Brief:
This rocket is an "upscale" o' t' Estes Mean Machine, me hearties, takin' t' long skinny BT-60 bird concept a bit over t' top. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It can be flown in any o' four length configurations with t' longest toppin' out at a testosterone-heavy 10-1/2 feet tall. For more altitude, t' short version is about 34" and you can add add/remove sections t' fly in betwixt these extremes. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Very serious WOW factor on t' pads with this bird, matey, and very easy t' build.

Construction:
When t' 40" cardboard box arrived in t' mail, I started t' figure that this kit was goin' t' be a bit unusual compared t' me standard modroc fleet. Arrr! Blimey! Openin' t' package, I found all parts were accounted for and o' top quality. Aye aye! Blimey! T' kit consists o' four BT-60 tubes (white, with very light spirals), each about 30" long, arrr, me hearties, a nice balsa nose cone and laser-cut fin sheet, matey, balsa bulkhead (all o' which look like BMS products), shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 24mm motor mount, me hearties, arrr, laser cut centerin' rings, plenty o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic shock cord, me bucko, tube couplers, me hearties, and two heavy-duty 15" mylar chutes.

This kit was a very quick and simple build, matey, takin' only about 4 hours on a Saturday mornin' (excludin' grain filling/paint/finishing). Aye aye! Blimey! T' instructions were clear and easy t' follow. T' most challengin' part o' t' construction is probably t' three-piece fin assembly which has t' be glued together and then pressed flat t' dry absolutely straight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I decided since t' construction looked like it be goin' t' be much simpler than I thought that I'd put extra care into sealin' t' balsa fins and fillin' t' grain. Begad! Blimey! So I applied a couple o' coats o' Elmers Fill N Finish and sanded them down t' a glass-like finish with small airfoils t' improve flight performance.

One modification I'd consider for this in construction, though, would be t' skip t' engine block, me hearties, matey, and replace t' 3" motor mount tube with somethin' long enough t' accommodate Estes E9s or Aerotech single-use motors. T' engine block prevents E9s from fittin' and can interfere with t' caps if usin' 24mm reloads.

In me opinion, t' very clever approach t' t' design and construction o' this rocket is a big plus. Aye aye! Anyone who has built a standard Mean Machine has inevitably run into t' post-construction problem o' "NOW what do I do with this?" unless you've got a large vehicle and plenty o' room in your basement/storage area. T' Tall Boy, though, is extremely portable and can be toted around in four sections no longer than 34" each. Avast, me proud beauty! More on this in t' flight report.

Finishing:
Due t' t' length o' this rocket, shiver me timbers, be prepared t' drop at least half a can o' paint into this project (more likely a full can unless you do a thorough priming). Avast! Blimey! As mentioned, me hearties, fillin' in t' tube spirals be fairly easily accomplished with a coat o' Plasti-Cote primer sanded down t' t' spirals then a base coat o' regular Krylon primer. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I followed up with a blue metallic Rustoleum that is an absolutely beautiful finish for this rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Fins and nose cone were trimmed with a gold metallic finish and this is a great-lookin' color scheme. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I'd love t' have seen some decals with this, maybe for each tube t' highlight t' length, but can't complain about t' overall value for this kit.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
On flight day, ya bilge rat, I decided t' start small, and eventually build t' all four configurations o' this. Begad! Avast! T' last page o' t' instructions clearly describes how t' prep t' rocket for each configuration and which motors t' use. It is very important t' read this closely as I found t' delays t' be perfect, and, shiver me timbers, had I guessed on me own or tried t' same motors for each version, shiver me timbers, I would have definitely had deployment problems.

To configure t' short version, arrr, shiver me timbers, I attached t' nose cone t' t' shock cord (swivel) on t' main body tube, packed in a 15" over-the-top mylar chute, me hearties, and loaded a D12-5. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Winds for t' day were a steady 10mph, gustin' t' an occasional 12-15. T' first flight weathercocked slightly, but arced over and deployed right at t' top, very close t' t' predicted 775 feet. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After a bit o' a hike, ya bilge rat, I recovered without damage and prepped for flight #2.

T' medium length version is prepped by friction-fittin' t' nose cone into t' body tube with a balsa bulkhead, me hearties, matey, which also has a 15" chute attached t' it. Arrr! Avast! This then becomes a normal 2-piece rocket, and flies on a D12-5. T' flight was perfectly straight, deployment just a tad late, though a three-second delay would have been too early and fast. Aye aye! After another hike, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, I found both pieces and be ready for flight #3.

To configure t' three-tube version, shiver me timbers, arrr, which is now breakin' past Mean Machine at about 8 feet, t' nose cone is moved from tube #2 t' one o' t' other two tubes, which have standard tube couplers. Begad! This tube is then joined t' t' tube with a balsa bulkhead t' form an upper body that's over five feet long. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! At this point, t' recommended delay drops down t' three seconds, and, matey, ya bilge rat, sure enough, ya bilge rat, t' three-second delay resulted in perfect deployment. Aye aye! At an estimated 300 foot apogee, t' hikes were gettin' considerably shorter.

T' four-tube version is accomplished by insertin' t' last tube betwixt tube #2 and t' tube with t' nose cone resultin' in an eye-poppin' 122+ inch length. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I felt silly loadin' a D12-3 in it, me hearties, but I wanted t' stick with Ds for consistency. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In t' heavy winds, t' rocket was pointed straight up, shiver me timbers, but be driftin' sideways pretty significantly, arrr, and be hard-pressed t' reach 200 feet (estimated apogee=225'). T' rocket never managed t' arc over, but t' chutes deployed when it had stopped goin' up. Well, blow me down! I don't think Ds pack enough "oomph" t' turn this monster over. Arrr! Recovery be fine, and I can't wait t' fly this on Es or maybe an Econojet F20-4.

By t' way, shiver me timbers, t' guy in t' picture (top) for flight #4 (me) is 6' 1" tall and looks like a midget next t' this rocket.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent kit, and t' versatility is amazing. Begad! With configurations from 34" t' over 10 feet tall, you can fly this on just about any field in any conditions.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5