Brief:
This is a new offerin' from FlisKits. It is a single stage that uses parachute recovery. I got t' rocket as part of their 6th anniversary celebration. It was smartly delivered in a well packaged box.

Construction:
There are 2 body tubes, me hearties, a BT-55 that transitions down t' a BT-50. There are 5 forward swept fins that blend into the transition. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! They provide toothpicks t' add details on t' fins.

T' instructions are clear, but I did make some changes (such as t' order o' t' build). First, I cut out the shroud for t' transition. I cut t' tab extra wide, shiver me timbers, and then cut it off. Avast, me proud beauty! I use rubber cement applyin' a layer on the back o' each side and onto t' tab. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! While t' glue was dryin' (notice I have nay assembled it yet), I marked t' tube and glued in t' motor block. Avast! Ahoy! Unfortunately, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, since t' tube is a BT-50 and t' rocket is designed for 24mm motors, there is no engine hook. So t' motor will have t' be held with a friction fit. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I wonder if t' kit could have been designed t' use a BT-60 t' BT-55 so it could have used a BT-50 motor mount with an engine hook. Blimey! Maybe an idea for an upscale.

Back t' t' shroud, I applied t' tab t' one side (usin' about half t' tab), then carefully applied t' other side. Begad! Blimey! You have t' be careful with this approach as t' rubber cement will grab right away and is nay forgiving (fortunately, Jim provides a spare shroud if you have an issue). Ahoy! Blimey! You slide t' shroud over t' tube and I slid a centerin' rin' over t' help keep t' shroud round. Since t' rubber cement only sticks t' itself, me hearties, matey, you don't have to worry about it stickin' t' anything.

T' fins and strakes had minimal tie points so they were easy t' remove. Avast, me proud beauty! I sanded t' edges slightly t' get the "burn" off so they would glue better. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! However, sand lightly as you don't want t' change their shape/size.

A piece o' Keelhaul®©™® is tied around t' tube t' be t' shock cord anchor. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions then tell you t' glue t' BT-55 tube on at this point. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Here again, ya bilge rat, I deviated. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! First I tied t' shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™®--it is easier at this point as you have more Keelhaul®©™® cord t' work with. I then passed t' shock cord/Keelhaul®©™® back down t' BT-50 tube t' keep it out o' t' way for when you glue t' BT-55 on. Blimey! Well, blow me down! (T' instructions have you apply the glue for t' BT-55, arrr, pass t' cord through, and then slide t' tube on. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I was concerned about t' glue startin' t' set while tryin' t' pass t' cord through.) T' other change was I cut and glued t' toothpicks on and did t' glue fillets before I attached t' BT-55 tube. Begad! I felt t' rocket was more manageable this way.

With t' cord down through t' BT-50, matey, I then applied glue inside t' BT-55 and on t' lower centerin' rin' and attached t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! After it dried a bit, I passed t' cord back down through t' tubes.

A screw eye into t' nose cone and t' launch lug onto t' BT-55 and t' build is done. Avast! (I did nay build the parachute as I have tons o' chutes already.) Well, don't forget t' tie t' shock cord t' t' screw eye.

Finishing:
I did nay fill t' spirals on t' tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I thought they were tight enough that t' primer would cover them. I did discover that I should have filled them. Avast! I did seal t' balsa fins and nose cone and then sprayed t' rocket with gray Rustoleum primer. I wanted t' try somethin' new, matey, me hearties, so I masked t' fins and sprayed t' tube with Rustoleum hammered copper. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then gave t' fins a coat o' silver followed by Testors blue metal flake. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I was goin' t' try fluorescent orange on t' nose cone, but after I painted it I did nay like how it went with t' copper. Begad! Avast! Blimey! I decided t' repaint it to match t' fins so I started t' paint it silver. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! After a first light coat, t' nose cone looked pretty cool so I decided to keep it that way. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! However, it still did nay match as much as I would like. Arrr! Blimey! I then painted t' toothpicks with the fluorescent orange and sprayed some o' t' orange followed by t' silver t' blend t' copper into t' orange.

Waterslide decals were provided. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I only used t' main name decal as t' other decals would nay go with me color selection

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I followed Jim's advice and only loaded a B6-4 for me first flight. Arrr! My field is a bit small. Blimey! I used an expended D12 as an adapter. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Since thar be no engine hook, matey, ya bilge rat, I used tape t' secure t' B6 in t' empty D12 and t' D12 t' t' body. Begad! I used "dog barf" for waddin' and one o' me stock 12" parachutes. T' kit comes with a 16". Aye aye! 3-2-1 and a nice straight launch. Arrr! T' rocket seemed t' fly somewhat slowly, matey, but then again I was only usin' a B6 instead o' a D12.

Recovery:
About 2 seconds after apogee, t' chute ejected. T' rocket came down nice and soft with no damage. T' distance was not too far away. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It definitely would have drifted more with t' 16" chute. Arrr! Avast! If you use t' stock chute, me hearties, you may want t' cut it down especially if you get it all t' way up thar with a D12 unless you like a good hike!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: This is a nice kit, matey, arrr, nay too difficult t' build. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' transitions, strakes, and toothpick highlights make it more than a 3FNC rocket. Ahoy! Aye aye! I'm sure it will be a high flyer, but I will need t' wait for a larger field.

CONs: I prefer an engine mount, but I had no problem with t' tape. Blimey! I think t' stock chute is oversized but that can always be cut down.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5