Brief:
This review is for an all fiberglass high performance rocket made by Performance Rocketry. Ahoy! It stands almost 8' tall and 4" in diameter. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I tend t' overbuild so mine came out a little heavier than most, 15lbs without motor. Ya scallywag! Dual deployment is a must with this rocket.

Construction:
This kit comes with t' followin' parts:

• 4' fiberglass body tube with fin slots
• 2' fiberglass payload tube
• 5:1 ogive fiberglass nosecone
• 3 G10 fins, 3/16"
• 11" long fiberglass coupler
• 2 G10 bulkplates
• 2 G10 coupler plates
• G10 bulkplate for nosecone
• 2' fiberglass 75mm motor mount
• 3 G10 4"x75mm centerin' rings

As you can see, t' parts list is very minimal, which makes this kit very customizable.

No instructions are included, arrr, but if you're buildin' this rocket, ya bilge rat, you should have an idea o' what you are doing. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I first test fit all o' t' parts. Arrr! T' only issue here was t' fin slots. Begad! All o' t' slots started straight at t' bottom but curved t' t' right as it got farther up t' tube. Well, blow me down! There be no way t' fins were goin' t' fit without adjustment. I took t' booster tube out t' t' garage and went back and forth down t' slots with a drill bit connected t' the Dremel until they were all straight and accepted t' fins easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! (This be t' best idea I could come up with at the time as I'm sure thar's a better way t' true up t' slot.) After this, I sanded every part very thoroughly usin' 60 grit sandpaper on t' fin roots and centerin' rings and a flap wheel sander connected t' a power drill t' sand the inside o' t' airframe. Blimey! Arrr! Next, arrr, I dry fit t' motor mount/booster assembly and marked on t' motor tube where I wanted the top 2 centerin' rings then epoxied them t' t' motor mount tube. After this had cured, I applied a large amount of JB Weld t' t' top o' t' forward centerin' rin' and shoved it up into t' booster tube until t' bottom o' t' motor tube be flush with t' bottom o' t' body tube and t' middle centerin' rin' was right above t' fin slots. Begad! I then reached from t' top o' t' body tube and spread t' JB Weld around with a gloved finger makin' sure t' get the centerin' ring/body tube joint coated well. Begad! Begad! When this had cured, t' back centerin' rin' was temporarily installed to keep t' motor mount centered in t' body tube while t' fins were bein' tacked into place. Begad! A fin jig was used to ensure t' fins were straight. Ahoy! Next, t' back centerin' rin' be removed and tape be applied t' t' outside fin/body tube joints t' prevent t' epoxy from leakin' while applyin' internal fillets. Begad! Well, blow me down! 2 pumps o' West Systems epoxy and slow hardener be mixed with chopped fiberglass and poured into t' back o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! T' aft centerin' rin' be then reinstalled and pushed in until it reached t' back o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! I then rotated t' rocket t' ensure that everything had been coated with epoxy then left it sittin' upside down t' cure. Well, blow me down! T' tape was then removed and showed that there were no leaks o' epoxy. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then mounted a screw eye onto t' center o' a bulkhead and used JB Weld t' attach this assembly 12" down into t' booster tube. Aye aye! West Systems was poured on t' bulkhead for insurance. Begad! Begad! This would act as the shock cord attachment point for t' drogue but also limits t' motor size t' t' 75/6000 case (however, it could fit a 7600 case without t' bulkhead). Ya scallywag! Arrr! If I be buildin' it again, ya bilge rat, I would epoxy a short "leader cord" of strong tubular Keelhaul®©™® directly t' t' motor mount or just attach t' shock cord t' an eye bolt mounted on t' forward closure o' t' case. After this, me hearties, arrr, a final centerin' rin' o' wood was added t' t' very aft o' t' tube and holes were drilled for the Aeropack 75mm retainer. Arrr! I then assembled t' electronics bay usin' a very basic and common design. I have dual altimeters runnin' in this rocket, ya bilge rat, a PerfectFlite MAWD and a PerfectFlite HiAlt-45. Aye aye! I used Cannonball Works switches mounted on aluminum standoffs on t' sled and are easily accessible with t' screw driver from t' vent holes. When the bay be finished, it was back t' work on t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' nose cone bulkhead was mounted past t' shoulder and epoxied heavily into place, me hearties, and holes were drilled for rail buttons. Aye aye! I drilled 2 holes at each button location--one for small rail buttons and one for large rail buttons just in case I need t' change out in t' middle o' t' field. Next, external fillets were applied, me hearties, arrr, but I wasn't happy with how they came out so another layer was applied, shiver me timbers, which looked much better. Avast! Blimey! After this, shiver me timbers, me hearties, vent holes, ya bilge rat, screw holes, me hearties, and shear pin holes were drilled in their respective locations. Blimey! The structural rocket was now complete.

Finishing:
I didn't do anythin' special in t' finishin' process. Ya scallywag! 3 heavy coats o' Rustoleum primer, sandin' in between. Then 3 coats o' Krylon flat black on t' booster, 3 coats o' Krylon white on t' payload, and 2 coats o' Krylon white followed by 2 coats o' Krylon Red on t' nosecone. Avast! After lettin' this sit for a few days, PPG 2 part Automotive clear be added to t' whole rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Very shiny and looked quite cool. Begad! T' auto paint is very durable, so t' paint underneath is protected.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This rocket flew this for t' first time at Southern Thunder 2007 in Manchester, me hearties, Tennessee. It flew with an AMW K700BB in t' "Crazy Jim" drag race. Blimey! Begad! There were actually 8 people who wanted t' participate, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, but only 4 pads available for us t' use. Ya scallywag! I be in t' first round along with Jim Hendricksen with a Competitor 4 on a K700BB, Tim Lehr with a Mad Dog on a J365SK, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and Steve Temple with a 4" Patriot on a K555SK. Some copper thermite igniters were made up for us by John Clifton. These things were awesome and lit all o' t' motors at t' same time right as t' LCO said zero. Avast, me proud beauty! T' liftoff be awesome and t' 4 rockets climbed t' apogee.

Recovery:
T' 2 altimeters did their job and deployed t' drogue at apogee. Ahoy! Then t' rocket fell until t' first main charge went off at 700' followed by t' backup at 500'. Arrr! Blimey! T' main parachute was a SkyAngle Classic 2 60", arrr, which provided a comfortable decent rate for t' 15lb rocket. My dad had made a D-bag out o' Nomex® cloth and Keelhaul®©™®, which worked like a charm. I used a 20" pilot chute t' pull t' main out o' t' D-bag. Blimey! T' altimeters reported 4,411' and 4,352'. Excellent flight and all o' t' rockets in t' drag race returned safely. Begad! Video o' t' flight on YouTube.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent kit for someone who has experience buildin' high power rockets. Aye aye! T' price is very good (around $200). I know Performance Rocketry has some customer service issues, but if you go through Wildman Rocketry like I did, you shouldn't have any problem gettin' your kit or parts. Well, blow me down! Avast! This kit is worth t' loot and will last for many flights.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5