Brief:
This is a boost glider featurin' a aft ejected pop-pod. Ahoy! Propulsion is handled by 18mm motors. Pod returns safely on a parachute, while t' German themed plane glides on towards its secret mission. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Manufacturer rates this at a skill level 3. Begad! Begad!

Construction:
This kit has a bunch o' parts. Quality is top notch.

T' list o' parts is as follows:

• 1 Instruction CD
• 1 12 1/2” BT-20 tube
• 1 3 7/8” BT-20 tube
• 1 2” BT-50 tube
• 1 1”BT-21 tube
• 1 6” BT-55 tube
• 1 2 1/2” BT-20 tube
• 2 4” T-2+ tubes
• 1 Pre-weighted BT-20 nose cone
• 1 Pod Small Parts Bag containing:

• 1 Thick 20-50 cardboard centerin' ring
• 1 Thin 20-50 cardboard centerin' ring
• 2 20-55 laser-cut plywood centerin' rings
• 1 5-20 motor block
• 1 Motor clip
• 1 Motor clip hold-down ring
• 1 12” piece o' Keelhaul®©™® cord

• 1 1” BT-20 tube coupler
• 1 12” parachute kit
• 1 Laser-Cut Glider Parts Bag containing:

• 2-Balsa main win' sections
• 2-Balsa win' tip sections
• 1-Balsa rudder
• 1-Thick balsa 21-55 centerin' ring
• 1-Basswood landin' skid

• 1 Resin cast jet engine insert
• 1 Package red nose weight clay
• 1 Package gray balance clay
• 1 Resin cast canopy
• 2 Craft sticks
• 1 Canopy maskin' sheet
• 1 Large sheet vinyl maskin' material
• 1 Laser-cut win' dihedral jig
• 2 1”x 1/4”x 1/4” balsa blocks
• 1 Waterslide decal sheet
• 2 Clear self-adhesive trim tabs
• 1 Tube markin' guide sheet, glider nose shroud sheet, glider parts
• Guide sheet and root/tip sandin' guide

Scott Branche, shiver me timbers, t' designer o' this kit, thought o' everything. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' instructions are well documented and well illustrated thanks t' a slough o' color photos included on t' CD. Begad! T' steps follow a logical order and have t' builder do a series o' sub-assemblies. Begad! Aye aye! Each sub-assembly is ordered in such a way where t' builder is constantly movin' forward with t' build, thar be no "slack time". Well, blow me down! Despite t' large number o' parts, arrr, matey, they get used up smartly and efficiently. Arrr!

T' templates are accurate, matey, me bucko, and t' laser cut win' jig helps with sandin' joint bevels and with win' dihedral. T' jig is little fiddly t' work with but does assist in these areas. Aye aye! I'd much rather see it included in t' kit than to be without, me bucko, as it helped tremendously. Begad!

T' laser cut balsa is high quality, me bucko, and t' resin cast parts are excellent. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! Very nice, laser cut, matey, lite plywood center rings were used for t' pop-pod. Avast, me proud beauty! I was pleasantly surprised by t' inclusion o' those, as they should hold up very well. Begad!

T' tubes are good quality and are all standard sized, matey, save one. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! There is an odd sized tube (BT-21) that makes up the nose o' t' glider. Arrr! It allows a baffled pop-pod t' slide through t' glider rather than t' glider being "hitched" t' t' pod, like most booster gliders. Ahoy!

Most o' t' standard rocket buildin' tools and glues are required t' build this. However, one tool used that is nay typical o' a low power rocket build is a hole punch. Begad! You will need one for this to build t' pop pod. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' punch is a very inexpensive item that can be found for a dollar at local dollar store or craft store. Avast! Arrr! When I spoke t' Scott personally, he said he was even considerin' includin' one o' them with t' kit! I'll tell you, me bucko, it's t' only t' he did leave out besides a knife, me bucko, glue, ya bilge rat, and skill. Avast! This is about as complete o' a kit as you'll find, and all for a reasonable price.

Finishing:
Finishin' be t' hardest part o' t' entire process. There is plenty o' win' surface t' fill and sand, and the paintin' can be tricky. Well, blow me down! I followed t' instructions carefully durin' this procedure. Arrr! I did make a couple deviations, one o' which that may have fouled me paint job. Aye aye! Arrr!

I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish wood filler, arrr, rather than use multiple coats o' primer t' fill t' balsa. No problems there, as me finished glider finished out at t' nearly identical weight t' some o' t' prototypes. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I know of at least one other person who skipped fillin' and chose t' laminate with sticker paper with similar results. Arrr! T' choice is up t' you.

T' other deviation I made, ya bilge rat, was t' t' use Rustoleum paint instead o' Krylon, which is recommended per the instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! This proved t' be a mistake. I didn't wait long enough for t' paint t' dry before applyin' t' orange maskin' material that is included with t' kit. Arrr! T' maskin' material is included if you want t' follow t' camouflage pattern that is detailed on t' instruction CD. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!

