Brief:
This is a single staged sport rocket with an unusual design. Avast, me proud beauty! It is classified as a skill level 3.

Construction:
T' components came in a hangin' bag-style package with insert art. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! My particular model was production #45. Blimey! It contained two sheets o' balsa, arrr, a single body tube, arrr, balsa nose cone w/ eye screw, shiver me timbers, launch lug, a toothpick for t' guns, engine mount hardware (tube, hook, 2 centerin' rings), matey, and a cuttin' guide (since you have t' cut out your own balsa pieces). Ahoy! T' recovery system consist of a plastic chute, arrr, shiver me timbers, a short length o' elastic, shiver me timbers, and some Keelhaul®©™® thread.

From t' balsa, you cut out two fins, matey, matey, two fin tips, shiver me timbers, me bucko, two aft bulkheads, me bucko, 4 cannon rails, matey, me hearties, me bucko, and 2 gun supports. There is plenty o' wood, but you must be sure t' use t' correct thickness for each piece.

T' construction is anythin' but normal. Begad! Avast! T' instructions are very clear in most cases, so I will only hit on t' unusual or unclear aspects. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

First, ya bilge rat, your motor mount must extend from t' body tube .75". Push it in too far, and you're out o' luck. Well, blow me down! Also, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, if you are usin' a kit that has a body wrap like t' NSL wraps, shiver me timbers, be sure t' align t' wrap with t' hook assembly. This will be important later.

T' next unusual part be t' construction o' t' fin/bulkhead assemblies. Avast, me proud beauty! I found t' sandin' instruction unclear, but if you look at t' cover art and look at where t' shroud will attach t' t' bulkhead, you will see what part needs t' be sanded with a slight bevel. Aye aye! When gluin' t' fins t' t' bulkheads, wax paper proved invaluable. Avast! Aye aye! Finally, I found that when I followed the instructions exactly regardin' t' placement o' t' fin betwixt t' bulkheads, I ended up with a gap betwixt t' bulkheads when placed in their final position, arrr, matey, due t' t' dihedral-like alignment. Begad! T' wrap covered t' gap, and I only need t' apply a little white paint t' t' wood exposed on t' sides. Ahoy! Begad! Nay a big deal but somethin' that should be considered.

Buildin' t' shroud was pretty straightforward. Arrr! Blimey! Take your time with the forward edge and you should be able t' get a nice, shiver me timbers, sharp point. Attachment to the body tube goes EXACTLY like t' instructions, shiver me timbers, so follow them t' a T.

Finally, me bucko, when assemblin' t' lug standoff, arrr, I found t' only major issue I had with this kit. Ahoy! Blimey! T' launch lug included be too short t' create t' bevel cut specified. Ya scallywag! I simply substituted a launch lug from me parts box, matey, shiver me timbers, but if I didn't have one, this would have been a problem.

Finishing:
Wraps are great. Arrr! Aye aye! However, I found properly alignin' o' t' body wrap be very difficult, matey, ya bilge rat, so I ended up coverin' a 1/32" spiral misalignment at t' top of t' tube with monokote. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Be prepared t' deal with this, because that was the best I could do after three tries.

I only hand-painted exposed wood on t' fin assemblies and t' cannon mounts. T' nose cone also requires spray-paintin' and I selected black. Begad! Avast! This brings be to a minor issue: t' nose cone had a two-step shoulder (see parts picture), however, me bucko, t' cover art shows a smooth nose cone and t' instructions do not address this. Aye aye! I chose t' use Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish and sandpaper t' smooth the reduction out. It took several passes before I got it right. While nay a big deal, me bucko, it threw me when Jim's normally ultra-comprehensive instructions don't mention somethin' this major.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I selected an A8-3 for me first flight, arrr, usin' t' engine hook t' retain it. Begad! Begad! I rigged up a 12" parachute with no spill hole, arrr, loaded me dog barf, and hooked her up. Begad! Flight was straight and true t' around 150', she just hung in the air (like t' entry t' a tail slide), matey, me hearties, and then t' chute popped. It was very cool. Begad! Begad! Wind was very low, me bucko, so I'm nay sure how it would fly in windy conditions with t' big cross-section o' t' shroud.

Recovery:
T' descent looked OK, but one o' me tips popped off on landing. Begad! Arrr! Probably a weak glue joint, but next time I will move up t' a larger chute.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is very challengin' t' build and should nay be attempted by a beginner. Begad! With t' exception o' t' launch lug, shiver me timbers, this was an awesome kit. Ahoy! The flight was very good. Aye aye! Blimey! I look forward t' puttin' this up on a more appropriate engine.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5