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 hearties, approximately 1 3/4", me bucko, 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, approximately 48"), matey, matey, three ply Keelhaul®©™ cord
• 1 launch lug
• 1 cloth square heat shield
• 1 plastic streamer made from "Caution" tape, 23" by 3"

PROs: Very easy kit t' build. Aye aye! 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. Ahoy! Begad! This included description o' t' kit and explainin' t' installation order o' parts. T' "fin jig" holds body stable as fins are glued on and "Caution" tape streamer got attention o' t' kids. Aye aye! Aye aye! White paper body tubes. Ahoy! Can be decorated with markers and acrylic paints.

CONs: End o' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord frays. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Type o' glue is important. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! We used Weldbond and Super Tacky Glue.

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

This kit be purchased as a "bakers dozen" for a cub scout pack direct from t' manufacturer. All o' t' cubs were third graders, 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, 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. Blimey! Lines are printed on t' cardstock t' indicate where t' fins go. Once t' "jig" has dried, arrr, t' jig is taped down and t' body tube is slid onto t' jig. Avast, me proud beauty! Fins are then glued t' t' body tube. 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 be t' use o' Keelhaul®©™ for t' shock cord and a fireproof fabric (Nomex) square instead o' wadding.

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

While t' fins dry, me hearties, t' instructions guide you through t' assembly o' t' nosecone, 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. Well, blow me down! T' nose cones are thin styrene, shiver me timbers, and if handled too roughly, me bucko, will crease. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! 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, t' fins should be dry enough for handling. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! 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. Avast! Doin' it this way makes it hard t' feed t' shock cord through t' hole. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! We found that at least one kit had t' thrust rin' blockin' this hole. Ahoy! Ahoy! We found it easier t' slide t' thrust rin' on t' shock cord, thread t' shock cord through t' hole in t' engine mount, then glue t' thrust rin' into t' engine mount, matey, and tie off t' shock cord. Arrr! T' engine mount is then glued into t' body tube.

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

T' other issue we ran into was t' ends o' t' shock cord unraveling. Ya scallywag! It is made o' three ply twisted Keelhaul®©™, and t' ends can unravel fairly easily. Blimey! We trimmed them with scissors, ya bilge rat, arrr, placed a drop o' glue on t' end, shiver me timbers, and were good t' go.

Finishing:
PROs: finishin' was remarkably easy. We did nay seal and fill t' balsa wood fins, but just let t' boys go at it and design as they wish. Well, blow me down! A light sandin' and sealin' o' t' fins would give a very smooth finish. Arrr! Arrr! T' kit shipped with three stickers, one o' a British flag, one o' an American flag, shiver me timbers, and one with "Super six" printed on it. Ya scallywag! These stickers appeared t' be clear label paper and ink jet printing. Ya scallywag! 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, shiver me timbers, specifically A6-4, A8-3, and B6-4. Blimey! Begad! We used Estes A8-3 motors, ya bilge rat, as we had limited space. Avast, me proud beauty! Motors are held in with maskin' tape, matey, matey, wrapped around t' motor and t' bottom o' t' body tube.

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

T' shock cord is very long--in our kits it was around 48". Ahoy! It must be carefully folded into t' body tube. A parent performed this as all o' t' scouts had tanglin' issues. Ahoy! Blimey! Again, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! All o' t' flights were remarkably straight, shiver me timbers, given t' slight imperfections in fin alignment. Ya scallywag! T' estimated height o' these launches was 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! We did recover t' streamer and t' rocket. Aye aye! Avast! On another rocket, arrr, me hearties, matey, 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. Arrr! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! One rocket experienced a little burnin' o' t' streamer on t' second flight, so this one will next fly with waddin' as well as t' fireproof fabric shield.

I would recommend a slightly narrower streamer, me hearties, although t' boys loved t' "Caution" tape. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Also, matey, matey, I would recommend shorter shock cord material as 48" be difficult t' pack without tangling. One rocket experienced tanglin' o' t' shock cord, me hearties, but t' streamer still deployed and t' rocket was 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, but they definitely need adult assistance.

PROs: Instructions were clear. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Fins were cleanly cut and minimal sanding/finishin' is needed. Value for price was excellent. Blimey! Inclusion o' Fin Jig was 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. Begad! Arrr! I attribute this t' t' inclusion o' t' fin jig.

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5