me proud beauty! " 
"She is a large, good lookin' kit that is very easy t' build and fly. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! " 
"On a scale o' one t' ten, ya bilge rat, this model deserves a ten. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! " 

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is an excellent kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!