Brief
This is a sturdy, matey, single staged high power rocket with a hardwood nose and boattail. Avast, me proud beauty! It recovers by chute and comes with a 54mm mount, but can fly on 38 and 29mm motors as well. Blimey! Aye aye!

Construction
After gettin' me level 2, I began t' surf t' net t' answer t' question, "What next?" I wondered what was out thar that was different. Then I discovered a new company called Starship Enterprises (now called Fat Cat Rockets as o' 1/1/01) and perused their site and found t' GTX. I fancied that it looked like a giant Crayola crayon and I liked it. Ya scallywag! So I ordered it. Arrr! Service was prompt, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and shipment was received intact and undamaged. Blimey! All parts fit precisely.

T' fins were precut and are plywood. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' nose cone is hardwood, symmetrically turned and a precise fit for t' 3-inch spiral wound body tube, which is paper, ya bilge rat, but o' t' strength seen in extra thick motor tubes. T' shock cord mount has steel cablin' that runs from t' engine mount t' t' 1/2 inch elastic, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, which ties t' a screw-eye in t' nose cone. nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' instructions are simple. Avast, me proud beauty! That's because t' model is easy schmeasy to assemble. Aye aye! Aye aye! It's great for those impulses t' fly somethin' new t' next day. The only hard parts are crimpin' t' clamps that form t' loops in t' steel cable and drillin' a pilot hole in t' hardwood nose cone t' admit t' screw-eye. Avast, me proud beauty! I needed t' employ heavy duty pliers and an electric drill for this. Arrr!

Also, ya bilge rat, t' body tube did nay come pregrooved. Begad! I needed t' employ a strong exacto cutlass t' make t' slots for t' fins, but a markin' guide was supplied to make it easier. Arrr! I used epoxy all t' way for construction, but instead o' my favorite quick settin' type, shiver me timbers, I used 1/2 hour epoxy t' make t' bonds stronger. T' fins fit through t' body wall right t' t' motor tube, and I applied the centerin' rin' so that it too supplied a bond at t' upper part o' t' fin tab. T' boattail acts as a centerin' rin' too, as it provides anchor for t' motor tube. Ya scallywag! It also streamlined t' end o' t' rocket and reduces base drag. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

T' parachute that came with t' model struck me as too small (I recollect it bein' around 24 inches), me hearties, as I imagined t' weight o' t' hardware o' the motor plus t' model hittin' t' hard desert, ya bilge rat, so I made it one that was 30 inches across. Out here in t' west, arrr, t' soil is hard, matey, shiver me timbers, so we favor larger chutes...not longer walks, but that's what we get!!! Overall, ya bilge rat, what I got is a sturdy and nice lookin' rocket.

Finishing
This was left up t' me, matey, me hearties, as no decals came with it. Arrr! So I went wild and let the project mutate. At first I painted it gloss black. Ahoy! Aye aye! Then I applied red and yellow stripin' along t' fin joints and up t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It looks distinctive, matey, t' say t' least. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I almost didn't want t' paint t' model because the nose cone and boattail are pretty. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! But t' body tube wouldn't have matched had I glossed t' wooden parts. Arrr! Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight
T' manufacturer recommends t' G80 for 29mm flights up t' t' 54mm I65. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I was daunted by t' model's small size and cringed at t' thought o' stickin' such a monstrous motor in it. So I used an adapter and put in a 29mm H180-M. I wanted to dig a hole for me t' crouch down in when I set it off, arrr, me bucko, because I feared that I was overpowerin' it. Avast! But nay only did it scream and disappear off t' pad in a hurry, ya bilge rat, it did so intact and landed about half a mile away. Avast! Well, blow me down! And it did so within feet o' me months-lost Impulse Aerospace Machbuster, me bucko, which be still flyable!!!

Anyway, matey, I used plenty o' worm bed wadding, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and everythin' packs loosely and easily into t' tube. Aye aye! I drilled a small vent hole into t' body with an awl to prevent premature separation. Yes, arrr, thar be a treatment for that condition.... Aye aye! Blimey!

T' motor was retained with t' flat steel part o' an old stapler, t' part with a right angle bend at t' end that served as a motor hook o' sorts, as this part was aftward and held t' motor in. Blimey! Ahoy! Now, do I DARE a 54mm motor? See if I don't! Maybe a 38mm I161 would be a blast, matey, as well...

Recovery
T' system survived without any damage, but I might later replace t' elastic with bungee cord, matey, as I've had great experiences with it, and it's durable. Avast! I think that a longer delay than I used would be better. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' medium delay used is 10 seconds, me bucko, me bucko, I believe. Ya scallywag! Maybe 14 would be better. It seemed t' be risin' at ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You know, arrr, I would nay be surprised if this bird be close t' mach. T' noise be impressive indeed. Avast! Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
Friendly company t' buy from, prompt service. Sturdy. Don't doubt it. It can take it. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Simple t' put together. Blimey! Blimey! I recommend it for sure. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5