Brief:
This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed t' fly on t' new C11 motors. Arrr! Ahoy! It is a tall, ya bilge rat, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, me bucko, and a 24mm motor mount.

Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Die cut fins were high quality, matey, matey, as were all t' other parts. Blimey! Blimey! Elastic shock cord was longer than expected, but still a bit short. Nose cone was excellent w/o any flashing. Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, but is nay needed in t' kit. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 18" parachute is pre-assembled.

T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Ya scallywag! Avast! Construction be easy, and took little time. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a cool lookin' kit which was fun t' build with me 2 year old daughter (who picked t' kit out at t' store). T' TTW fins fit extremely well, arrr, and went on w/o a hitch. No special tools or techniques were needed. I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and runnin' it up t' body, me bucko, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Ahoy! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, which is how I did it.

Finishing:
Finishin' was standard stuff, me hearties, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), me hearties, then painted it gloss white. Begad! T' remainder be done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Avast! Its quite a sight! :). T' 'normal' fill/prime/paint would be straightforward for this kit.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
It flies nicely on C11-5's. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, with deployment just past apogee. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. A D12 would do nicely. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! An "E" would send this out o' sight. (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).

Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. 18 chute is good for that. Ya scallywag! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.

Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.

Overall, ya bilge rat, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
A fun t' build, sturdy, matey, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Blimey! Blimey! Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! List is about $12. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! With me Michael's 40% coupon, this only cost be $7. Its worth every penny. Let t' kids paint it! Blimey! Its a nice big canvas for it!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5