I just finished buildin' me Star-Fire. Rocket Vision rates it at as a challengin' kit and I would agree. T' challenge is nay in t' assembly, arrr, as with all Rocket Vision kits, shiver me timbers, any one with a little experience will find that things go together very easily. Arrr! No, t' challenge is in t' finish o' t' engine nacelles. Ya scallywag! Arrr! These very small fiberglass parts must be painstakingly fitted and filled/sanded if they are t' look anywhere near decent. T' trick in doin' this right is t' have a couple o' needle files handy. Begad! A tight fit is best achieved if all o' t' slots and tabs are squared up. Begad! However they are cut, t' process cannot make tight right angled cuts on tabs and notches. Well, blow me down! Most o' t' painstakin' work is in this sort o' file and fit stuff. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This is by no means a criticism o' t' kit. All o' t' parts are well designed and cut t' almost perfect size and shape. T' be honest, me hearties, half t' fun of buildin' this kit is in t' detail work. Arrr! Ahoy!

After assembly, arrr, I took me Dremel tool and a very fine sandin' drum and went over all o' t' tabs and slotted surfaces. This removed any glue bumps or unevenness o' joints. I then rounded t' sharp edges o' t' nacelles t' give them a more streamlined look. Arrr! T' instructions recommend that you fill any voids or assembly gaps with some sort o' filler. I used Solarease with micro balloons. It's an epoxy resin with t' consistency o' toothpaste. Aye aye! T' best thin' about it is that it hardens only in sunlight so that workin' time is very long. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' second best thin' about it is that it sands so nicely and finishes mirror smooth.

I gave t' rocket a primer coat o' sandable primer. In this case, I used Rustoleum flat white from a spray can. Avast! Ya scallywag! I then finished with a gloss white Rustoleum that I applied with an airbrush after thinnin' it at 2pts thinner to 3 pts paint. Blimey! It dried t' t' touch in under 4 hours. Blimey!

There is one thin' I noted about this kit that differed from me earlier Rocket Vision kits. Arrr! Blimey! t' 'chute seems t' be made o' a thinner but stiffer type of ripstop. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'm nay sure this is goin' t' eject as smoothly as I would like given t' tight confines o' t' typical Rocket Vision kit. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! All-in-all though, I'd give this kit a 9 out o' 10 for durability, looks and performance. Ya scallywag! Blimey! For ease of assembly I'd give it a difficult but nay frustratin' rating. And for value, I'd give this kit a perfect ten. Begad! Blimey! This is a very nice rocket for under $25.00, shippin' included and it is indeed, matey, rugged and designed t' last. Arrr! Blimey!

That's me story and I'm stickin' t' it.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Well, me bucko, I began this AM with t' idea that I be goin' t' launch me Star-Fire from Rocket Vision with as many different motor combinations as I could find in my box. Ahoy! Ahoy! It was me intent t' go from A t' F and see what happened. Avast! Now mind you, only D12-7s are recommended for this beauty. T' estimated altitude on such a thrust combination is in t' neighborhood o' 800 feet. Avast! Arrr! This precluded launching on small fields so I thought I'd see if I couldn't find power combinations that might permit a wider variety o' launch sites. Thinkin' that I needed a baseline for reference, me bucko, I chose a D12-7 for t' first launch o' t' day. Arrr! After prepping the rocket I took note o' t' conditions and made an entry in me flight book.

Rocket..............Star Fire
Motor...............D12-7, me bucko, me bucko, Estes solar ignitor, ya bilge rat, 12 volt ignition, ya bilge rat, wrapped tape retention and thrust ring
Recovery.........10" nylon parachute
Wadding.........none, uses Nomex® shield
Weather.........5,000 Sct , E12,000 Bkn Vsby unlmtd, Temp, 85 Wnd SW@ 4G10 kts RMKS ACSL OVR MTNS S
Flight..............near instantaneous ignition, matey, straight boost, me bucko, arrr, no weathercocking. Rocket arched down wind slightly, at apogee, nose cone popped off, but no 'chute deployment. Rocket went into a shallow flat spin and fell hard onto t' ground (packed dirt). Ahoy!

Damage consisted o' two broken wing-tip fins and a main fin loosened at the body-tube. Clearly, me fillet failed. No other damage. Well, matey, blow me down! Rocket is repairable and will fly again. Begad! Ahoy! Careful post-flight analysis finds fault with t' Nomex® shield. While t' idea is excellent, me hearties, t' actual shield takes up a great deal o' space in t' BT. Avast! Begad! In addition, t' material is coarse and rather thick. Begad! As a result it is very "draggie" for want o' a better word. Aye aye! ( Sure, arrr, I know, it "has a high friction coefficient" but that sounds too over-the top)

I was worried about this havin' seen this exact same failure in 2 out of eight earlier flights with Mach Busters and another o' t' Rugged Rocket line. You have t' be very careful in packin' t' recovery system. There is just not much room in these rockets. Arrr! Ya scallywag! In t' future, I may abandon t' Nomex® shield altogether in favor o' good ol' wadding. I seem t' have difficulty in using this feature with any degree o' reliability. Well, blow me down! Others may and do, fair much better but I just can't seem t' get t' hang o' it. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

In short, matey, t' rocket flew beautifully. Begad! It be a straight, clean, non-rotatin' boost. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Although recovery went astray, me hearties, t' rocket be RUGGED. Well, blow me down! I've seen few rockets that could survive a flat-spin onto hard packed dirt and need so little in t' way o' repair. These are very good rockets and I highly recommend them.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5