Brief:
A clone o' t' Estes Astron Birdie rocket assisted shuttlecock. Well, matey, blow me down!

Construction:
So thar I was snoopin' around on Rocketry Forum and somehow I ended up on eBay. Ahoy! Blimey! This o' course, accordin' t' me wife, arrr, is all too regular an occurrence. Lo and behold I find a clone o' t' first rocket I ever owned, ya bilge rat, t' K-44 Astron Birdie. Aye aye! Somehow it just seems necessary t' write a review. Ahoy! T' manufacturer, West Wayne Rockets, shiver me timbers, does nay sell directly, however, matey, they do sell through Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack on eBay. They are available in at least blue and red. Begad! Begad! Mine was blue. Well, blow me down! So what do we get for our money?

• 1 13mm motor tube
• 1 laser cut centerin' ring
• 1 1/8" launch lug
• Set o' instructions
• 1 Ziploc freezer bag
• 1 shuttle cock

Let's get this out o' t' way now. Aye aye! We are talkin' about gluin' a motor mount in a shuttlecock. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's kind o' hard t' mess this one up. Arrr! T' instructions were clearly written with most every contingency covered. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Absolutely nothin' goes to waste as t' donut hole in t' center o' t' rin' is used as an engine block. In fact this kit is so frugal I used t' back o' t' instruction sheet t' mix the glue and t' Ziploc bag t' store some small parts in. Ahoy! I prepped t' engine mount as shown, shiver me timbers, and epoxied it in place. Begad! That's it! Epoxy t' mount in, me hearties, arrr, me hearties, add t' launch lug, and presto, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, instant rocket.

While this is a skill level 1 kit, I do want t' emphasize that I actually consider it a skill level 1.002. Aye aye! I did have t' fuss with t' launch lug and actually have t' use a clamp t' hold it in place while t' 30 min epoxy dried.

I did one slight modification t' appease t' safety people. Well, blow me down! I drilled a tiny hole in t' end o' t' MMT and epoxied in a 1' length o' 60# Keelhaul®©™®. I will use this t' retain motors that have functional ejection charges.

Finishing:
It's already finished and comes molded in your choice o' blue or red (at the time o' ordering).

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Ok, me hearties, shiver me timbers, this one was easy. Ya scallywag! I went in me back yard and stuffed in a A10-PT (the motor for t' Blurzz® rocket powered car) hooked it up and let her rip. Strangely every birdie I've seen in t' past has been a bit squirrelly. Begad! This little one popped almost perfectly straight and almost impaled itself on the launch rod comin' back. Avast, me proud beauty! T' same results came as I burned thru t' complete pack. Next up be t' A10-3T usin' me modified motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Up she went and the pop. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' motor on t' end o' a strin' caused an unstable kind o' tumbling landing.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Come on folks, matey, shiver me timbers, matey, I glued a motor mount in a shuttlecock. How can it go wrong? Still a neat remembrance and I'll probably fly it a bunch just for grins.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5