Brief:
This is yet another review o' this unique, crooked rocket. Avast! Aye aye! Hopefully, ya bilge rat, me hearties, this provides another perspective on its construction, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, finishing/decoration, arrr, matey, and flight.

Construction:

T' FlisKits kits are professionally packaged and this is no exception. T' printed face includes is in full color, includes photos and specs, ya bilge rat, and a serial number--mine is #87. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' small parts are contained in a small Zip-loc bag. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My only minor complaint is that t' cardstock sheet with t' bottom shroud be rolled in t' BT-70 tube, and t' curve on t' shroud be backwards. It took a little more work t' roll it, but this didn't really hurt anything. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There are eight pages o' detailed instructions.

T' rocket consists o' a full length BT-50 tube that also serves as t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Around this is a series, ya bilge rat, o' shrouds, ya bilge rat, sections o' custom cut BT-70 tubing, and centerin' rings, which form t' crooked outer shell. Arrr! T' highlight o' t' components are t' seven laser cut rings, me hearties, me hearties, which include alignment tabs. T' middle six rings also include a hole that allows you t' align t' rin' set usin' a standard launch rod; this is an simple, ya bilge rat, but well thought out feature.

Templates are provided for all t' cutting, me hearties, and I recommend you take your time. Ahoy! Assembly is a bit tricky as you are told t' insert t' thin centerin' rings halfway into each angular tube. Begad! I failed t' accomplish this. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Thus, arrr, me bucko, t' intersection o' t' BT-70 sections is nay as clean as they could be, but t' rocket still went together and is quite sturdy.

Motor retention is accomplished with both a cardboard rin' and a motor hook. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor itself is recessed into t' base o' t' rocket which I think gives it a cool look.

For t' nose cone, I formed t' shroud that came with t' instructions (shortened a bit so it wouldn't hang out) and glued it into an outer shroud that I decorated and printed myself. Ya scallywag! I used Devcon 2-ton, 5-minute epoxy, me bucko, which be t' same epoxy recommended by Art Applewhite on his kits and will nay bleed through t' cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! While I was at it, I glued in t' nose cone's centerin' rin' usin' t' 5-minute epoxy. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone's shoulder consists o' a BT-50 sized balsa coupler that is glued into a pre-cut hole in t' nose cone's centerin' ring. Ahoy! A eyehook completes t' cone. There is a chunk o' clay t' provide stability, but unlike most rockets it doesn't go in t' nose. Instead, me hearties, t' fill t' top o' t' rocket betwixt t' top centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, t' BT-70, and t' inner BT-50 tubes.

T' fins are all uniquely shaped and complete t' odd looks o' t' kit. These are glued directly t' t' bottom cardstock shroud. I used white glue and added several layers o' fillets. T' fins still seem loose, ya bilge rat, as t' shroud does nay provide a firm base. Avast, me proud beauty! If I be t' build it gain, I'd make a second shroud and epoxy it into t' first, similar t' what I did on t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! I just wasn't thinkin' at t' time.

While I was assemblin' t' body, I ran a section o' Keelhaul®©™ twine through t' BT-50 tube, me hearties, tied it around t' tube, matey, matey, arrr, and epoxied it t' a centerin' ring. Avast! I tied t' stock elastic cord t' this leader, and t' t' hook-eye installed in t' cone. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I haven't yet assembled t' plastic chute that was provided with t' kit.

Finishing:
T' Spitfire requires finishin' like most rockets. Begad! Blimey! FlisKits does have a set o' 'skins' that can be downloaded for free from their site. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I printed t' skins on t' recommended Avery 5265 full-page label paper usin' me OfficeJet printer. Well, blow me down! T' sizin' o' t' skins was a bit off, but it was easy t' fill t' gaps with strips o' similarly colored stickers, arrr, which I conveniently had leftover since I didn't check t' printer settin' t' first time through. Well, blow me down! One thin' about FlisKits is that they actually LISTEN t' their customers. By t' time o' this posting, t' wraps will be updated.

I decided t' make me own nose cone shroud with Wile E. Ahoy! Coyote on it. Aye aye! Since blank skin templates weren't yet available, I scanned t' template from t' kit. Begad! I had found a front view o' Wile E on t' net, matey, but knew he wouldn't look right if he was simply pasted onto t' shroud. Begad! Therefore, I used a distortion filter in Adobe Photo Deluxe t' wrap Wile E over a sphere. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Thus, when t' cone is formed, ya bilge rat, me hearties, he be more-or-less straightened back out. Arrr! I "borrowed" a few bits o' graphics from FlisKits t' complete me shroud, matey, which I printed directly onto cardstock.

I also added a bunch o' random stickers: band-aids, matey, extra metal patches/hatches, me bucko, drippin' green ooze (stole t' idea from Carl Tulanko), ya bilge rat, and even me own "no BATF" sticker. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I sealed t' edges o' t' stickers with white glue, ya bilge rat, as recommended and shot two coats o' clear enamel over t' whole thing.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
There is nothin' out o' t' ordinary about t' prep o' this unique rocket. Ahoy! T' C11-3 gave an arrow-straight flight with ejection at apogee - perfect! T' ejection went off with an extra loud POP, since I guess thar be a lot o' shock cord and chute t' eject.

Recovery:
I used an Estes 12in chute that I already had assembled. Well, blow me down! This was a hard decision. Blimey! On one hand I be worried about t' fins, on t' other hand t' BT-50 doesn't leave much room for a chute. Well, blow me down! However, me hearties, matey, matey, t' recovery was fine with no fin damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
FlisKits is provin' t' be a highly innovative kit manufacturer. T' Spitfire is about t' most unique kit I've seen. It is nay t' easiest build, but t' instructions are great. Ya scallywag! Plus, as someone on TRF commented, lookin' a bit dilapidated may actually *help* t' looks o' this kit! :-) Despite its crooked, funny-lookin' profile, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' Spitfire flies as well as it looks. Avast, me proud beauty! I can't wait t' see what custom skins people come up with. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only concern I have be t' attachment o' t' fins t' a paper shroud. Begad! In conclusion, this would be a great addition t' anyone's fleet!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5