Brief:
This is a very nice 1:6 scale model o' t' Nike-Apache soundin' rocket suitable for E motors up through small HPR motors. Begad! Blimey! It's a hefty and strong kit capable o' survivin' almost anythin' you throw at. This be me L1 cert rocket.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• Conical balsa nose cone, matey, 6" long and 1" in diameter.
• 5oz lead nose weight, arrr, 1" long and 1" wide.
• 24mm thick-wall tube 22.5" long.
• 2 4.85" pieces o' 1/16" wire t' be bent t' make t' antennae.
• 24/29 centerin' ring, 3/4" long. Arrr!
• 29mm thick-wall tube 3.55" long.
• 24/29 centerin' rin' 1/4" long.
• 4 Apache fins, me bucko, me hearties, 1/8" 5-ply wood, with a tight grain that needs only a bit o' sandin' and probably nay even filling.
• 11 feet o' 3/16" tubular elastic shock cord. Arrr!
• 3/8" dowel 2-5/8" long, t' be inserted into t' transition for strength.
• Balsa transition. Blimey! Aye aye! (It's t' famous Nike transition, ya bilge rat, which bumps a bit out from t' Nike booster then goes way in t' t' sustainer. It's a solid piece o' balsa t' size o' a soda can. It's almost 6" long total and 2.8" wide at its maximum, me hearties, ya bilge rat, with 2.8" o' length outside t' rocket. 1" plastic screw-in anchor, for anchorin' t' screw eye in t' bottom o' t' transition.)
• 1/2" screw eye t' attach t' t' transition.
• 1.5" long quick-link for attachin' t' elastic shock cord t' t' steel mount.
• 14" long shock cord anchor o' 1/8" steel wire. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!
• 2.6" wide heavy-wall tube 21.2" long.
• 2 sections o' 1/4" launch lug each 1" long.
• 2 sections o' balsa 1" x 1/4" x 3/8" for use as lug standoffs. Ya scallywag!
• 1 29mm thick-wall motor mount tube 7.5" long. Ahoy!
• 4 Nike fins, same quality as before and also TTW. Well, blow me down! Arrr! These require a labor-intensive knife-edge sandin' if you choose t' build it absolutely t' scale.
• Forward centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 1/8" ply as above and has 2 holes t' fit t' loop on t' steel cord.
• Aft CR, arrr, matey, same as above except with one 1/4" hole for motor retention.
• 3/16" threaded rod 2.8" long for motor retention, shiver me timbers, plus spacer, me bucko, arrr, washer, shiver me timbers, arrr, and nut.
• Paper wrap for forward section o' Apache body tube.
• Paper wrap for Nike fin can.
• 28" red circular nylon chute.
• 2 decal sheets.

It's a lot o' components and a very good price--I got mine from Apogee for about 60 bucks. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' components are high quality and fit in well. Well, blow me down! However, arrr, thar are four recommendations I'd like t' make. Begad! First, arrr, arrr, buy a chute protector. A 9" Keelhaul®©™® sheet, available from Madcow or Apogee for about 10 bucks, matey, is far easier than usin' lots o' waddin' or riskin' t' nice chute. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Second, me bucko, arrr, get a 1/4" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and use t' elastic t' hold up your pants, as I was told. Well, blow me down! Third, shiver me timbers, epoxy clay makes this a lot easier to assemble. Ahoy! Avast! Finally, if you want versatility or you're plannin' on flyin' it with HPR motors, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, then buy a pair o' rail buttons and epoxy them on. Arrr! A buck is definitely worth t' option o' usin' a rail. Avast! I plan t' add this soon.

T' instructions are very high quality. Ya scallywag! T' B&W line drawings are nay quite Estes quality but are easily up to t' task. Avast! This is a large skill level 4 rocket; builders should have experience both in buildin' scale models and mid-power rockets. Avast! I am about a skill level 3+ builder (I can take anythin' Estes can throw at me) and have built a handful o' mid-power rockets, me hearties, me bucko, and this still tested me skills at every turn. Aye aye! Begad! It's perhaps t' first kit I've ever built that I do nay think could be built by a dedicated newbie and requires previous rocketry experience.

T' assembly sequence is fairly logical and conventional. It starts with t' motor mount and Nike fin can, then progresses noseward with t' transition, Apache fin can, and finally t' nose section. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! T' one tricky bit be t' aft centerin' ring. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions say t' slip it on without glue, me hearties, epoxy in t' retention rod, and then remove t' ring. This allows you t' make internal fillets for strength and scale purposes, but it means that it's difficult t' create fillets on both sides o' t' aft centerin' ring. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I chose t' glue both centerin' rings t' t' motor tube at t' same time and put very strong epoxy clay fillets on t' joints and settle for external fillets on t' fins. I intended this from t' outset t' handle HPR motors, mostly t' Aerotech 29/180-240 system which I already own, so I figured that extra strength in t' motor mount was worth more than a little extra strength in already strong fins.

