Brief:
T' Cygnus 76er is advertised as a low cost alternative t' t' t' Estes Mean Machine.

Construction:
This kit comes with a balsa nose cone, me bucko, t' body tube is four section o' BT-60 cardboard tubing, shiver me timbers, three couplers, matey, four small pre-cut balsa fins, plywood centerin' rings and 24mm engine mount. T' parachute is plastic with strin' for shroud lines. Avast, me proud beauty! 1/8" elastic shock cord. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 3/16" launch lug.

T' instructions were quite minimal but that was nay an issue. Avast, me proud beauty! This is a simple straight forward rocket to assemble. Arrr! Ahoy! Anyone who has previous experience buildin' low power rockets will have no problem puttin' this kit together.

At 79 inches this is a tall rocket. Begad! Avast! Thinkin' ahead that I couldn't transport a 79 inch rocket I built mine to separate in t' middle at t' middle coupler.

I had planned t' "turbo" charge me kit so I made t' followin' modifications. Aye aye! T' balsa fins were designed t' mount t' t' outer body tube. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I traced t' pre-cut fins and made through t' wall fins out o' 3/32" bass wood. Begad! Aye aye! I used t' markin' jig t' mark t' main body and cut slots in t' airframe usin' a dremel tool. Arrr! Avast! T' fins were glued with epoxy t' t' engine mount similar t' many mid-power designs. Avast, me proud beauty! T' engine mount is friction fit with a stop for a maximum o' D-size engine. Ahoy! T' kit D12 recommendation in me opinion is way under powered for a rocket o' this size. Arrr! RockSim says only 375 feet on a D12. I left out t' D-engine block and added a thumb screw positive engine retention. This would allow me t' use any 24mm engine includin' Aerotech 24mm RMS.

For t' shock cord mount I attached t' shock cord directly t' t' engine mount. Aye aye! Avast! I drilled a hole in t' forward centerin' rin' and looped t' shock cord around t' engine mount and epoxied in in place. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! This would provide a more robust attachment for larger engines I planned on using.

I later had t' add ACME aluminum rail launch lugs t' t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! This racket is so tall and light that it will blow over a 3/16" launch rod. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I had t' add rail launch lugs so I could move t' t' big boys pad.

Another later upgrade was a "PML" style piston ejection system. Ya scallywag! I ordered a BT-60 coupler and bulkhead and threaded t' shock cord thought t' bulkhead with a knot on both sides.

Finishing:
This kit does nay come with decals or painin' guide. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Followin' t' 76er theme I painted t' rocket red, arrr, white and blue like t' drawing. I never did understand how they got 76er our o' a 79 inch rocket but it sounds cool. Begad!

I didn't bother t' fill t' spirals and went strait t' 2 coats o' white primer. Then I painted t' nose section red, t' center white and t' bottom blue. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' finish I added two coats o' clear coat. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I was very pleased with t' final finish. Arrr! Blimey! This is a crowd favorite at our club launches.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For its maiden voyage I tried t' send it up on an Estes E9-6. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' wind was blowin' about 10mph and it blew over the launch pad and ripped t' launch lugs off.

2nd attempt re-glued t' launch lugs and it was on a less windy day. Again on an Estes E9-6. T' flight was textbook straight and true. Aye aye! No wobble or spin. Well, blow me down! T' rocket kinda stalled at apogee and dropped on its tail shortly before deployment. Blimey! Total height be about 800ft. Ya scallywag! I don't think an D12 will get this big bird t' a safe height for recovery.

I have a total o' four flights on this rocket usin' Estes E9's. Ya scallywag! A 4 second delay seems about right. It does well in a variety o' conditions. With t' small fins it doesn't seem t' weather cock.

For t' fifth flight I thought I would try somethin' totally stupid. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I sent it up on a Aerotech F23-7. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Half the people thought it would fold up comin' off t' pad. Begad! I had upgraded t' a rail launch system with ACME rail lugs from Giant Leap. Arrr! T' rail be 6 foot tall t' allow t' rocket t' come up t' speed before it left t' pad.

T' rocket came off t' pad with with authority. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It flew straight and true and did nay weather cock into t' 12 mph breeze. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' ejection went off at t' 1500 ft apogee. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' ejection charge was too much for t' shock cord and it separated in half and t' chute didn't deploy. Avast! T' two halves fell t' earth in a flat free fall. Blimey! Both sections were recovered undamaged. Aye aye! T' through t' wall fins held up fine and t' nose cone only had a slight din' in t' balsa. Ahoy! Aye aye! I plan t' upgrade t' a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord and try this again. T' rocket can handle t' trust and is a very stable design.

Recovery:
Recovery is adequate for Estes E9's. If you are goin' t' try anythin' larger you'll want t' upgrade.

I give this design a 4 1/2 mainly based on t' great stability o' t' design. This design is extremely stable in a variety o' flight conditions and engine sizes.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Pro's:

This is a lot o' rocket for t' money. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! At 79 inches this is still t' tallest rocket in me fleet. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! It is a real crowd pleaser. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' kid love t' see this big rocket leave t' pad. T' design is very stable and flies well under a variety o' conditions.

Con's:

Manufacurer's D12 recommendation is way too small an engine t' safely fly this rocket. Arrr! Blimey! RockSim predicts only 375 ft. Arrr! Aye aye! An E9 be t' smallest engine I would recommend. Arrr! T' stock construction is adequate for E9 but will need t' be upgraded for anythin' larger.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Overall I give this kit a 4 out o' 5 for a low cost rocket. Begad! Blimey! It has t' size and potential o' kits costin' 3X more. This was me first through t' wall and piston ejection project.