Brief:
T' 3FNC be t' absolute bare minimum o' what a rocket can be and still fly... Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! but that's what makes it so cool! Blimey! It's a great performer on a variety o' mid-power motors, arrr, but can also handle a small H if you're feelin' particularly insane. Avast! Blimey! It utilizes a unique "reward blow-by" ejection system t' miraculously fit all o' t' nesessary hardware into t' rocket, shiver me timbers, and is an interestin' departure from t' norm t' build.

Construction:
My kit came with:

• One 3" Nose Cone
• A 4" long Section o' 3" Airframe Tube
• One 29mm MMT Tube
• One Plywood Centerin' Ring
• One Plywood Baffle Ring
• A Length o' Keelhaul®©™® Shock Cord
• A Length o' Tubular Nylon Shock Cord
• Three Laser-Cut Plywood Fins
• One Wood Dowel (cut up t' make fin pods)
• Two Paper Shroud Templates (in case you mess one up)
• Three Carpet Tacs
• One Motor Retention Hook
• One Nomex® Parachute Protector

As t' "Destruction Manual" for t' 3FNC is quick t' point out, shiver me timbers, arrr, "...buildin' this rocket is about as close t' scratch-buildin' as... Arrr! Blimey! well... scratch-building...". Begad! Blimey! T' only conveniences provided for you are pre-cut components. Aye aye! This truly is a "builder's rocket", arrr, so modelers who like a good build will have a great time with this kit.

Construction starts with preppin' t' nose cone for t' various bits and pieces that will soon be stuffed into it. Aye aye! T' bottom o' t' NC is cut off t' gain access t' t' inside. Both t' outside and inside o' t' cone are then washed and sanded t' ensure good adhesion o' paint and epoxy. Begad! Blimey! Approximately 4-5 oz. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! o' nose weight is then added t' the nose cone. Ahoy! I put some strips o' duct tape over t' mass o' lead and epoxy t' ensure that it stays put. Ahoy!

T' next steps involve settin' up t' motor retention hook. Aye aye! I left this out in favor o' maskin' tape retention. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

Next t' forward baffle rin' is assembled with it's eye-bolt and a length o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Ahoy!

T' BT is then marked and slotted in preparation for t' TTW fins. Begad!

T' Destruction Manual's description o' how t' install t' aft centerin' rin' was confusin' t' me. It involved a fiberboard ring, shiver me timbers, maskin' tape... I just didn't get it. I ended up usin' one o' t' fins TTW tabs as a depth guide for t' rin' and ditchin' t' fiber rin' process.

The forward baffle assembly is then lowered into t' nose cone and tamped down with a wood dowel. Begad! T' distance from the shoulder o' t' NC t' t' rin' is then measured and marked on t' outside o' t' NC. Three tacs are then driven through t' NC in a way that they go over t' aft side o' t' baffle ring, me hearties, and ensure that everythin' will stay firmly attached t' each other. It also adds some cool-lookin' domes on t' outside o' t' NC. Ahoy!

Through me own getting-ahead o' t' destructions, I ended up attachin' t' fins, then attachin' t' paper shroud t' t' aft end o' t' rocket. Avast! You are instructed t' do this in t' opposite order... oops. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' Nylon part o' t' shock cord is then epoxied t' t' side o' t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! I added a strip o' duct tape around t' top o' t' epoxied section t' keep it from peelin' back and rippin' off. Begad! Avast! Blimey!

Then came a part o' t' build that I found somewhat challenging. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' make t' cool, retro fin pods, shiver me timbers, you cut up and then shape a wood dowel. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' destructions suggest puttin' a hand-held drill in a vice, matey, drillin' down t' center o' the dowel, arrr, me bucko, and usin' t' drill lake a lathe t' shape t' pods with sandpaper. I ended up shapin' them with a bench grinder (I'm in t' process o' acquirin' a belt sander, shiver me timbers, me bucko, which would've made this a lot easier).

