Brief:
Single Stage sport model rocket with streamer recovery.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 white body tube, 12" by .8" OD
• 3 laser cut 1/8" balsa fins
• 1 plastic nose cone, me bucko, approximately 1 3/4", Parabolic shape
• 1 cardboard shoulder tube, me bucko, goes into nose cone.
• 1 cardboard "thrust ring"
• 1 motor mount tube
• 1 Keelhaul®©™ shock cord (not elastic, me bucko, approximately 48"), shiver me timbers, three ply Keelhaul®©™ cord
• 1 launch lug
• 1 cloth square heat shield
• 1 plastic streamer made from "Caution" tape, me bucko, 23" by 3"

PROs: Very easy kit t' build. Ya scallywag! Eight third graders (all age 9 or 10) with a parent's assistance were able t' assemble t' entire kit (minus finishing) in just over an hour. Begad! This included description o' t' kit and explainin' t' installation order o' parts. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' "fin jig" holds body stable as fins are glued on and "Caution" tape streamer got attention o' t' kids. White paper body tubes. Aye aye! Can be decorated with markers and acrylic paints.

CONs: End o' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord frays. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Type o' glue is important. Arrr! Begad! We used Weldbond and Super Tacky Glue.

Keelhaul®©™ shock cord did nay feed easily through body tube for two boys, had t' weigh end o' shock cord (with a launch lug) t' feed through smartly (and believe me, quick is important with third graders). Passin' Keelhaul®©™ cord through holes in Engine mount tube be a little tricky. Ahoy! followin' instructions t' t' letter caused a small problem.

This kit was purchased as a "bakers dozen" for a cub scout pack direct from t' manufacturer. All o' t' cubs were third graders, shiver me timbers, so t' kit had t' have t' followin' characteristics:

• Use 18 MM A engines.
• No cuttin' o' fins.
• Easy t' build.
• Under $5.00 for t' kit (as we had an $8.00 budget per boy includin' engines.)

Supplies:

• Maskin' tape
• Scissors
• Glue (Weldbond white glue, Super Tacky Glue, arrr, both available at many craft and hobby shops.)
• Rulers
• Paint brushes

T' Super Six is a simple rocket t' build and has some very interestin' features nay seen in many other low cost kits. T' first innovation be a "fin jig", which is a small piece o' engine mount tube which is glued t' a piece o' cardstock. Begad! Lines are printed on t' cardstock t' indicate where t' fins go. Ahoy! Once t' "jig" has dried, t' jig is taped down and t' body tube is slid onto t' jig. Avast! Avast! Fins are then glued t' t' body tube. Arrr! Blimey! I prepped all o' t' jig well in advance o' t' buildin' session so we did nay have t' wait for t' jigs t' dry.

T' second innovation was t' use o' Keelhaul®©™ for t' shock cord and a fireproof fabric (Nomex) square instead o' wadding.

Each o' t' cubs be able t' line up t' fins correctly and look down from t' top t' see if t' fins were straight.

While t' fins dry, arrr, t' instructions guide you through t' assembly o' t' nosecone, ya bilge rat, which entails threadin' t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord through a hole in a short cardboard tube, tyin' with a square knot, matey, and gluin' t' short cardboard tube in t' nosecone. Begad! T' nose cones are thin styrene, matey, me hearties, me bucko, and if handled too roughly, me bucko, me bucko, will crease. Aye aye! Avast! After assemblin' t' nose cone, t' streamer is slid over t' shock cord and then a small rectangle o' some fireproof fabric (like Nomex) is slid onto t' shock cord. By this time, me bucko, t' fins should be dry enough for handling. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! One o' our cubs did nay use enough glue and a fin came loose.

T' body tube was removed from t' jig and t' shock cord passed through t' body. Avast! T' instructions stated that t' "thrust ring" should be glued inside t' motor mount tube, then t' shock cord passed through a small hole in t' side o' t' tube. Aye aye! Doin' it this way makes it hard t' feed t' shock cord through t' hole. Blimey! We found that at least one kit had t' thrust rin' blockin' this hole. We found it easier t' slide t' thrust rin' on t' shock cord, thread t' shock cord through t' hole in t' engine mount, matey, then glue t' thrust rin' into t' engine mount, and tie off t' shock cord. T' engine mount is then glued into t' body tube.

