Brief:

A lightweight, ya bilge rat, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design.

Construction:

T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. As such, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, shiver me timbers, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, me hearties, though I couldn't tell until t' package was open. T' kit featured a length o' 18mm tubing, a very unusual plastic nose cone, matey, a very good mylar parachute, ya bilge rat, a laughably short shock cord, and a bit o' grainy, me hearties, me bucko, flimsy balsa. Motor retention is simply friction fit, me bucko, with a paper motor block inside t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Hardly earth-shatterin' stuff here, but different enough t' be interesting.

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, one for assembly, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and one set for flight. Unfortunately, me bucko, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Aye aye! Regardless, arrr, t' instructions are logical, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' fins, arrr, while grainy and a bit flimsy, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, and featured good, arrr, me bucko, straight lines. Arrr! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Ahoy! Ahoy! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, matey, this one featured a loose nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, me hearties, arrr, and lightweight, but surprisingly durable. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, yet so far they've held up. Arrr! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, matey, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Begad! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. As I mentioned earlier, me bucko, t' body tube be crushed in t' center, arrr, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Avast, me proud beauty! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, me bucko, had less o' a spiral, me bucko, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, and thus, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone fit perfectly. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, in triple t' rocket's length. T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, ya bilge rat, and works well in this case. Ahoy! Arrr! But a word o' caution - make sure it doesn't stick out too far! Nay much room in thar for a parachute.

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, I just painted this one as-is. T' much higher quality ASP tube was already white, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! As a result, matey, shiver me timbers, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, arrr, which be intentional. Begad! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Overall, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, arrr, yet strong rocket that looks great. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, matey, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, me bucko, and it won't fit anymore. Blimey! So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, don't try an "A" motor at all. Aye aye! Arrr! In fact, shiver me timbers, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Blimey! Aye aye! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, matey, even with a cackle fruit aboard, and flights will be great. Begad! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, matey, me bucko, but nay enough t' worry about. Begad! Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, me bucko, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Begad! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, matey, but it has happened before on another rocket. Ya scallywag! Begad! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. Avast! It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, and will hang inside t' body tube. Well, blow me down! This rocket's so light that no damage will occur if you get a "streamer" or a "hung" parachute, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Ya scallywag! Throw it away or into a parts bin, me bucko, but do nay use it. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I used elastic thread, matey, and it takes up less room than t' original, despite bein' about four times longer. Ahoy! Blimey! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, arrr, don't ball it up. Begad! Roll it only once, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. It'll recover well, won't get damaged, and will drift a good distance in any sort o' wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Custom came up with a great little egg lofter for a good price. Well, me hearties, blow me down! There are some things I'd change, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, matey, me hearties, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Aye aye! Still, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5