Brief:
T' Thrustline A-Slam was offered t' me as a beta-test by Thrustline and t' Put it simply, ya bilge rat, this is one great rocket. Begad! T' A-Slam was delivered t' me in sturdy packagin' and none o' t' parts arrived damaged. Blimey! When I saw t' 2.1" body tube and t' three 18mm motor tubes I knew this rocket would be a fun build. Arrr! Arrr!

Construction:
T' kit included a precut 17" piece o' high quality 2.1" body tube, a balsa nosecone that fit t' body tube perfectly without any hangover on the body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' two centerin' rings were 1/8" thick with t' cutouts for the 18mm motors precisely cut into them. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There was an ample amount o' 1/8" balsa required for 4 fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' outline o' t' fins be traced onto t' balsa to assist in cuttin' them out. Aye aye! Blimey! Keelhaul®©™® cord was provided along with a piece o' elastic t' tie t' 18" Mylar chute onto. Arrr! Blimey!

Because this was a beta-test rocket I be able t' critique t' 9 pages of instructions sent with t' A-Slam and make recommendations t' Thrustline for any changes I thought needed t' be made t' them. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions included pictures o' construction that were very helpful. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' fin template is probably the best I've ever used as it fit t' body tube perfectly. Ahoy! Blimey! T' fins are separated by 1/4" and alignment from front t' aft was made through the use o' craft sticks along each side o' t' aft fin and secured with clothes pins creatin' a space betwixt t' sticks t' slide t' forward fin. Begad! Blimey! A little CA along t' fin root and you are ready for fillets. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' A-Slam is nay a difficult build and is a sturdy rocket once assembled. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' 2.1" body tube is ample room for t' 18" blue Mylar chute.

Finishing:
Standard finishin' techniques were used with Elmer's F'n'F t' fill all balsa surfaces and nosecone. T' body tube actually had two spirals that required fillin' t' give t' A-Slam a smooth finish. Duplicolor high build primer was sprayed on in several coats with 320gr wet sandpaper used betwixt coats to ready for gloss paint. Begad! A final sandin' with 400gr then 600gr and it was ready for paint. Well, blow me down! T' paint used is ACE Hardware gloss red with gloss black on the nosecone. Begad! There are no supplied decals so t' rockets name "A-Slam" was added in white vinyl lettering. Begad! Well, blow me down! It still needed a little somethin' so a 1/8" wide vinyl pinstripe was added and really set off t' gloss paint. T' A-Slam is a real looker and would be a great addition t' anyone's fleet. Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Thrustline's first flight motor recommendation is B6's, arrr, however, shiver me timbers, me hearties, none could be located so we opted for C6's. Arrr! Blimey! Prior conversation with t' manufacturer suggested t' have good walkin' shoes when usin' C6's. Avast! T' finished rocket with 3-18mm C6's weighs in at 9.6oz. Aye aye!

T' only fight so far is on t' C6's and I was nay able t' get any launch pictures. Begad! Blimey! Because o' t' large body tube dog barf be chosen over waddin' and motor retention was accomplished by usin' maskin' tape t' friction fit all motors. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Launch smoke and noise was surprisingly abundant as t' motors lit and handled t' A-Slam with no problem. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Approximate altitude probably around 850', and yes, Thrustline was correct, a substantial walk t' recover. There be a bit of weather cock and we suspected thar be need for additional nose weight that was later confirmed by Thrustline.

Recovery:
T' Keelhaul®©™® shockcord be attached t' t' motor mount early in construction and then tucked through t' motor mount until construction was complete. Begad! Aye aye! T' elastic was square-knotted t' t' Keelhaul®©™® then attached t' t' supplied screw eye that had been epoxied into t' base of the balsa nosecone. Ahoy! One thin' I did notice that t' CG/CP relationship was skewed due t' t' weight o' t' 3-motor cluster. Avast! Thrustline said thar was part of t' instructions inadvertently left out that suggested 1.5oz nose weight be added t' correct t' CG/CP relationship. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Three holes were drilled into t' base of t' nosecone and lead fishin' weights were inserted backed by 15 minute epoxy. T' A-Slam awaits its second flight with t' corrected CP/CG. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! We anticipate an arrow straight flight this time. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I am convinced Thrustline has a winner in t' A-Slam. Ahoy! Quality parts, ease of construction and good instructions are marks o' a company that is interested in satisfyin' t' customer. Arrr! I cannot think o' any difficulty in buildin' and flyin' t' A-Slam and anyone with basic buildin' skills will have no problem with this kit.

Since t' kit be a beta-test for me, I'm confident that Thrustline is correctin' t' many findings that I had and therefore t' kit is rated under that confidence.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5