Brief:
1/10 Scale Model o' t' Canadian Soundin' Rocket, t' Black Brant VA. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It is a single stage rocket with parachute.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' one 1.72" main body tube, one smaller aft tube, shiver me timbers, balsa nosecone, motor mount parts, me hearties, vinyl and waterslide decals, 20 laser cut parts for t' fins, 24" o' Keelhaul®©™®, and 33 inches o' 3/8" elastic shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! It includes detailed instructions as well. Arrr! T' model is a three fin and body tube type.

T' instructions twelve B&W 8.5" x 11" pages. Ya scallywag! The instructions include a very nice engineerin' drawin' o' t' model with marking information. T' motor mount instructions were clear and straightforward. Aye aye! The tail assembly be t' most complicated part o' t' model. Arrr! T' instructions take two full pages. Ya scallywag! I did find some o' t' marking/test fit/gluin' instructions confusing. Aye aye! It is a lot o' text t' read through. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I would recommend readin' it through several times and breakin' t' build down into smaller sections. Blimey! Begad! The fins mount t' t' aft tube only. Begad! Avast! T' aft assembly is then glued t' t' primary body tube. Ahoy! A note o' caution: In t' same paragraph that has you test fitting the aft tube also has you gluin' in t' motor mount. Arrr! T' full size sanding instructions were very nice.

Finishing:
I personally had difficulty in gettin' a smooth finish on t' balsa nose cone. My first coat o' primer was too thick. Avast! When I started t' sand it smooth, me bucko, the paint lifted off and became uneven. Begad! It took seven more coats o' a thinner primer t' get a minimum acceptable finish. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' rocket is red overall with one white fin. I chose t' build and paint t' rocket red without t' one white fin. T' one white fin was painted separately then glued on after drying. Aye aye! T' decals went on without difficulty. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight be on t' recommended D12-5. Arrr! T' model uses a standard metal retention clip. Blimey! Recovery waddin' be used. Begad! T' rocket lifted off with ease and was a very straight flight. Ahoy!

Recovery:
Ejection be normal although t' delay was closer t' 4 seconds. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute opened and t' rocket settled down. Aye aye! It was noticed that thar was some separation at ejection. Well, blow me down! After recovery, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it was discovered t' separation was half o' one o' red fins. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It tore along t' balsa grain. Begad! There was also a crescent shape dent in t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! I suspect that t' nose cone impacted the body tube durin' ejection.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel t' highlight o' this rocket is that it is a scale model o' t' Black Brant. Blimey! I really like this family o' rockets and ARG has made a whole collection in t' same scale. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' con was t' fin separation durin' flight. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I would consider some type o' reinforcement for t' fins, either tissue or fiberglass. Alternatively, new fins could be cut with t' grain goin' t' opposite direction.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5