Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Avast, me proud beauty! Army's first guided missile. I got t' Aerospace Specialty Products catalog by sendin' e-mail t' them. Arrr! Ya scallywag! ASP has some really cool products, especially for NARRRRR people gettin' into competition. It's a basement business, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, matey, so don't expect call center answerin' systems and full blown retail convenience. I bought a couple o' Mylar chutes and decided that I'd give one of their kits a try. Begad! Arrr!

It's a good solid kit. Arrr! Quality BT50 size tube with Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchor, balsa nose cone and basswood fins. Blimey! It comes with one o' their 12" mylar chutes. Well, blow me down! All in all it's a pretty straight forward and simple kit. I'll let you know how it flies later. I'm sure this is typical o' ASP, so I can comfortably recommend them. I will definitely buy more stuff from them in t' future. Avast, me proud beauty!

Quality Scale Kit...
This is a scale model o' t' US Army's first guided ballistic missile. Ya scallywag! The Corporal missile was developed about t' time and by t' same folks who developed t' WAC Corporal soundin' rocket (hence t' name similarity). Arrr! Begad! This kit has a minimum level o' detail and no documentation, matey, so you'll have t' dig that up yourself. Begad! It's a great flyin' rocket.

Construction:
Construction is pretty straight forward. Aye aye! Arrr! It use thin basswood for t' fins rather than balsa. Ya scallywag! T' conduits on t' sides are balsa strips sanded round. The nose cone and payload coupler are balsa. Avast! T' decals are t' peel and stick on type. Ahoy! If you've spent time buildin' paper and wood models, this will be a snap. Otherwise, it makes a great first kit. Aye aye!

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I also glassed t' fins. It resulted in a hard, matey, arrr, ya bilge rat, smooth surface. Ahoy! Blimey! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. T' 18 mm tube is inside a 24 mm tube and t' two tubes are flush, matey, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Begad! Blimey! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, ya bilge rat, so this rocket is a good candidate for a drag separation, so you'll want t' coupler t' fit snug too. Be careful as inexperienced people could have drag separation, matey, or motor ejection. Avast! Blimey!

I attached t' fins with thickened epoxy. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' reason I used epoxy was I could get a strong bond, me hearties, but I had some time t' work with it. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! I glued a spent motor onto a scrap piece o' cardboard. I placed t' body tube on t' this. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! motor such that t' fins would just touch t' cardboard. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I was hopin' that I could set t' four finned rocket on a flat surface and it wouldn't rock. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey!

I finished all t' balsa parts t' same way. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I applied 2 coats o' sanding sealer, sandin' with very fine sand paper betwixt coats. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Then I mixed some RAKA epoxy with maple flour until it was as thick as very thick syrup. Begad! Blimey! I painted this on t' balsa parts. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! There was no sign o' grain after this. I applied a wrap o' maskin' tape t' t' payload coupler. Blimey! Blimey! This isn't really a payload rocket. Payload area is filled with clay. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

I applied 2 coats o' scratch fillin' primer, wet sandin' betwixt coats with very fine sandpaper. Begad! Finally I applied 3 thin coats o' Krylon White. When this was done I carefully applied t' decals. I'm quite pleased with t' results. Won't win any contests, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but it looks really nice.

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). Blimey! I deduct a half point for t' lack o' a motor clip and a half point because thar be nay scale data for t' rocket included. Begad! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, it would be perfect.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, B and C motors. It would handle t' D motors just fine, but it would go very high, arrr, very fast and be hard t' track. Blimey! T' C motor gets it way up there. Begad! It flies very straight, arrr, shiver me timbers, even in windy conditions. Well, blow me down! It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, matey, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Begad! Well, blow me down!

T' supplied parachute is fine, me bucko, in fact I'm kinda in love with t' ASP mylar chutes. I attach a snap swivel from a fishin' supply store and use t' ASP parachute on all me model rockets. Ya scallywag! That parachute has been through a lot. Get a red one. Begad!

It's a fine flier.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very pretty rocket. Begad! T' value for your loot if fantastic. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! It flies well, matey, high and straight every time. Avast! It's large enough that you can just see it a t' end o' a C6-5 boost. Ya scallywag! T' take off is nice and slow with t' A motor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5