We also made t' mistake o' addin' a fillet o' glue too soon. Begad! Begad! On two o' t' rockets, ya bilge rat, this loosened up t' fins, shiver me timbers, arrr, requirin' them t' be glued again. Arrr! Avast! This happened with kits usin' t' Super Tacky Glue, but nay t' Weldbond. With a statistical sample o' two, shiver me timbers, thar be no way o' really knowin' if it be due t' t' glue or not.

T' other issue we ran into was t' ends o' t' shock cord unraveling. It is made o' three ply twisted Keelhaul®©™, and t' ends can unravel fairly easily. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! We trimmed them with scissors, placed a drop o' glue on t' end, matey, and were good t' go.

Finishing:
PROs: finishin' be remarkably easy. We did nay seal and fill t' balsa wood fins, arrr, but just let t' boys go at it and design as they wish. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! A light sandin' and sealin' o' t' fins would give a very smooth finish. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' kit shipped with three stickers, matey, one o' a British flag, shiver me timbers, one o' an American flag, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and one with "Super six" printed on it. Ahoy! These stickers appeared t' be clear label paper and ink jet printing. Ahoy! We let t' boys paint t' bodies and fins with water based acrylics and used model paint for t' nose cones.

CONs: none that I could think of.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' manufacturer recommends stayin' with t' A or B size 18mm motors, me hearties, me bucko, specifically A6-4, A8-3, and B6-4. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! We used Estes A8-3 motors, me hearties, as we had limited space. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Motors are held in with maskin' tape, wrapped around t' motor and t' bottom o' t' body tube.

T' Super Six is equipped with a fireproof square o' fabric, matey, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, so t' manufacturer states that waddin' is nay necessary. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Loadin' t' streamer was a little difficult for some boys, me hearties, although a child over 11 years o' age should have no difficulty. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' fireproof fabric square is partially inserted into t' body tube, arrr, matey, me bucko, then t' folded and rolled streamer is carefully placed inside t' square and pushed down into t' body tube. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! It is important that t' fireproof fabric square completely cover t' end o' t' streamer, matey, or t' ejection charge will melt t' streamer.

T' shock cord is very long--in our kits it was around 48". Ya scallywag! It must be carefully folded into t' body tube. A parent performed this as all o' t' scouts had tanglin' issues. Begad! Again, me bucko, a child o' 11 years or older should have no trouble with this, but 9 year old third graders did.

We had 14 launches with 7 different rockets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! All o' t' flights were remarkably straight, given t' slight imperfections in fin alignment. T' estimated height o' these launches be betwixt 45 and 50 meters, calculated usin' t' average o' two different altitude trackers 15 meters from t' launch site.

Two casualties occurred: one rocket lost t' nosecone completely with t' Keelhaul®©™ cord. Arrr! We did recover t' streamer and t' rocket. Ya scallywag! On another rocket, me hearties, t' Keelhaul®©™ cord ripped loose from t' cardboard nose cone insert, so a new hole had t' be punched in t' nosecone insert and have t' cord reattached.

Recovery:
T' shock cord is a 48" length o' Keelhaul®©™ cord and is attached t' t' top o' t' engine mount inside t' rocket through a cardboard nose cone shoulder.

T' descent o' t' rocket be a little slower than expected, but none o' t' rockets were damaged--not even t' two that bounced off o' asphalt. Aye aye! Avast! One rocket experienced a little burnin' o' t' streamer on t' second flight, ya bilge rat, matey, so this one will next fly with waddin' as well as t' fireproof fabric shield.

I would recommend a slightly narrower streamer, although t' boys loved t' "Caution" tape. Begad! Also, I would recommend shorter shock cord material as 48" be difficult t' pack without tangling. Blimey! One rocket experienced tanglin' o' t' shock cord, me hearties, but t' streamer still deployed and t' rocket be recovered safely.

Lastly, I would recommend gluin' paper inside t' nosecone shoulder t' reinforce and hold down t' shock cord t' t' nosecone.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a very good buildin' experience for 9 year olds, arrr, matey, but they definitely need adult assistance.

PROs: Instructions were clear. Fins were cleanly cut and minimal sanding/finishin' is needed. Aye aye! Blimey! Value for price was excellent. Arrr! Blimey! Inclusion o' Fin Jig be also excellent--all kits should have this. Fireproof heat shield is a great idea, although they could have been just slightly larger. Flights were excellent. Blimey! Blimey! I attribute this t' t' inclusion o' t' fin jig.

CONs: Keelhaul®©™ cord frays easily on t' ends. Ya scallywag! Begad! Attachment t' motor mount is tricky if followin' instructions as printed. Avast! Nose cone attachment t' cardboard shoulder must be glued well.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5