Brief
This is a sturdy, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, single staged high power rocket with a hardwood nose and boattail. Well, blow me down! It recovers by chute and comes with a 54mm mount, ya bilge rat, but can fly on 38 and 29mm motors as well. Aye aye!

Construction
After gettin' me level 2, me bucko, I began t' surf t' net t' answer t' question, "What next?" I wondered what be out thar that be different. Arrr! Arrr! 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. Begad! I fancied that it looked like a giant Crayola crayon and I liked it. Begad! So I ordered it. Begad! Service was prompt, and shipment was received intact and undamaged. Aye aye! Blimey! All parts fit precisely.

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

T' instructions are simple. Begad! That's because t' model is easy schmeasy to assemble. Arrr! 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. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I needed t' employ heavy duty pliers and an electric drill for this. Avast, me proud beauty!

Also, me hearties, t' body tube did nay come pregrooved. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I needed t' employ a strong exacto cutlass t' make t' slots for t' fins, but a markin' guide be supplied to make it easier. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! I used epoxy all t' way for construction, but instead o' my favorite quick settin' type, me bucko, I used 1/2 hour epoxy t' make t' bonds stronger. T' fins fit through t' body wall right t' t' motor tube, matey, 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. It also streamlined t' end o' t' rocket and reduces base drag.

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

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

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

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

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5