When I shot me second color everythin' looked fine, shiver me timbers, but when I removed t' maskin' material, me bucko, it took t' bottom layer o' paint with it. Begad! Blimey! T' result be somethin' akin t' skin peelin' after a bilge-suckin' sunburn. Avast! Blimey! Nay pretty. I had waited at least 24 hours before addin' t' second color, arrr, but that wasn't nearly enough time for t' paint t' cure. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

I sanded t' whole thin' down t' t' filler layer, me hearties, re-primed and painted. Ya scallywag! This time allowin' several days between coats. Begad! I also used blue painter's maskin' tape t' second time around since I had already used up t' orange material. T' orange mask has a pretty aggressive tack, but I can't blame t' peelin' problems entirely on that. Begad! Begad! I think it was a combination o' that, me bucko, and t' paint nay bein' fully cured. Begad! Arrr! Make sure your paint is fully dry before maskin' or addin' multiple coats. Arrr! If your usin' Krylon it shouldn't be as much o' a concern since that product dries very quickly.

T' second time I had much better results. Ya scallywag! Avast! I was very pleased with t' way it turned out. Avast! Begad! T' decals really brin' this plane t' life. Avast, me proud beauty! They are by far and away some o' t' best decals I have ever worked with. Arrr! Aye aye! Be careful when sealin' t' decals with clear spray (dullcoat). Ahoy! Very light coats are required so as nay t' wrinkle t' decals. Avast! Ahoy! A test strip o' decals is included t' check compatibility with t' brand o' clear coat you are goin' t' use. Use it! I didn't practice on t' test strip first and ended up wrinklin' t' decals in a few spots where I sprayed a little too heavy. Begad!

Despite a few setbacks, me hearties, arrr, this came out better than me wildest imagination. Avast, me proud beauty! I was quite pleased!

Don't be bashful about fillin' and paintin' this bird. Begad! It's practically a requirement in order t' balance it and fly properly. Blimey! T' manufacturer highly recommends doin' so, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, however, just don't go overboard with it.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' manufacturer recommends a B6-2 for t' first flight. Arrr! Blimey! This is a very good choice for most fields. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used this on my first flight and it boosted and separated as expected. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' pod recovered fine, ya bilge rat, but it didn't glide as expected. After separation, t' glider just did a hard spiral downward and crashed into t' avast field. Begad! Blimey! Luckily, ya bilge rat, t' only damage was t' t' nose tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me hearties, which was pressed back into shape, ya bilge rat, reinforced with CA, me hearties, and sanded smooth again.

T' boost is surprisingly very stable and straight with a barrel roll or two on t' way up. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! Nice and slow.

Recovery:
Included with t' kit are two self-adhesive plastic trim tabs. Ahoy! Only use these as a last resort, ya bilge rat, arrr, but you probably won't need them! I mistakingly thought I would need t' use one, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, seein' that t' glider didn't balance laterally, one win' felt heavier. After several inconsistent (and nose battering) hand tosses later, I came t' t' conclusion I should add a tab t' one side. Avast! Turns out, it wasn't needed. Aye aye! As much as it pains me t' say this about a boost glider, ya bilge rat, don't hand toss t' Fake Wulf, arrr, you're wastin' your time!

After t' faux pas o' t' maiden flight was behind me, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I threw caution t' t' wind and removed t' trim tab. T' followin' flights were spectacular. T' glider has a nice lazy glide, ya bilge rat, albeit a fairly short duration compared to competition standards. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It's fun t' watch. I have nothin' in me fleet that can even compare t' this. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's very unique in its design.

Out o' six flights total, thar was only one where t' pod didn't completely separate from t' glider. I blame this on a weak ejection charge. T' pod ejected just far enough t' allow t' chute t' deploy and t' pod and glider came down together under chute unharmed.

Use caution when decidin' t' use a C motor! My second flight on a C motor be it's last. Avast! Blimey! A very large field is required dependin' on how your bird behaves. I tried t' take out some o' t' turn on mine, me hearties, and that proved to be big mistake. It made a beeline for t' nearest treetops it could find and sailed right them, never t' be seen again.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: I am a boost glider fanatic. When I first heard about this kit on T' Rocketry Forum, I be very anxious t' get my hands on one. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I was nay disappointed. This kit is probably one o' t' best thought out, best valued, arrr, best quality, best packaged kits I have ever seen. Blimey! Blimey! T' manufacturer is a kit collector himself and it really shows. Many people, includin' myself, shiver me timbers, have shown reluctance t' open and build one o' these as t' sealed package looks that good. Aye aye! Blimey! Do yourself a favor and buy one, me hearties, or two, or three, and build one. Avast! Blimey! You'll be glad you did! Blimey!

CONs: I really can't find any fault with this kit. Arrr! T' only thin' that I'm on t' fence about, me hearties, me bucko, be t' mask material that is included. It seems a bit tacky for it's intended use, but if you use Krylon and/or make sure your paint is fully dried, then it will most likely go as designed.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5