I just finished buildin' me Star-Fire. Rocket Vision rates it at as a challengin' kit and I would agree. Arrr! T' challenge is nay in t' assembly, shiver me timbers, matey, as with all Rocket Vision kits, me hearties, any one with a little experience will find that things go together very easily. Well, blow me down! No, t' challenge is in t' finish o' t' engine nacelles. Begad! 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. A tight fit is best achieved if all o' t' slots and tabs are squared up. Aye aye! However they are cut, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' process cannot make tight right angled cuts on tabs and notches. Aye aye! Avast! Most o' t' painstakin' work is in this sort o' file and fit stuff. Avast! 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, half t' fun of buildin' this kit is in t' detail work. Avast!

After assembly, I took me Dremel tool and a very fine sandin' drum and went over all o' t' tabs and slotted surfaces. Well, blow me down! This removed any glue bumps or unevenness o' joints. Aye aye! Ahoy! I then rounded t' sharp edges o' t' nacelles t' give them a more streamlined look. T' instructions recommend that you fill any voids or assembly gaps with some sort o' filler. I used Solarease with micro balloons. Avast! Begad! It's an epoxy resin with t' consistency o' toothpaste. Ahoy! T' best thin' about it is that it hardens only in sunlight so that workin' time is very long. Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! In this case, I used Rustoleum flat white from a spray can. I then finished with a gloss white Rustoleum that I applied with an airbrush after thinnin' it at 2pts thinner to 3 pts paint. Begad! Blimey! It dried t' t' touch in under 4 hours. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey!

There is one thin' I noted about this kit that differed from me earlier Rocket Vision kits. t' 'chute seems t' be made o' a thinner but stiffer type of ripstop. 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. Arrr! All-in-all though, I'd give this kit a 9 out o' 10 for durability, looks and performance. 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. Well, blow me down! Avast! This is a very nice rocket for under $25.00, shippin' included and it is indeed, rugged and designed t' last.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Well, I began this AM with t' idea that I was goin' t' launch me Star-Fire from Rocket Vision with as many different motor combinations as I could find in my box. Begad! It was me intent t' go from A t' F and see what happened. Now mind you, only D12-7s are recommended for this beauty. Avast! Begad! T' estimated altitude on such a thrust combination is in t' neighborhood o' 800 feet. Well, blow me down! 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, I chose a D12-7 for t' first launch o' t' day. Avast, me proud beauty! After prepping the rocket I took note o' t' conditions and made an entry in me flight book. Aye aye!

Rocket..............Star Fire
Motor...............D12-7, me hearties, arrr, Estes solar ignitor, 12 volt ignition, me bucko, wrapped tape retention and thrust ring
Recovery.........10" nylon parachute
Wadding.........none, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, uses Nomex® shield
Weather.........5,000 Sct , shiver me timbers, E12,000 Bkn Vsby unlmtd, Temp, me bucko, 85 Wnd SW@ 4G10 kts RMKS ACSL OVR MTNS S
Flight..............near instantaneous ignition, matey, straight boost, ya bilge rat, no weathercocking. Blimey! Rocket arched down wind slightly, ya bilge rat, 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). Aye aye! Begad!

Damage consisted o' two broken wing-tip fins and a main fin loosened at the body-tube. Arrr! Clearly, matey, shiver me timbers, matey, me fillet failed. No other damage. Rocket is repairable and will fly again. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! Careful post-flight analysis finds fault with t' Nomex® shield. While t' idea is excellent, t' actual shield takes up a great deal o' space in t' BT. Arrr! Avast! In addition, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' material is coarse and rather thick. Arrr! As a result it is very "draggie" for want o' a better word. ( Sure, I know, me hearties, 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. Begad! There is just not much room in these rockets. In t' future, matey, I may abandon t' Nomex® shield altogether in favor o' good ol' wadding. Begad! I seem t' have difficulty in using this feature with any degree o' reliability. Avast, me proud beauty! Others may and do, ya bilge rat, me bucko, fair much better but I just can't seem t' get t' hang o' it.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5