Brief:
UFO, arrr, oddroc, practically ready t' fly, arrr, 13mm motor, aerobrake recovery.

T' Invader is a simple, almost ready t' fly, ya bilge rat, entry level UFO rocket. It is made almost totally from Styrofoam and is really ready t' fly except for t' paint job and stickers.

Construction:
T' "kit" consists o' a foam UFO, me bucko, a cardboard motor tube, some stickers and an Estes safety sheet. Arrr! There was goin' t' be less t' this "build" than I had imagined.

There was no real construction. Begad! Avast! In fact, t' rocket could have been flown plain without any paint. Begad! All that is really needed is t' friction fit t' motor tube. It's a blocked length o' BT meant t' protect t' foam from ejection gases when t' motor is spit.

I wanted t' do somethin' so I investigated t' paint options. Arrr! Aye aye!

Finishing:
T' instruction make provision for spray paintin' but warn t' test t' paint first t' make sure it does nay attack t' foam. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I chose a maroon from Rustoleum and sprayed a bit on t' back o' me spray booth. I then wiped some up with me finger and applied it t' a discreet piece o' t' foam. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After a while, shiver me timbers, it looked as if this be a safe paint.

Still, t' be cautious, I approached t' sprayin' with a method I learned from Art Applewhite. Avast! I merely dusted t' rocket with t' lightest coatin' I could. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' pass, matey, all I could see for me efforts were a few dark freckles. Hopefully, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, t' paint was almost dry by t' time is landed. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I was dry 10 minutes later when I did t' same thing. Ya scallywag! Arrr! In this way, I slowly built t' paint up providin' complete coverage only after about a dozen light mistings. Blimey! My hope was that as t' paint underneath dried, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it would form a protective barrier for later, arrr, heavier (but nay heavy) sprays.

T' first thin' I did when t' paint be dry was t' test fit t' plugged motor tube. Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions say that t' friction fit may need t' be made with tape but that be nay t' case with mine. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It fit in snugly.

I am nay a great fan o' crack and peel stickers but I expected nothin' more from a kit o' this type. Ahoy! Avast! I was pleasantly surprised at their quality. Ahoy! They lifted from t' sheet without too much trouble and went into place and stuck well. I used t' edge o' a toothpick t' burnish them and they seem like they will stay put alright.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' only recommended motor be t' A10-PT, shiver me timbers, but I didn't have any o' those for t' maiden outing. I loaded up first with an A10-3T. Aye aye! Arrr! T' help protect t' foam from t' ejection charge, matey, me hearties, I stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' top o' t' motor. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' rocket was loaded, set on t' pad and off it went, just as advertised. Avast! Avast! It didn't go too high, matey, inverted, me hearties, spit t' motor and drifted down. Here is a bad video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Just t' push t' boundaries a bit, I tried t' next flight on a 1/2A3-2T. Arrr! Blimey! As expected, this one went even lower, but it did invert and spit t' motor before t' charge went off. Begad! Blimey! Again, arrr, I had stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' ejection end o' t' motor and that seemed t' work just fine. Aye aye! A video o' t' spectacularly low second flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is nay a grand piece o' work, me hearties, it's just somethin' simple that can be flown in crowded situations with little time. Ya scallywag! That makes it worthwhile all by itself. Begad! Ya scallywag! Anyone can fly it and even a finishin' moron like me can make it look fairly decent. Blimey! Arrr! Usin' a bit o' waddin' stuffed over t' ejection charge increases t' motor options as well.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5