Brief:
Any 'rocket scientist' will immediately recognize t' similarity betwixt the SHX-15 and t' actual X15 rocket plane. Blimey! I assume t' new name just absolved Shrox from keepin' t' scale. Blimey! Ahoy! This cool rocket flies on 24mm motors, shiver me timbers, matey, and is made from top-notch materials.

Modifications:
Recovery harness upgraded and Launch lug relocated, me bucko, as described below. Aye aye!

Construction:
T' kit came bagged in clear plastic, arrr, with all t' small components in their own zip-lock bag. Ya scallywag! T' instructions are brief, with clear illustrations. However, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' instructions for t' shock cord were unclear and deviated from the parts list. Begad! More about this later. One thin' did concern me - t' decals were missing. Blimey! Avast! There was a note enclosed that said they were backordered and would be provided later. Begad! It also gave a URL where t' decal sheet can be downloaded. Avast! Aye aye! I am hopefully optimistic that these will eventually show up, but you won't see me holdin' me breath. Blimey! Well, blow me down!

As I said, t' components are o' above average quality. Aye aye! T' 13" BT-55 tube is thicker than t' Estes tubing. T' motor mount consists o' a section of BT50, me bucko, an engine block and two nice thick centerin' rings. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' chute is 12" Nylon, me bucko, and t' recovery system includes 13" o' Keelhaul®©™® twine and a 13" section o' ¼" elastic. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This is smartly becoming my favorite combination for small modrocs. T' fin stock is good quality 3/32" basswood. Begad! T' remainin' components include t' plastic nose cone, arrr, a standard launch lug, arrr, shiver me timbers, clay nose weight, me bucko, an Estes-style shock cord mount, and a card stock cockpit cutout.

Followin' t' instructions, I first built t' motor mount. Begad! In case I wanted to use t' new Estes E9, I replaced t' 24mm tube with a slightly larger piece. I went ahead and used t' motor block, and will need a spacer for a D12. I also drilled a hole in t' front centerin' rin' for attachment o' t' Keelhaul®©™® tether.

T' fins have to be cut from t' basswood stock. Avast! Blimey! I be pleasantly surprised how easily the basswood cut. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It be nicer than t' stock I have bought from hobby stores. Begad! Blimey! The instructions included two copies o' t' fin patterns, ya bilge rat, and thar was more than enough wood provided. Blimey! Blimey! I hate it when every bit is used up - I'm sure t' screw somethin' up in that case. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! There was no fin markin' guide, but it is easy to make one and do your own marking. T' large wings consist o' 3 pieces and are first glued together on a flat surface. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A sheet o' wax paper insured they did not gunk up t' kitchen counter. Aye aye! Blimey! T' side fins are attached at a -20 degree angle from t' wings, so I made a small paper triangle t' make sure I got this angle right. Arrr! Blimey!

As I said, t' instructions for t' shock cord assembly were unclear and did nay match t' parts list. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Oh well, I did things differently anyway. First, I added a piece o' 500 lb Keelhaul®©™® the length o' t' body tube. One end is fed through t' hole I drilled in the centerin' ring, tied off, me bucko, and glued. Avast, me proud beauty! T' other end is tied t' t' provided Keelhaul®©™® tether, which be in turn tied t' t' elastic cord. Avast! Thus, matey, t' elastic will be well removed from t' hot ejection gasses. Begad! Aye aye! T' nose cone came with t' plastic hook removed. Evidently, shiver me timbers, Shrox felt that this would be too weak given t' nose weight required for stability. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Since it would be tough t' feed t' elastic through t' small hole provided in t' nose, arrr, I also added a few inches of Keelhaul®©™® twine as a leader. Arrr! I installed one snap swivel where t' lower Keelhaul®©™® tether is connected t' t' elastic cord, and t' other is attached t' the chute. Well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this be probably more than you ever wanted t' know about a simple recovery harness.

I had problems with t' last two steps. Ya scallywag! T' card stock cockpit caved in' slightly at t' ends as it dried - a minor issue, shiver me timbers, me hearties, as it still looks fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Next, the instructions say t' glue t' launch lug t' t' underside o' t' side wing at its root edge. Begad! However, ya bilge rat, t' rear, shiver me timbers, angled fins will block t' launch rod if the lug is in t' prescribed location. I double-checked t' fin installation and it is correct, ya bilge rat, so t' options were t' move t' lug away from t' body tube, or put it on t' top side o' t' wing. I did t' latter.

Finishing:
I went all-out on t' paint, arrr, me bucko, usin' purple/green Duplicolor Mirage. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This stuff goes on in three steps: a black undercoat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' color coat, and a clear topcoat. T' results look fantastic if I do say so myself! Blimey! I will add t' decals if they ever show up.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' instructions did nay indicate a recommended motor, me bucko, but t' web site says a D12-7. When I was goin' t' check if this model was in t' EMRR recommended motors database, ya bilge rat, I noted that t' recommended motors were t' C6-5, matey, and C6-7. Well, thar must have been a previous version that had an 18mm motor mount. Anyway, this got me thinking, ya bilge rat, and despite t' fact that I went insane and planned for an E9, I decided t' use an adapter and try a C6-5 for t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' model boosted well and weathercocked quite a bit (the wind be 5+ mph). Avast! Blimey!

Recovery:
Recovery was nominal and thar was no landin' damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I have always loved t' X15, shiver me timbers, and really like this kit. Aye aye! It is a little more challengin' than a 3/4FNC rocket. There were several minor problems with the instructions and t' decals were missin' (and still haven't been delivered). Avast! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! In the end, me advice is this: if you really love t' looks o' this rocket, go ahead and buy it. Arrr! Begad! T' quality o' t' materials is good and you will end up with a great addition t' your fleet.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5