Brief:
Probably no legendary sea monster be as horrifyin' as t' Kraken. Accordin' t' stories, this huge, arrr, me bucko, many armed creature could reach as high as t' top o' a sailin' ship's main mast. Well, this rocket may nay have many arms, arrr, shiver me timbers, but it will fly higher than a ship's main mast!

This is me first kit from Pemberton Technologies, but it won't be me last. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! They even supplied RockSim files, that they graciously allowed me t' include with this review.

T' Kraken is a single stage tube fin rocket. Begad! I felt what made it unique was how t' tube fins were pointed.

Construction:
T' rocket came with 2 BT-60 body tubes, shiver me timbers, one o' which will be cut up into t' tube fins, shiver me timbers, a 24mm motor tube with 2 centerin' rings, me hearties, a balsa wood nose cone with a screw eye and a washer for weight, ya bilge rat, matey, two 1/4" launch lugs, 60" of Keelhaul®©™® cord, and an 18" plastic parachute. There is a little piece o' balsa wood for t' canards. Begad! It also came with one of t' most amusin' set o' instructions (or destructions as they call it) that added t' t' fun o' buildin' this kit.

T' Kraken comes with 19 pages o' destructions includin' a photo quality picture o' t' Kraken. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' most difficult part o' this rocket is cuttin' t' tube fins. Aye aye! Begad! Nine o' t' destruction pages provide instructions, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, photos, ya bilge rat, drawings, cave sketches, me hearties, me hearties, etc. t' help you mark and cut t' one tube into 4 tube fins. Well, matey, blow me down! With all t' information presented, me hearties, me hearties, matey, making the tube fins really is nay that difficult. Make sure you use a sharp knife and take your time. Begad! You mark a line along the length o' t' tube on t' top and bottom. Avast! Marks are made at different positions and you need t' draw lines between the appropriate top and bottom marks. Begad! This creates t' unique pointed tube fins.

There is a pattern for cuttin' t' canards. Avast! Blimey! I decided t' round t' edges o' t' canards. Blimey! These glue onto the balsa nose cone. I used thick CA t' bond t' canards since I was usin' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone.

Next be t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Begad! Glue on t' 2 centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! You carve a notch in t' top one, me hearties, arrr, tie t' Keelhaul®©™® cord around t' motor tube and pass t' cord through t' notch. Then glue t' motor mount into t' body. Ya scallywag! Begad! Notice I didn't mention anythin' about a thrust rin' or motor retainer? Well, thar are no such things for this kit. Ahoy! Arrr! The destructions warn you t' avoid pitchforks, torches, and mob mentality, ya bilge rat, and simply use maskin' tape or duct tape to create a thrust rin' on t' motor itself. T' hold t' motor in place, matey, shiver me timbers, t' instructions say t' wrap a bit o' tape between t' motor tube and this thrust rin' you created.

I finished me rocket before I glued t' tube fins on. Arrr! This makes it easier t' get complete paint coverage. Well, blow me down! When I did glue t' tube fins on, shiver me timbers, I opted t' use 12 minute epoxy since I would nay be able t' fillet t' joints with the paint.

T' nose weight is a fender washer. Begad! This gets glued t' t' nose cone and a screw eye goes into t' nose cone. Blimey! Ahoy! The Keelhaul®©™® cord ties t' t' screw eye. Well, blow me down! Unlike most folks who hate elastic, I added some in parallel t' t' Keelhaul®©™® to absorb some o' t' ejection shock.

Finishing:
T' biggest issue with finishin' a tube fin rocket is gettin' paint under t' tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! T' method I used was t' mask off a glue strip with maskin' tape and then paint t' pieces before gluin' them together. Blimey! Blimey! I first filled t' tube spirals with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded with different grades o' sandpaper down t' 320 grit, ya bilge rat, makin' sure t' get inside t' tube fins. T' inside o' t' tube fins were primed and sanded with 400 grit then painted with gloss red. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I used Krylon for all me painting. Well, blow me down! After t' paint was dry, arrr, I masked t' inside o' t' tube. I then used some 1" wide tape that I cut down into 1/4" strips t' create t' glue strips. Arrr! Blimey! I beveled t' top and bottom t' match the tube fins, ya bilge rat, but I also made t' strips about 1/4" short t' make sure I would nay leave a gap. Begad! Blimey! I then primed and painted t' outside o' t' tube fins and t' body gloss black. Avast! Blimey! I used multiple coats o' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone and sanded down with 400 grit. T' nose cone was also painted gloss black. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! As a finishin' touch, I used a Testor's Gloss Yellow Enamel Paint Marker and rimmed t' tube fins. I also used t' marker t' paint t' canards and followed that with a red paint marker t' make some deadlights for this evil beast.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors range from an Estes C11 t' AeroTech's E15. Arrr! I went t' me favorite local field where it was 24 degrees with a light coverin' o' snow. Well, blow me down! I prepared some maskin' tape t' use as t' thrust rin' in t' comfort o' me warm house before I left. I used me Estes E size pad with it's 6' x 1/4" rod. Avast! Ahoy! I set up in t' middle o' t' field and prepped a D12-3. Ya scallywag! I tried t' method o' usin' tape around t' motor mount and engine t' secure t' motor that was suggested by t' destructions. Some dog barf and parachute (I cheated here and used an existin' 18" Estes chute I have on a snap swivel)in t' other end. Begad! Avast! An igniter into t' motor, onto t' launch pad, and a countdown from 5. Begad! The rocket left t' launch pad for a beautiful straight flight. Aye aye!

Recovery:
Right before apogee, arrr, t' ejection charge went off. Well, blow me down! T' engine came out one end, ya bilge rat, but fortunately t' nose cone and parachute came out t' other end. T' parachute did nay open, matey, but t' drag from t' closed parachute and t' separate pieces still had t' rocket comin' down somewhat slowly. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Finally, me hearties, about 20' above t' ground t' parachute finally opened. Begad! T' rocket landed standin' up in t' snow without any damage. For t' second and third flights, I changed to friction fittin' t' motors. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I also put t' parachute in me pocket while I was preppin' everythin' so it would be less stiff. Well, blow me down! My second flight was also a D12-3. Arrr! Again, ya bilge rat, a perfectly straight launch and this time t' engine stayed in and the parachute opened right away. Begad! And then it took a long time t' land with a little longer walk t' recover it. Aye aye! I was thinkin' o' tryin' an E11, arrr, but t' wind started pickin' up so I used a D12-3 for t' third flight as well. Again a nice straight launch. But with t' stronger wind, t' rocket drifted away some. I think an 18" chute is a tad too big for this rocket. Aye aye! I didn't try a fourth flight--my toes were freezing, but I would be tempted t' try a 12" or 14" chute instead o' t' 18" chute supplied with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun rocket with its unique tube fins. Well, blow me down! T' rocket goes together simply (after you cut t' fins). Begad! Due t' the fins, I would rate this rocket construction complexity as a 3. T' quality parts and amusin' destructions made the construction enjoyable. Avast, me proud beauty! Unless you do somethin' t' add a lot o' weight, I would suggest a smaller parachute or else make sure thar are no winds unless you like t' go hiking. I look forward t' buildin' other kits from Pemberton.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5