Brief:
T' Space Ranger, SW-005, is another excellent kit from Squirrel Works (SW). Simply beautiful kit art, ya bilge rat, ease o' construction, high quality parts, and a fantastic lookin' rocket are t' standard for SW. T' rocket only stands about 13" tall and flies on 18mm motors, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, balsa nose cone, screw eye, matey, elastic shock cord, mylar streamer, launch lug, me bucko, 3-fin laser cut fin sheet, cockpit template, me hearties, and multi-color decals are provided. Arrr! Ahoy! T' shock cord and mylar streamer were long enough that I didn't have t' substitute them, matey, 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. Avast! Blimey! 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. Avast! Blimey! T' pre-stamped cockpit was marked to fold t' an almost perfect fit on t' body. As is usual on any rocket I build, shiver me timbers, I installed a 6" length o' Keelhaul®©™® in t' shock cord attachment with a loop at t' end t' attach t' elastic shock cord. Arrr! T' minimize abrasion from t' Keelhaul®©™® against t' body tube, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! I use Elmer's Light Fill n Finish, me hearties, but any standard balsa sealer will work. 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. Begad! If t' cockpit seam lines don't bother you, arrr, arrr, me hearties, the rocket can be built and finished in a couple o' hours and still look super. The water slide decals do require a steady hand and some experience placin' them, since t' stripin' on t' rocket is long and thin, however, arrr, me hearties, they are top quality, shiver me timbers, 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. 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and despite the extreme height that can be achieved by this model, 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, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Blimey! 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.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5