Brief:
24mm aft ejection fighter jet

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• Pre-cut balsa fins
• Pre-assembled and pre-weighted nose cone
• Nylon chute
• 24mm mount
• Decals/stickers
• Plywood centerin' rings
• Rear ejection recovery parts
• Polystyrene engine pods

Fat Cat Rockets are known for their unique designs. Ahoy! T' P.T.S. Arrr! Shaman is no exception. Ya scallywag! T' most unique aspect o' this kit be t' bizarre nose cone. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It comes pre-assembled and pre-weighted so thar be nothin' for t' builder t' do but admire it. Avast, me proud beauty! I think I spent more time figurin' out how they made it then I did assemblin' t' kit.

T' aft ejection assembly went well. A Keelhaul®©™® cord in secured t' a bulkhead. Ya scallywag! This in turn is tied t' ½" flat elastic. Blimey! T' elastic is tied t' t' MMT and t' t' chute. Ya scallywag! T' whole assembly is placed betwixt t' two centerin' rings on t' MMT. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' elastic be t' weak link and should be checked often and replaced when it shows signs o' damage. Ahoy! The simple but rugged design should hold up t' years o' service.

The fins went together quickly. Just a small amount o' sandin' readied them for assembly. Arrr! T' fins are surface mount so some hefty fillets are in order. Begad!

T' directions say t' glue t' engines on with plastic cement. Begad! Blimey! I used epoxy paste on t' engines after sandin' t' joint area. Aye aye! Aye aye! I did this nay because I disagreed with usin' plastic cement but because it's what I had.

Finishing:
I directions show it painted a Navy blue with a yellow underbelly. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I had neither o' these colors so I went with metallic silver. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' stickers looked pretty good on t' silver paint.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be on a D12-3. Ahoy! It did a slow roll as it ascended into the sky. It went much higher than I expected. Avast! Deployment came just after apogee but ejection charge sounded a bit louder than usual. Avast! Aye aye!

Recovery:
Right away I noticed that t' motor mount and parachute was out but t' rocket was still comin' in. Aye aye! It never slowed down. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I reached terminal velocity quickly and shortly thereafter, matey, took an ice core sample. Blimey! Right away I figured I must have done somethin' wrong. Aye aye! Begad! When I picked up all t' pieces scattered over the frozen tundra, ya bilge rat, it was evident that t' shock cord broke. Begad! It just tore apart. Ahoy! Begad!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
With its fighter looks, t' unique nose cone, and aft ejection, this kit will be one o' me favorites t' launch with t' kids.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5