Introduction:
This is a scale model o' a British surface t' air missile. Blimey! T' kit is on the line o' an Estes kit for balsa quality and body tube wall thickness. Ahoy! In other words, it's a lightweight rocket, me hearties, me hearties, that looks huge. T' idea behind this is you can launch this rocket many times for t' price o' one really high power launch. Blimey! However, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, t' rocket is so lightly constructed, I doubt it will handle the abuse o' lots o' launches.

There's a lot o' balsa on this kit, so I learned a lot about handlin' and sealin' balsa that I didn't know before. Begad! Also, matey, they use a commercially available plastic nose cone with a paper cone attached t' t' front t' get the desired shape. Blimey! It's a major chore t' get this put together right. Ya scallywag! If you're lookin' for a fast build, matey, keep looking. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're lookin' for an impressive rocket for only a little money, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, this is it.

Scale is good...
These guys have one o' t' slickest web pages in rocketry. They also have an excellent selection o' scale military kits. Blimey! Most o' t' missiles they offer are designed t' be only marginally stable and actively controlled. Ahoy! Begad! T' means that it's quite a feat t' make them into stable model rockets. Well, arrr, blow me down! All their rockets are based on a BT80 (2.6") or BT60 (1.6") body tube. Well, blow me down! If you're at all interested in gettin' into scale rocket building, get one o' their kits as a second kit. Begad! These are nay easy, me hearties, or trivial projects most o' t' time and making a successful model will require experience from other kits.

Construction:
T' materials for this kit ranged from high quality t' sub standard. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

One o' t' balsa sheets and t' centerin' rings were o' superior quality. T' centerin' rings are made o' heavy card stock and laser cut. Begad! Ahoy! They fit perfectly with no fiddlin' or sanding. Ahoy! One o' t' balsa sheets was better than average: close grained, sturdy and flat. Avast! Aye aye!

T' tubes, matey, shiver me timbers, nose cone, matey, balsa strips, launch lugs and parachute kit were all of average quality. Begad! I would have preferred a nylon chute for a rocket this size. I ended up usin' t' mylar for a streamer for another rocket. Aye aye! Avast!

T' other balsa sheet, me bucko, motor clip and clay nose weight were o' inferior quality. Begad! Begad! T' motor clip was already slightly rusted when I got it. Avast! T' kit comes with two pieces o' balsa and t' second sheet be o' very poor quality: much too soft and warped. I should have replaced it right away, arrr, but I didn't. T' clay nose weight be rock hard. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I tried t' remedy this usin' t' kit instructions t' no avail. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I ended up carefully weighin' t' clay on a triple beam balance and substitutin' a like amount o' lead & epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr!

T' instructions are sparse, but adequate for an experienced modeler. Begad! Also note that unless you are experienced and have good CP program backin' you up (and VCP doesn't qualify for this model), me hearties, shiver me timbers, don't modify anything. Well, blow me down! RockSim 3.01 is just enough t' keep you from makin' mistakes. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Construction o' this kit requires a lot o' balsa work. Avast, me proud beauty! There is no indication o' taper t' any o' t' fins, shiver me timbers, so I didn't taper any o' them. I just cut them square and sanded them this way. Finishin' t' soft balsa fins be a pain. Begad! I tried a number o' methods. Arrr! You can wick thin CA into t' balsa to strengthen it, but when I tried this with t' very soft balsa, me bucko, it warped even more. Avast, me proud beauty! I ended up buyin' new balsa wood. Blimey! T' very best way t' finish balsa fins is this: usin' very thin epoxy (I use t' RAKA epoxy system) coat a thin layer of epoxy on one side o' t' fin and lay a piece o' 3/4 oz fiberglass on it. When everythin' is dry cut and sand off t' stuff hangin' off t' ends. Avast, me proud beauty! Then do the other side. Arrr! It strengthens t' fins and finishes them with almost no weight increase.

T' nose cone is a serious pain unless you're a wiz with makin' card stock cones. Blimey! Begad! I'm nay and had a hell o' a time gettin' this right. Avast! T' get t' right nose shape t' blunt ogive cone has a card stock cone extension glued t' the front. Then you must fill and sand until it all blends together. Blimey! Steamin' the cone helps. Avast! Once I had t' cone formed, ya bilge rat, I just pressed it in place on t' nose cone. Then I put a bit o' soft clay and a dowel up into t' cone. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! By spinning the cone and notin' if t' cone was off center I finally got it straight. Well, blow me down! Avast! When I got it centered, ya bilge rat, I wicked very thin CA into t' base o' t' paper cone to hold it in place. Then I hardened t' cone with CA, epoxy (very thin coat) and then I filled it with spacklin' compound which I also hardened with very thin CA. Blimey! Avast!

There are three centering rings provided. Begad! Avast! T' third acts as a parachute shelf about 12" back from the front end. Aye aye! It keeps t' parachute from slidin' back on boost. Well, blow me down! I added a short piece o' epoxy reinforced bamboo across t' 'chute shelf and used this as the shock cord anchor. Ahoy! With t' addition o' a baffle, ya bilge rat, this idea will be incorporated into all me rockets 1.6" and larger from now on. Aye aye!

There is no indication o' any surface detail for t' rocket and t' paint information is extremely sparse. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This kit is, at best, ya bilge rat, a rough sports scale model. Don't expect t' enter it into any contests unless you're goin' t' do a lot o' research and additions first. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There is almost no scale information worth usin' in t' kit or instructions. They also don't indicate where t' CP is supposed t' be, or t' CG. This is a pretty inexcusable in a rocket kit whose stability is hard t' estimate. Well, blow me down! Blimey! My rocket came out weighin' 8.9 oz. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' empty CG is 21.5" from t' nose tip. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' CP is about 28 3/8" from t' nose tip accordin' t' RockSim 3.01. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

For launch lugs I substituted 1/4" mylar lugs. This is so I can put it on a longer, stronger launch rod. Ya scallywag! There is no instructions on where t' put the launch lugs. I placed one on t' mid-body seam (about where t' CP is) and one 2" from t' tail.

For t' price o' t' kit, you get a big rocket that is a big project. Ya scallywag! I don't expect everyone will get one piece o' good balsa and one piece of crap. Still, ya bilge rat, it does have almost no scale data and lacks stability information.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
This flies nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I wouldn't fly it in any wind, though. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' stock chute is terribly undersized for t' altitude I fly from (4300') and t' ground is very hard here. Begad! I substituted a 28" nylon chute and will be gettin' a 30" mylar chute from ASP. Avast! You'll need a sturdy rod and launcher. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Under E18 power it boosts slowly and still gets plenty o' air. Blimey!

I have an Aerotech 24/40 system too, so I use those motors in addition to the recommended motors. Begad! Blimey! Here's me motor chart with expected altitude and delay recommendations:

It's a real nice flyer and a big rocket. Do nay fly it in gusty winds, though. Ahoy! Wait for a calm day.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It's a bear t' build, nay everythin' you need is in t' kit and it irks me to not have a really scale model. Begad! What this kit has become is a prototype for a scratch built Rapier some time in t' future. Aye aye! It will require a lot o' research on me part t' make a truly scale Raper. Still, arrr, for a sport flyer, shiver me timbers, it will be fun t' put up every once in a while.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5