Brief:
This is a tumble recovery Micromaxx oddball rocket.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 laser cut basswood sheet
• 1 MMX motor tube
• 1 BT-20 body tube
• 1 BT-60 ring
• 1 balsa head cone, ya bilge rat, matey, launch lug

T' kit contains 12 steps o' easy t' follow instructions with clear illustrations. T' instructions have a printed tube markin' guide for t' motor tube. I glued a 1/4" dowel t' t' guide, arrr, which held t' tube as I marked it.

T' laser cut fins are a nice feature, ya bilge rat, because I would nay want t' cut these arms/legs by hand. Ahoy! T' 4 legs are glued on t' motor tube as in any other rocket, then t' nose cone/head is glued in.

T' next step is t' mark and cut slots into t' BT-20 for t' arms and legs. Begad! Avast! Everythin' worked as in t' instructions, but t' tube markin' guide printed on t' instructions was hard t' use. Begad! Begad! It has 4 slots cut in t' bottom for t' legs and 2 in t' top for t' arms. Ahoy! T' problem be t' BT-20 is small and t' guide has 6 cuts in it so t' guide does nay want t' lay flat. I had t' wrap it around t' tube and hold it down as I marked each slot. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Maybe thinner paper would make it easier, but everythin' worked out okay.

After markin' t' tube, I used a razor saw t' cut t' slots 2 at a time. Begad! Begad! T' slots were nay quite wide enough, shiver me timbers, so I used a sharp X-Acto t' trim them wider. Avast, me proud beauty! T' body is then glued over t' motor tube with t' 4 legs inside t' 4 slots. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I used a toothpick t' glue t' legs on t' inside.

T' arms are made by gluin' an upper arm t' a lower arm. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! I used wax paper t' lay them on as they dried. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! This worked well. Begad! Jim supplies a third set o' arms as a spare in case they are needed, which I thought was a nice touch. Well, blow me down! T' arms attach t' t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, BT-20, and 2 legs.

It is important at this stage t' make sure t' "hands" are glued t' t' same side o' t' 2 legs. Blimey! This becomes t' front o' t' Space Man.

T' rin' is glued on next, and it fit perfectly. Begad! T' last step is t' glue t' launch lug inside t' BT-20 along a leg.

Finishing:
I did nay seal his legs and just sprayed it with 2 coats o' silver spray paint. Blimey! Then I let him dry for a few days and brush painted his head and hands flesh with black for hair.

Jim includes some very nice waterslide decals for his face and other details. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They go on smooth and I did nay use any settin' sotution. Aye aye! I thought it was a nice touch t' include a space cannon decal. T' last step be a brush coat o' Future floor wax t' seal t' decals. Blimey! When done he looks great.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I launched this guy on t' Quest MMXII-1 (0.31 N-sec) motor that I bought from FlisKits. Begad! Blimey! FlisKits recomends only this motor.

Prep is more involved than a standard size rocket. Ya scallywag! T' Quest launch system uses an igniter that plugs into t' launcher and t' rocket then slides down t' launch rod t' sit on top o' t' igniter. This will nay work with t' Man o' Space due t' t' base rin' keepin' t' motor tube well above t' igniter. FlisKits has clear instructions on how t' remove t' igniter from t' plug housing. Aye aye! T' igniter is then held in place with a toothpick that also acts as a spacer t' hold him up high enough t' attach launcher clips t' t' igniter. It sounds complex but is really very easy. No waddin' is needed either.

Be warned, T' Intergalactic Man o' Space really moves! Blimey! He flew straight up t' about 90ft and he got thar in about 1/2 a second! Blimey! For such a small rocket this is very high and it is hard t' keep track o' him.

T' featherweight recovery worked good. Ahoy! It was a little windy when I launched so he landed about 60ft from t' pad.

Recovery:
T' only problem I had was gettin' power t' t' igniter. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! T' MMX system uses 9 volts. My 6 volt Estes controller would nay put out enough power t' ignite t' motor. I rigged up a quick and dirty 12 volt system t' launch. Begad! Begad! Blimey! No damage t' t' little guy and I expect many more flights.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I liked this build a lot. Everythin' is very high quality. Avast! T' only thin' that I could come up with even remotely negative would be t' BT-20 markin' guide, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but that is really nit picking. Blimey! He looks great and flies great!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5