Brief:
Shrox Industria be a mail order only company that sold an impressive line of futuristic model rockets. That said, durin' it's all too brief stint of availability, t' Shrox Icarus was one o' t' closest things I found t' the glory days o' model rocketry when both Estes and Centuri (and Canaroc t' a smaller, me bucko, but no less inspired extent) could be counted on t' produce several imaginative futuristic style rockets per catalog. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' Icarus would have fit in well alongside such classics as t' Estes Andromeda and U.S.S. Begad! Atlantis, Centuri's Taurus and Skylab and any o' Canaroc's Star Fleet series. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! If you're like me, a BAR whose glory days fell in t' late '70's/early '80's, arrr, it's quite possible that you'll look at this kit and think that this is how it should still be.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 18" BT-50 main body tube
• 1 6" BT-55 fuselage tube
• 1 3" BT-60 Bussard Collector tube
• 1 3" BT-20 Ward Pod tube
• 1 PNC-55
• 1 PNC-20
• 1 18mm engine mount
• 12" nylon parachute
• shock cord mount
• clay weight
• 1 launch lug
• 1 pin' pong ball
• 3/32" basswood fin stock
• 3/32" wood dowel
• shock cord

Considering what you wind up with, arrr, arrr, t' Icarus is a surprisingly simple build. Begad! Avast! T' fins aren't pre-cut, which is cool as they shouldn't be, matey, and are t' be cut out of basswood, which is also cool because it makes finishin' easier. Aye aye! Avast! The instructions are nicely illustrated and very clearly written, me hearties, makin' t' rocket a fairly easy skill level 2 build, but one that took me over three years to complete. Begad! T' long wait for completion wasn't due t' any defect in t' design of t' rocket, but more because I was chicken. Aye aye! Ahoy! I had t' fins cut out and ready to go t' day I opened t' bag, and I was cruisin' along on t' construction until I got t' t' pin' pong ball. His designs alone prove that Shrox deserves to be mentioned in t' same breath as t' designers o' t' classic Estes and Centuri kits, but t' addition o' t' pin' pong ball as an integral part o' the design is what he's likely t' be remembered for most o' all. Begad! (Well, at least by me.) Incorporatin' t' pin' pong ball into t' design, me bucko, while brilliant, caused me no end o' headaches, cost me a small fortune in pin' pong balls, and was a huge part o' t' story behind why I took almost four years t' finish the Icarus. In theory, it's quite simple. Aye aye! Draw t' outline o' t' BT-20 onto one side o' t' ball, cut t' circle out with a hobby knife, shiver me timbers, then slide t' tube into t' ball, shiver me timbers, trace it on t' other side and duplicate t' previous cut. Avast, me proud beauty! In no particular order, matey, arrr, me hearties, I either A) had t' ball fly across t' room while I attempted t' make t' first cut, B) slipped and gouged t' ball while making the first cut, matey, me bucko, C) got t' first hole right then misjudged t' placement o' the second hole, D) got t' holes aligned right but made t' cuts so sloppily that I had t' start over, me bucko, E) smashed t' ball out o' general frustration, me hearties, etc, etc, etc. Ya scallywag! My wife was endlessly amused by t' growin' mound o' pin' pong ball corpses that began t' accumulate in t' garbage, and I was beginnin' t' feel like a moron (I don't need t' help), me bucko, shiver me timbers, so I moved on t' other projects. Avast, me proud beauty! I pulled the Icarus out several times a year after that, arrr, eventually gettin' a ball t' at least look passable after bein' heavily filleted, me bucko, but me enthusiasm for the project waned. Blimey! One by one I eventually assembled and attached t' fins until inspiration returned in early December o' 2005. Aye aye! I attached t' remainin' fins and parts in a marathon session, then primed, ya bilge rat, matey, filled, and sanded t' suddenly recognizable carcass before me muse disappeared again.

Finishing:
Finishin' wasn't too terrible a task because o' t' basswood and t' single color paint scheme. Blimey! Sealin' was done usin' thinned Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, and after sanding, t' entire rocket was sprayed with Valspar white primer. Avast! I made sure t' coat t' inside o' t' "Bussard Collector" tube well because I wanted t' spray t' inside with a florescent orange T' give t' impression that all o' t' Bussards that had been collected were aflame. After gettin' the proper coverage with t' florescent paint, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I masked off t' area with strips of maskin' tape and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with Valspar Gloss Gull Gray. T' gray paint makes t' orange stand out nicely, arrr, and t' overall effect is pretty sharp. Once t' paint be up t' snuff, then came t' part I was dreading: t' decals. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Quite honestly, t' decals were among t' two best I've ever worked with. (T' Rokitflite Odyssey was t' other kits whose decals rocked.) Like t' Odyssey, shiver me timbers, t' decals for t' Icarus really pushed t' kit into the realm o' t' 5.5 ratin' (if possible) in both looks and ease of application. Ahoy! Man, I miss Shrox. Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Since t' Icarus finished out as a fairly heavy bird, I chose t' go with a C6-3 for t' first flight. Despite t' extra weight, t' Icarus had no problem gettin' off t' rod, and from me vantage point left o' t' pad, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' day-glo orange o' t' inside o' t' "Bussard Collector" was clearly visible through most o' t' flight (as I had hoped it would be). T' rocket windcocked immediately upon leavin' t' rod, but t' large fin area had me expectin' this. Ejection occurred right at apogee and since I had overcompensated greatly on the shock cord, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it initially looked like a separation. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a moment it became apparent that everythin' had worked as hoped and t' rocket was goin' t' make it close with t' road like every other rocket I fly at VOA. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! In t' end it managed t' miss t' road (by less than ten feet) and be recovered without a scratch.

For flight #2 I chose a C6-5 with t' hope that t' extra delay might keep it from driftin' in the stiff breeze. Avast, me proud beauty! Like t' first flight t' Icarus cocked into t' wind as soon as it cleared t' rod, ya bilge rat, only more severely. Begad! Begad! T' C6-5 allowed t' ejection to come just as t' rocket tipped past apogee and once again I had t' wait an agonizin' few seconds before it truly cleared t' access road and settled softly in t' weeds.

Recovery:
Since I started this project back before I was personally acquainted with the joys o' Keelhaul®©™®, the Icarus used t' folded paper shock cord mount that be included with the kit. Begad! Well, blow me down! I did overcompensate by usin' in upwards o' four feet o' sewin' elastic, which gave t' initial impression o' a separation on t' first flight. As it was, shiver me timbers, matey, t' recovery system, which included a small nylon parachute, me bucko, performed perfectly.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: T' Icarus is an awesome lookin' bird even without t' decals but is truly incredible with them. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This one should be high on Shrox's list t' re-kit (or at least sell t' plans as part o' a plan pack. Aye aye! Arrr! I'd buy one.)

CONs: It's OOP.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5