I built it pretty much stock with a few minor modifications. Arrr! Buildin' was well covered in t' other reviews, so I'll focus on me personal experiences. Blimey! Blimey!

I've seen comments about t' balsa nose cone shattering, so I soaked it in three layers o' wood glue and so far it's survived a ceilin' fan, me ceiling, 2 doorframes, a sod farm at 300fps, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and a landin' where t' entire forward section be supported by t' very tip o' t' nose cone. Avast! It's got a few small dents, arrr, but nothin' more. Arrr!

I put t' described 1/8" knife edge on t' Apache fins, which took almost an hour total, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I declined to put a knife-edge on t' Nike fins t' make it absolutely scale. Aye aye!

T' 29mm motor mount tube provided is nice and thick walled, but only 7" long, me hearties, me hearties, so if you're plannin' t' use longer 29mm cases I'd recommend you get a longer tube. Aye aye! Also, some SU motors with paper labels may be rather tight in t' tube.

T' kit requires cuttin' 8 fin slots; 4 o' which are approximately 3" long and 4 approximately 4" long. While these should nay be particularly difficult for an experienced builder used t' workin' with thick wall tubes, I struggled a bit with cuttin' them with a hobby knife. Avast! Blimey! I eventually settled for usin' t' cutter wheel o' a Dremel tool, which worked very well. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' transition was initially a very loose fit. Blimey! This ended up bein' a problem later (see flight details). Ahoy! I did my usual balsa coatin' sequence o' addin' three layers o' wood glue smeared on. Well, blow me down! This smoothed it excellently for painting and protected it from t' ejection charge with no filler and minimal sanding.

T' kit requires you t' mist two cardstock wraps t' soften them, then wrap them around t' body tubes, me bucko, me bucko, and dry overnight. Well, blow me down! T' Nike wrap went on very well and posed no problem with cuttin' t' fin slots. Ya scallywag! T' Apache wrap be a bit harder due t' t' smaller tube. Arrr! Ya scallywag! They're made o' paper and don't sand smooth very well. Ya scallywag! I would recommend a coat o' wood glue or CA before you sand and prime. Begad!

T' kit requires fillets on all 8 fins plus t' launch lugs. I recommend epoxy clay cause it's so easy. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Did I mention I love this stuff?

In order t' insert t' antennae, you must drill 4 small holes in t' Apache tube and thread t' antennae wires through. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! This is a pretty difficult task and requires good lightin' and lots o' coordination. Arrr! T' antennae get bent easily and necessitate extra care. Blimey! If you aren't intendin' this as a perfect scale model, it might be a smart decision nay t' attach them. Begad!

T' instructions do nay call for a vent hole, but puttin' a 1/8" vent hole just below t' transition would be a very good idea t' keep t' pressure even. On HPR motors, shiver me timbers, this thin' can move pretty fast and t' pressure difference could theoretically cause an early ejection.

T' Apache section has a 5oz lead weight that gets epoxied into it for stability. Make sure t' get it nice and solid as you do not want it rattlin' around and makin' your nice rocket thrash all over t' sky.

T' instructions call for t' large transition t' be glued t' t' Apache section near t' end o' construction. However, ya bilge rat, since it is painted white like t' Nike section below it, I masked and painted it with t' Nike and glued it on later.

One final thought: due t' t' retention rod t' rocket will nay stand up on its own and t' antennae and nose cone mean you've got t' be careful. Blimey! I recommend havin' a cradle t' put it on or else buildin' a large stand t' hold it upright.

One-half point taken off for t' loose transition and nay havin' pre-cut fin slots, which would make construction rather easier.

Finishing:
Finishin' was pretty easy. Begad! Begad! T' body tubes were nice and smooth, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and I didn't even bother t' fill in t' spirals. Aye aye! I put 3 coats o' primer on t' entire rocket, me bucko, two thick coats and a thin one t' fill in gaps. Ahoy! T' primer be a nice gray and I didn't have any gray paint, ya bilge rat, so I just left t' primer for t' gray spots.

T' stock paint scheme given was white for t' Nike body, arrr, fins, and transition, gray Apache body and nose, silver on t' Apache fin can and in two spots near t' nose, matey, and a rin' o' black on t' small transition t' t' Apache fin can. I chose t' go with t' actual scale colors (accordin' t' Rockets o' t' World, 4th ed.) and painted the Nike fins red, but t' rest o' t' paint scheme was t' same. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!

Three layers o' white, arrr, then three o' red on t' Nike fins left it lookin' very sharp, me bucko, and t' contrast between t' silver and gray on t' Apache body is very subtle and cool. I painted t' tiny black rin' by hand. Arrr! Make sure nay to get spray paint on t' retainer rod.

