Brief:

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

Construction:

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

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, one for assembly, matey, me bucko, and one set for flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Unfortunately, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Begad! Begad! Regardless, shiver me timbers, t' instructions are logical, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Aye aye! Begad! T' fins, while grainy and a bit flimsy, arrr, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, and featured good, me hearties, ya bilge rat, straight lines. Ya scallywag! Begad! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, this one featured a loose nose cone. This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, arrr, and lightweight, arrr, but surprisingly durable. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, yet so far they've held up. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Avast! Ahoy! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Ya scallywag! As I mentioned earlier, shiver me timbers, t' body tube be crushed in t' center, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, had less o' a spiral, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, arrr, and thus, me bucko, arrr, t' nose cone fit perfectly. I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Aye aye! 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. Well, blow me down! T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, me bucko, and works well in this case. 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, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I just painted this one as-is. Arrr! T' much higher quality ASP tube was already white, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, matey, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Begad! Avast! As a result, arrr, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, which be intentional. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Blimey! Overall, ya bilge rat, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, shiver me timbers, yet strong rocket that looks great. Ahoy! Unfortunately, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and it won't fit anymore. Ahoy! So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, don't try an "A" motor at all. Ahoy! In fact, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, even with a cackle fruit aboard, arrr, and flights will be great. T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, but nay enough t' worry about. Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Ya scallywag! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, but it has happened before on another rocket. Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. Well, blow me down! It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, matey, matey, and will hang inside t' body tube. Ahoy! 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. Arrr! Throw it away or into a parts bin, but do nay use it. Aye aye! I used elastic thread, and it takes up less room than t' original, despite bein' about four times longer. Begad! Blimey! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, don't ball it up. Roll it only once, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Begad! It'll recover well, won't get damaged, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, 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. Begad! Blimey! There are some things I'd change, shiver me timbers, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Ya scallywag! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Blimey! Still, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5