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

T' Invader is a simple, almost ready t' fly, me hearties, me hearties, entry level UFO rocket. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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, a cardboard motor tube, me bucko, some stickers and an Estes safety sheet. There was goin' t' be less t' this "build" than I had imagined.

There be no real construction. Aye aye! In fact, t' rocket could have been flown plain without any paint. 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. Ahoy!

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

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

T' first thin' I did when t' paint be dry was t' test fit t' plugged motor tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions say that t' friction fit may need t' be made with tape but that was nay t' case with mine. 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I was pleasantly surprised at their quality. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! They lifted from t' sheet without too much trouble and went into place and stuck well. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, but I didn't have any o' those for t' maiden outing. Avast! Blimey! I loaded up first with an A10-3T. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' help protect t' foam from t' ejection charge, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' top o' t' motor. Avast! Blimey! T' rocket was loaded, arrr, set on t' pad and off it went, me bucko, just as advertised. Blimey! Blimey! It didn't go too high, me hearties, ya bilge rat, inverted, spit t' motor and drifted down. Avast! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! 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. Avast! As expected, shiver me timbers, this one went even lower, me hearties, but it did invert and spit t' motor before t' charge went off. Again, I had stuffed a piece o' waddin' in t' ejection end o' t' motor and that seemed t' work just fine. Blimey! 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 bucko, me bucko, it's just somethin' simple that can be flown in crowded situations with little time. Well, blow me down! That makes it worthwhile all by itself. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! Anyone can fly it and even a finishin' moron like me can make it look fairly decent. Begad! Usin' a bit o' waddin' stuffed over t' ejection charge increases t' motor options as well.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5