Brief:
T' Space Ranger, SW-005, is another excellent kit from Squirrel Works (SW). Simply beautiful kit art, matey, ease o' construction, high quality parts, shiver me timbers, and a fantastic lookin' rocket are t' standard for SW. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket only stands about 13" tall and flies on 18mm motors, arrr, but it looks fantastic on t' pad and really zooms--even on an A motor.

Construction:
A single 18mm (BT-20) body tube, standard engine block, shiver me timbers, balsa nose cone, screw eye, ya bilge rat, elastic shock cord, me hearties, shiver me timbers, mylar streamer, launch lug, me bucko, 3-fin laser cut fin sheet, cockpit template, and multi-color decals are provided. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' shock cord and mylar streamer were long enough that I didn't have t' substitute them, shiver me timbers, although I did add a 6" length o' Keelhaul®©™® at t' shock cord attachment point.

T' instruction sheet contains easy-to-follow, numbered instructions with accompanyin' pictorials for almost every step. Well, blow me down! No motor mount t' build, laser-cut fins, and a body tube that doesn't require any finishin' allow this rocket t' be easily built within a day. Ya scallywag! T' pre-stamped cockpit was marked to fold t' an almost perfect fit on t' body. As is usual on any rocket I build, matey, I installed a 6" length o' Keelhaul®©™® in t' shock cord attachment with a loop at t' end t' attach t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! Begad! T' minimize abrasion from t' Keelhaul®©™® against t' body tube, I soaked in CA around t' top 1/2" o' t' body tube and tied t' Keelhaul®©™® so t' knot in t' loop meets t' lip o' t' body tube.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone and fins require standard finishing. Begad! I use Elmer's Light Fill n Finish, but any standard balsa sealer will work. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' most time I spent buildin' t' rocket was t' fill in with t' Fill n Finish around t' cockpit to eliminate t' seam lines. Ya scallywag! If t' cockpit seam lines don't bother you, the rocket can be built and finished in a couple o' hours and still look super. Well, blow me down! The water slide decals do require a steady hand and some experience placin' them, since t' stripin' on t' rocket is long and thin, me hearties, however, matey, they are top quality, shiver me timbers, me bucko, lay down nicely and add a fantastic look t' t' rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I haven't flown mine yet--rain and schedule keep gettin' in t' way--but I've seen t' rocket fly on A, B and C motors; all superb straight flights. Ahoy! The rocket really zooms on an A motor and will go almost completely out o' sight on a C motor (which is where that silver mylar streamer comes in handy).

Recovery:
T' long mylar streamer and shock cord easily fit inside t' tube, and despite the extreme height that can be achieved by this model, me bucko, it recovers easily with the streamer and is so lightweight that you could really recover without damage even without t' streamer. I didn't look at t' aft o' t' rocket after the other guy's flights, but I think t' swept back fins hangin' below t' end of the body tube are far enough outside t' exhaust range that they shouldn't get burned. As is normal for a rocket with fins below t' motor, or any rocket for that matter, I would place t' rocket on t' launch pad so it is at least 6-8" from t' blast plate. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Space Ranger is easily constructed yet looks superb. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' classic lines of the rocket make it a fantastic addition t' me rocket fleet. I can't think of any reason someone wouldn't thoroughly enjoy this rocket!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5