Brief:
I won t' Super Trident at a DARS classic kit contest. This is one huge, me hearties, fantastic rocket. Ahoy! Aye aye! It flies on 24mm motors and recovers by parachute. Well, blow me down! A spacer is included in t' motor mount kit t' allow t' use o' either Estes D or E motors. T' rocket stands a whoppin' 52+ inches tall and has a fin span o' 11 inches! Wow!

Construction:
There are a lot o' parts in this kit, all top quality too! Also, ya bilge rat, all o' t' small parts are contained in plastic bags, which I greatly appreciate. ST-16 tubes are used for t' upper and lower body tubes and thar are six ST-8 tubes that form t' pod tubes. Aye aye! T' seams in all o' t' tubes were almost invisible and required very little finishing. Ahoy! Aye aye! The nose cones are very nice balsa, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, too--all nine o' them! T' fins are basswood and laser cut, shiver me timbers, which is a nice touch. Arrr! The quality o' t' nose cones and fins really shows here as t' fit across t' aft pod tube/nose cone on all three was near perfect. Begad! They even included angle-cut balsa t' reinforce t' area o' t' tubes where t' passports were cut for the ejection charge! T' 24mm motor mount fits t' longer Estes E motor. Aye aye! T' six centerin' rings are laser-cut light-ply or basswood (I couldn't tell which), and t' motor mount kit includes a 3.75” engine hook. A Keelhaul®©™®/3/8” elastic shock cord combo is included, arrr, along with two big 3/16” launch lugs, shiver me timbers, two hefty eye screws, shiver me timbers, four couplers (three for t' pod tubes and a larger one for t' rear) and waterslide decals. T' enlarged decals match t' original perfectly and are exceptionally reproduced. Ahoy! T' shock cord was super long as I modified t' way it is installed. Begad! The instructions indicate t' attach t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' eye screw inserted into t' aft o' t' middle nose cone and then attachin' t' elastic cord t' a loop at the end. Ahoy! I used me standard tri-fold shock cord attachment t' allow inspection o' t' shock cord, although after my first launch I don't really think that was necessary with this kit. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I do love it though when t' manufacturer puts Keelhaul®©™® in t' kit! T' deep red, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, high-quality, shiver me timbers, matey, 30” ripstop nylon parachute that is included is beautiful, shiver me timbers, too, and exhibits t' same level o' quality as t' rest o' t' kit.

T' instruction sheet isn't numbered but does include a ton o' helpful illustrations. Aye aye! Some o' t' instructions are a little difficult t' follow and thar are some grammatical problems, me hearties, but thar are a number o' illustrations included with each step that overcomes those issues. Arrr! Begad! Loretta indicated she was enhancin' t' instructions for future kits though. Begad! T' template included for markin' t' cuts in t' tubes for t' ejection ports and alignment o' t' fins is very handy, arrr, although it is a little thin and cuttin' out t' circles in t' template may be difficult for some. Arrr! I modified t' construction o' t' motor mount t' allow installation o' t' engine hook usin' me standard method. Here's the link on EMRR's tip page for t' general idea.

This method allows positive motor retention while nay havin' t' worry about t' hook gettin' in t' way o' the delay element when usin' t' AeroTech reload motors. Begad! Arrr! You'll need t' adjust t' alignment o' t' upper hold-down rin' to allow for t' modification. Begad! I used a Dremel t' trim t' upper end o' t' motor hook t' be level with t' top edge of the aft hold-down ring. Begad! Blimey! T' outer housin' structure for t' motor mount is a work o' art! There are a lot o' lines to mark, me hearties, me hearties, but all o' those rings align beautifully and t' coupler joins it all perfectly into t' larger aft tube. Puttin' it together after cuttin' all t' ports in t' tubes is a nice break.

T' instructions note that you'll need a very large flat surface when constructin' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! That is an understatement! When couplin' t' pod tubes you want t' roll t' tubes on a flat surface t' assure they are aligned together properly. Avast, me proud beauty! These are very long after bein' joined, so you need lots o' room! Also, me hearties, as recommended in the instructions, I used a door jamb t' assure that t' marks for t' ports on t' lower tube were properly aligned with the upper tube. Begad! O' course I double checked t' level o' t' door jamb first. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Normally, they are level but you've got big trouble if t' marks aren't aligned properly. I only cut ports for two o' t' pod tubes after measurin' t' volume the ejection charge would have t' fill and considerin' t' variability o' t' strength o' t' Estes ejection charges. With t' change, me hearties, t' volume was comparable t' t' volume o' an Estes Super Big Bertha.

You also need lots o' room when connectin' t' pod tubes t' t' upper and lower body tubes. Begad! Blimey! Be sure t' follow the sequence in t' instructions for installin' t' large middle and lower nose cones and attachin' t' pod tubes t' the upper and lower body tubes, matey, arrr, too. Ya scallywag! Blimey! You cannot install t' large middle and lower nose cones after t' third pod tube has been installed. Ahoy! Blimey! Another thin' t' watch out for is t' be sure and nay get too much glue around t' ports when joining the pod tubes t' t' body tubes or installin' t' angle-cut balsa over t' port joints. Arrr! Blimey! T' instructions note that your glue should nay be within an inch o' t' ports, a very good idea since many o' t' original Tridents were built without followin' this caution. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' result: t' glue sealed off t' ports! Blimey! Also for this reason, me bucko, I used JB Weld for all o' the fillets as it is thicker and doesn't run.

