Brief:
T' Blink Family is a trio o' skill level one rockets that are similar in design but gradually differ in size. Avast! For t' sake o' comparison, Baby Blink favors t' Estes Quark while Mama and Papa are stretched and super stretched versions o' their offspring.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• 3 hand turned balsa nose cones
• 3 BT-5 body tubes
• 1/16" fin stock
• 2 lengths Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 2 lengths elastic
• 2 mylar streamers
• 2 engine blocks
• 2 small screw eyes

Instructions were clearly illustrated and easy t' follow. T' assembly should pose no problem for even t' most novice o' builders. One problem I encountered was a missin' fin template, arrr, but that was cleared up with a quick email. Avast! T' only thin' approachin' a "gotcha" involved t' lengths o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic for t' Mama and Papa Blink shock cords. They aren't equal in length and care must be taken t' match t' right rocket up with t' right recovery system. (I didn't, matey, and had t' go back and add some elastic t' Papa. My fault.) T' only special tool that might be found t' be useful is a pin drill t' make a starter hole in t' hardwood plugs in t' nose cones. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' nose cones are beautiful, hand turned, and they fit precisely. Arrr! Ahoy! Nicely done! I didn't think o' usin' t' pin drill until it be too late and it was quite a fight gettin' t' screws t' tap into t' plugs.

Finishing:
Finishin' was handled in t' simplest manner possible. Ya scallywag! Before attachin' t' fins I coated all three body tubes with thinned Elmer's Fill N Finish and sanded t' hide t' light tube spirals. This also has t' added advantage o' givin' t' fins a little somethin' extra t' bite onto when they're attached. Ya scallywag! After attachin' t' fins, ya bilge rat, they were also coated and lightly sanded, ya bilge rat, then t' rockets were sprayed with a coat o' white primer. T' picture on t' kit card showed t' rockets painted yellow, but I thought a metallic finish would look better and went with metallic gold. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! This turned out t' be a good alternate choice as it allowed t' decals t' stand out just enough while allowin' me t' use up some o' t' metallic gold that I had t' buy for me daughter's social studies project. Avast! Avast! T' water slide decals, which is how it SHOULD be, ya bilge rat, were sprayed with a thin coat o' clear acrylic and attached as soon as they dried enough t' wet them. Avast, me proud beauty! They went on smartly and easily and were themselves t' unifyin' thread that tied this group o' rockets together as a family.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight was where I ran into problems, nay so much with t' rockets themselves but with findin' time t' actually fly them. Begad! T' Blink Family be built in t' heart o' soccer season, arrr, which filled up t' local fields and kept me runnin' t' and from me kid's games. Arrr! When I'd find myself with an open window t' fly, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' skies would open and it would rain hard enough t' make t' neighborhood screwball start workin' on that big boat he's been workin' on for years. Begad! Finally, matey, a month and a half after finishin' t' build, ya bilge rat, I got me chance. Begad! Begad! When I arrived at VOA I found that only three other die-hard Quarkers had bothered t' show up because o' t' winds. Blimey! Ahoy! Nay t' be deterred after a 40 mile drive, I loaded t' Baby Blink with a 1/2A3-3T and launched it. T' flight was typical for a rocket o' this size and I might have retrieved it if we hadn't launched as close t' t' vegetation as we did. Aye aye! It cocked into t' wind, then drifted back t' t' north at ejection. Begad! Unfortunately north is where t' tall weeds are and it drifted a long way into t' briars. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Mama Blink had a much more successful flight, me bucko, also on a 1/2A3-3T, as t' winds had shifted and took her back over t' flight line t' another, closer briar patch. Her mylar streamer made her extremely easy t' locate in t' brush even though she landed twenty feet back off t' access road. Begad! Despite driftin' quite close t' Mama's recovery area, me bucko, Papa wasn't as fortunate. Begad! T' 1/2A3-3T ejection charge apparently wasn't enough t' completely clear t' streamer from t' body tube. Aye aye! This wouldn't have been a problem if he had landed in t' briars also, but he chose a head first landin' on t' access road and wound up with major head trauma.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: When isn't it a good thin' t' get three rockets for one price? Legitimate level one kits that are NOT RTF (Ready t' fly) so your kids might learn somethin' about rocket construction. Begad! Blimey! 'Nuff said.

CONs: Family theme might be considered a little corny, but decals are always optional. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! 1/16" balsa won't stand up t' many hard landings, especially on t' free fallin' Baby Blink.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5