There are three decals on two sheets, both large and colorful. Begad! These are sticky-type, me bucko, matey, me bucko, nay waterslide. Ahoy! There are two for opposite sides o' t' Nike and one for t' Apache. Ahoy! Ahoy! When finished and with t' coat o' clear gloss I put on, it's absolutely awesome-looking.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors recommended by t' manufacturer are F40-4W, shiver me timbers, G33-7J, and G64-10W reloads and F50-6T, G40-7W, me bucko, and G80-10T SU motors. (I assume this be t' new G80.) I bought me kit from Apogee, and they recommend everythin' from an E18-4W reload up through t' G80 with mostly short t' medium delays. It's fairly forgivin' so a delay time that's a second or three o' will nay be a big deal, arrr, especially if you use a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr!

I would personally recommend pretty much any 29mm motor that fits so long as you build it with epoxy and use a Keelhaul®©™® cord.

I built this for me L1 certification, ya bilge rat, and unfortunately I did nay have a chance t' flight test it on an F before me cert flight. Arrr! In retrospect, this was a very bad idea.

T' smallest H reload I could find at NERRF was an H165R-M from Hangar 11. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I loaded it up, arrr, and packed t' chute inside t' chute protector. Aye aye! Avast! T' RSO approved t' flight and I got t' paperwork filled out. Begad! Avast!

T' motor ignited smartly and it roared off t' pad on t' bright red flame. At burnout, it all fell apart. Begad! It seems that since t' transition was loose, and possibly because I neglected t' put in a vent hole, t' heavy lead weight pulled t' forward (Apache) section off t' draggy lower (Nike) section at burnout, arrr, at approximately 600ft AGL and 600fps. Begad! T' chute, packed t' unroll fast as t' medium delay simmed out as somewhat long, shiver me timbers, opened, but did nay snap despite t' huge forces. Instead, t' shock cord snapped right at t' parachute knot, matey, and t' chute, ya bilge rat, arrr, chute protector, Nike section, and Apache section rained down in 4 separate pieces. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

T' parachute was unharmed--a very high-quality chute, for sure--and t' chute protector was nearby. Ahoy! Blimey! I next found t' Nike section, which be remarkably unharmed. It seems t' large fins allowed in t' glide down on its side, landing it (relatively) softly in t' sod. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Finally I found t' Apache section. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' fins and transition had made it perfectly stable, and t' nose was buried 15 inches deep in t' sod. Arrr! Blimey! I could nay physically pull it out, and Bob from Hangar 11 was nice enough t' lend me a shovel. T' main body o' t' Apache came out easily. T' nose cone required a bit of digging. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

With a bit o' encouragement from several o' t' CATO members, I got t' work. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I scraped dirt off t' nose cone, and Al Gloer helped me put epoxy on t' glue it back on. Avast, me proud beauty! He also provided a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' replace t' failed elastic. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used a pair o' dental shears t' drill a small vent hole and put lots of maskin' tape t' shim t' transition t' a tight fit. Begad! Blimey! After gettin' me case cleaned by Carson's Motor Cleanin' and assemblin' a new reload, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, again an H165R-M, I tried again. Begad! Blimey!

This time, me hearties, it held together at burnout and ejected about 2 seconds past at around 1700 feet. Arrr! It descended fairly slowly and hit nose cone first, which amazingly did nay break it. Ya scallywag! There was no damage, and I am now Junior Level 1 certified!

Recovery:
T' shock cord provided is 11' o' 3/16" elastic. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is adequate for low speed ejections on Fs and maybe Gs, but nowhere suitable for faster deployments and larger motors. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It is well worth t' loot t' get 5 or 10 feet of tubular nylon or Keelhaul®©™®. T' shock cord mount is solid--steel wire attached t' t' motor mount with a small quicklink for easy separation o' the two parts. Begad! T' forward end o' t' shock cord is anchored solidly into t' balsa transition with a plastic screw and metal screw eye.

T' chute provided is a 28" red ripstop nylon chute. Begad! Ya scallywag! It's top-of-the-line, ya bilge rat, bright, visible color, very sturdy, arrr, me bucko, and circle-shaped with 8 shroud lines. Ahoy! Begad! It's a bit overkill as descent is very slow, on t' order o' 12 t' 15 fps, and a 24" chute would be better for smaller fields and windy days. Avast, me proud beauty!

One point taken off for t' loose transition causin' premature separation if nay prevented, me hearties, and for t' weak shock cord.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I absolutely love this rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It's strong, arrr, good-looking, me hearties, and nay too expensive (I got mine for $60 from Apogee). Plus, me bucko, as me certification rocket, it'll always be special.

PROs:

• High quality parts for solid construction
• Excellent value for t' money
• Easily built for HPR
• Very nice parachute
• Looks great

CONs:

• Weak shock cord
• Loose transition
• Requires cuttin' fin slots
• Doesn't include rail buttons

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5