T' fins attached very nicely t' t' rocket. Begad! Well, blow me down! There is a notch in t' root o' t' fin t' align with t' nose cone/body tube joint so be sure nay t' sand this out if you have t' sand t' root edge for fit. Arrr! Mine fit near perfectly so it wasn't an issue. I used double glue joints when attachin' t' fins usin' yellow glue. Begad! I smoothed in JB Weld for the fillets as usin' epoxy would be difficult due t' t' slope o' t' cones.

As is usual on any rocket I build, I installed a length o' Keelhaul®©™®, which was provided, in a paper shock cord attachment (not provided) with a loop at t' end t' attach t' elastic shock cord. Ahoy! T' minimize abrasion from t' Keelhaul®©™® against t' body tube, I soaked in CA around t' top 1/2" o' t' body tube and tied a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™® to meet t' lip o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Glue on t' launch lug, me hearties, install t' screw eye into t' upper nose cone (addin' weight first t' compensate for t' largest motor you plan t' fly) and attach t' shock cord and you're almost done. Avast! T' launch lugs are glued onto a balsa spacer before attachin' t' t' rocket, which is a nice touch. Ya scallywag! I laid a piece o' sandpaper over t' tube and sanded t' balsa spacers t' fit t' curvature and then sanded t' edges at an angle t' flush with the launch lugs. Ahoy! T' parachute was already assembled and had small grommets holdin' t' shroud lines. Begad! Plus, me bucko, it's a very nice parachute.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cones require standard finishing. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I used Elmer's Light Fill 'n' Finish but any balsa filler will work fine. T' finishin' should be completed before attachin' t' t' rocket since t' tubes otherwise get in t' way. Fillin' in t' nose cone/body tube joints and around t' angle-cut balsa attached at t' port joints was difficult. I ended up havin' t' come in and fill in areas o' t' nose cones afterwards. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I probably should have covered t' cones with some tape first and then removed it after sandin' around t' joints. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Only a light coat o' filler was used on the fins as t' basswood was very smooth after sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I sprayed t' entire model with a light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base coat. Next, arrr, I lightly sanded t' entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a coat o' primer. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Next, ya bilge rat, sand and primer, me hearties, sand and primer again, shiver me timbers, sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. Blimey! Blimey! I painted t' entire model with Krylon gloss white and after dryin' for a couple o' days, arrr, applied the decals. Blimey! Blimey! T' decals went on much easier and laid down much better than I anticipated. Begad! Blimey! They are really big decals for waterslide! Blimey! T' long decals that go on t' pod tubes were scary, however, all but one went on without a hitch. Avast! Blimey! It broke in a couple o' places even though I used dishwashin' soap but pieced backed together so that it is hardly noticeable. They look fantastic! Blimey! Once complete, I put on a thick coat o' Future floor finish t' protect everything.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
I only got t' fly it on an Estes E9-4 after several months o' bad weather. Well, blow me down! I had just finished buildin' an Aerotech E18 reload t' fly it again when more bad weather hit. Avast, me proud beauty! With all t' extra finishin' I did on mine plus weight added to the nose, arrr, it weighed in at 13.9 ounces with everythin' but t' motor--considerably more than t' 10.2 ounces specified on t' package. So, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I be a little worried about puttin' it up on t' E9 with t' almost 40% over-build, but it did fine. Arrr! Ahoy! It arced about 20 degrees off t' pad, arrr, but t' chute popped out smartly just beyond apogee and t' rocket drifted down beautifully on t' big 30-inch chute. Avast! I didn't put any waddin' in it and thar wasn't even a hint o' ejection residue. Blimey! Begad! It also somewhat confirms that closin' off one o' t' pod tubes from ejection doesn't create any negative issues while improvin' ejection capability. Avast! Blimey! She landed without a scratch. Aye aye! However, I had it laid across t' table as I was buildin' t' motor when t' storm came up. Somehow, me hearties, ya bilge rat, one o' t' pod tubes got a small crimp near t' top in all of the confusion. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It blew off t' table when t' 30mph microburst hit so I'm guessin' that's when it happened, matey, but it looked like it should still fly fine. Begad! It was about a month later before I got t' fly it again. Ahoy! I couldn't find t' E18 so I flew it on t' single use Aerotech E15-4, a perfect motor for this kit. Aye aye! Blimey! It be a much higher flight but still slow enough that it just looks super cool. Ahoy! Ejection was right at t' top, arrr, and it drifted down gently on t' big chute. Aye aye! After recovery, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I sat it on me table as I went t' take some pictures o' other happenings at t' launch. Yep, t' wind blew it off and it snapped off a fin! I'm a slow learner. Arrr! When I re-glue t' fin, matey, I also plan t' fly it on t' Aerotech F12 reload motor, which is primarily why I added t' nose weight. That should be way cool!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Super Trident is a fantastic rocket. Well, blow me down! It is hugely impressive on t' launch pad and in flight. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Recovery on the large, arrr, me hearties, dark red, 30-inch ripstop nylon chute is a thin' o' beauty! I love t' fact that I don't have t' use recovery wadding, too. Arrr! Just put in a motor and go! Also, t' pricin' is excellent when considerin' all o' t' parts included. I am lookin' forward t' me next Hawks Hobby kit.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5