Introduction:
Scale model o' t' U.S. Aye aye! Army's first guided missile. Blimey! I got t' Aerospace Specialty Products catalog by sendin' e-mail t' them. ASP has some really cool products, especially for NARRRRR people gettin' into competition. It's a basement business, 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. Aye aye! Begad!

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

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). Ahoy! This kit has a minimum level o' detail and no documentation, arrr, matey, so you'll have t' dig that up yourself. Ahoy! It's a great flyin' rocket.

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

I started out wrappin' t' body tube and payload section with 1/2 oz fiberglass. Aye aye! I also glassed t' fins. It resulted in a hard, smooth surface. Well, blow me down! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I then installed t' motor mount as per t' directions usin' yellow glue. Here my only objection is a lack o' a motor hook. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' 18 mm tube is inside a 24 mm tube and t' two tubes are flush, so thar's no way t' apply an external wrap of tape. T' only thin' holdin' t' motor in is friction. Begad! T' payload section/nose cone is quite heavy, 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, shiver me timbers, or motor ejection.

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

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

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

Materials get a 4 (on a scale o' 1 t' 5). Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If they would include a dimensioned drawin' and color drawing, matey, it would be perfect. Aye aye! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight/Recovery:
I only recommend t' A, ya bilge rat, B and C motors. Ya scallywag! Begad! It would handle t' D motors just fine, but it would go very high, very fast and be hard t' track. Aye aye! T' C motor gets it way up there. Avast, me proud beauty! It flies very straight, even in windy conditions. It's fairly heavy for it diameter and fin area, me bucko, matey, me hearties, so it doesn't tend t' weather cock much. Blimey! Ahoy!

T' supplied parachute is fine, matey, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! That parachute has been through a lot. Begad! Blimey! Get a red one. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

It's a fine flier. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5