Next was slottin' t' newly-formed fin pods in preparation t' attach them t' t' fins. I followed the destructions suggestion t' use a drill press t' drill a series o' 1/8" holes in a line. Aye aye! Blimey! T' wood be soft enough that I could then go in and clean it up with a hobby knife. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' fin pods were then epoxied t' t' fins, shiver me timbers, matey, and I must say that they look cool. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' only modification I made t' t' kit be t' leave out t' included launch lug and replace them with rail buttons. Since thar isn't room on t' inside for them t' stick through t' airframe, I mounted t' buttons on a shaped piece o' basswood stock and epoxied that t' t' airframe.

Finishing:
I painted t' nose cone while t' rest o' t' rocket be in assembly. First be a few thick coats o' Rustoleum primer, ya bilge rat, followed by a 400 grit sanding. Ya scallywag! Next was a few coats o' Rustoleum metallic silver. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! Unlike other Rustoleum paints, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' silver has a dry time o' only 30 minutes, matey, compared t' most Rustoleum product's two day dryin' time.

Durin' t' build, matey, t' airframe tube had it's spirals filled with Elmer's wood filler. Well, blow me down! I chose nay t' use the filler on t' fins, arrr, as t' plywood had a very small grain that I could fill with primer. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty!

Once assembly was complete, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' airframe got a few coats o' Rustoleum primer, matey, matey, and then be sprayed with t' same Rustoleum silver as t' NC. Avast, me proud beauty! On t' airframe, however, t' paint decided t' barely produce any coverage at all, and it took several coats t' get anythin' resemblin' a good finish. I still don't know why it performed so differently.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight o' me 3FNC came at t' Washington Aerospace Club's 2009 Autumn Glare launch. Eager t' try out Cesaroni's new Pro29 line, I flew t' 3FNC on an F36 Smoky Sam.

RockSim predicted a flight t' around 600' on this motor. Begad! This flight be me first time usin' a Cesaroni motor, and I was impressed with t' ease o' assembly and clean up. Ya scallywag! I can't wait t' try out some o' their other motors later on. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

Upon ignition, me 3FNC be smartly boosted to... Begad! Arrr! well... nowhere near 600'. Avast! I estimate it only got t' about 200'. Havin' adjusted t' delay for a 600' flight, arrr, ejection was quite late, but in time t' slow down t' rocket. Unfortunately, t' cold weather combined with t' tight packin' o' t' 'chute resultin' in it nay fully opening. Blimey! Begad! T' NC landed squarely on a rock and broke off t' tip. Ya scallywag! T' rest o' t' rocket be otherwise fine. Avast! Begad!

T' 3FNC flew two more times at t' same launch on AeroTech F52Ts. These motors performed more as RockSim had expected them to, both resultin' in fast flights t' about 1500'. Ahoy! Aye aye! I intend t' fly t' 3FNC on F40Ws next.

Recovery:
Packin' t' 'chute for recovery is predictably difficult with t' 3FNC, arrr, shiver me timbers, as t' entire recovery harness has t' fit into t' space betwixt t' motor tube and t' NC. Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, I don't have any pictures o' how I did this, me hearties, but I'll do me best t' explain it.

First, I z-folded t' shock cord leavin' about 6" betwixt t' last fold and t' parachute. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I then lightly taped these folds t' t' motor tube with maskin' tape. Arrr! I then prepped t' 'chute in t' Nomex® as usual, and placed it on t' opposite side o' t' motor tube as t' folded shock cord. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I then pushed on t' NC and jiggled it until it bottomed out.

On all three flights, t' tape released t' shock cord without any problems. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 28" 'chute included with t' kid is perfect. Blimey! On one o' t' flights, t' rocket even landed right side up.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' 3FNC is a great kit for those lookin' for a fun project with just as much emphasis on t' build as on t' flight. While it presents some unique challenges, shiver me timbers, that only adds t' t' fun t' be had from this kit. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It looks very different from anythin' else out there, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and I got several comments from people at t' launch about it's minimalistic properties.

All in all, shiver me timbers, it's a great rocket. Begad! Blimey! If you want t' add somethin' a little different t' your fleet, shiver me timbers, then I recommend t' 3FNC.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5