Brief:
Single stage LMR with a large clear payload bay.

Construction:
T' bagged kit arrived from Apogee packed firmly in a box as part o' an order of tubes. Arrr! I got 2 extra canopies as part o' a special when I ordered.

T' parts include:

• 1 2.217" body tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 18" long
• 1 2.217" clear plastic payload tube, 10" long
• 1 coupler tube, matey, arrr, 4" long
• 1 fiberboard payload bulkhead disk
• 1 5:1 ogive plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, 11" long
• 3 die cut balsa fins
• 2 fiberboard centerin' rings
• 1 24mm motor tube, 4" long
• 1 engine block
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, 60" long
• 1 1/4" launch lug
• 1 32" diameter, me hearties, octagon plastic parachute with heavy thread lines and tape reinforcement rings
• 1 sheet o' press on decals
• There was also a nice instruction booklet with illustrations and a copy of the fin template.

T' instructions (several pages on 8.5" x 11" sized paper) were very well written and illustrated t' show all construction steps. Avast! Ya scallywag! Tools needed in construction included a hobby knife, arrr, a pencil, a ruler, ya bilge rat, maskin' tape, sandpaper, me hearties, yellow glue, CA glue, shiver me timbers, and paint.

This kit is rated as a level 2 build and I'd have t' agree. Well, blow me down! It be very quick t' assemble followin' t' directions, ya bilge rat, me hearties, all parts were called out in an order that made sense. Aye aye! You are directed t' notch t' engine block t' allow the Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' fit and you need t' pay attention t' where you mount t' engine block dependin' on what size motors you plan on using. Begad! Arrr! I had a little trouble at first gettin' t' coupler t' fit in t' payload tube, but you want this connection t' be nice and tight anyway. Well, blow me down! Avast! It just took a little bit o' patience to get it t' slide. Begad! T' coupler and bulkhead attachment is very neat, me bucko, usin' a section o' Keelhaul®©™® glued along t' inside o' t' coupler t' act as an anchor and shock cord mount.

I built t' rocket over t' course o' an evenin' usin' TiteBond II yellow glue. Begad!

Finishing:
Paintin' is easy...spray t' fins and lower body tube one color, then spray the nose cone another. Begad! T' peel and stick decals are nicely done with clearly marked cut lines. T' one wrap around be t' right size t' make it around the tube with a 1/4" overlap. Avast, me proud beauty! It would have been nice t' have one more "DynaStar" for t' 3rd fin, me bucko, but I'll live.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I had plans for this rocket t' be used as a carrier for a night launch payload. I knew I'd have t' have t' oomph t' carry a small strobe light and batteries so for t' 1st flight I used a D12-3. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't use a spacer for t' motor (havin' built t' rocket for t' longer E9 and F21 motors), so I just used a wrap o' tape around t' motor and t' tube t' secure it. Arrr! T' Risin' Star got off t' pad nice and straight but made some small oscillations as t' motor burned out. Ahoy! Ejection was at apogee and t' chute (protected by 5-6 sheets of Quest wadding) opened and filled very nicely. Well, blow me down! T' bright yellow and black pattern was very visible. Aye aye! Touchdown was very soft on t' short grass.

For t' second flight o' t' day I used an F21-4 (not a recommended motor) because I wanted t' get t' strobe light higher and I was concerned that an E9 might nay get t' model goin' fast enough. Aye aye! Again I prepped with 5-6 sheets of wadding, wrapped t' exposed motor and mount with tape for retention, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and let it loose. Aye aye! T' F21 got t' model movin' very smartly and t' altitude be much higher than t' D12 flight. Begad! T' ejection charge fired and t' parachute, payload and strobe light went on a long ride without t' body tube. Every thing came down safely without damage. I had a nice long walk, me hearties, probably about 1/2 mile, t' where t' payload came down. Begad! Thankfully t' strobe was flashin' to give me a beacon since it had started t' get dark.

Recovery:
I had thought that maybe t' ejection charge had burned t' Keelhaul®©™®, but on findin' t' payload and examinin' t' cord I found that t' Keelhaul®©™® was still tied in a loop where it had been attached t' t' motor mount. It had broken t' engine block, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, most likely caused by me pickin' too short o' a delay.

Since it was already fully dark by t' time I got back t' t' range and I didn't have anythin' t' effectively perform a field repair (I will use epoxy and a section o' body tube t' make an Estes style shock cord mount on the inside o' t' airframe), I be unable t' make a 3rd flight on an E9. Blimey! Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great mid power kit. Begad! Begad! It builds a lightweight rocket that can be flown on a wide range o' D-F motors (especially when you add in 24mm reloads.. this rocket would kick on an F39!). Avast! Avast! T' DynaStar line has some excitin' looking models, maybe a cluster mount would be a good addition t' this line.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5