Brief:
1/10 Scale Model o' t' Canadian Soundin' Rocket, ya bilge rat, t' Black Brant VA. Begad! Begad! It is a single stage rocket with parachute.

Construction:
T' kit consists o' one 1.72" main body tube, ya bilge rat, one smaller aft tube, me bucko, matey, balsa nosecone, motor mount parts, vinyl and waterslide decals, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 20 laser cut parts for t' fins, 24" o' Keelhaul®©™®, and 33 inches o' 3/8" elastic shock cord. Arrr! It includes detailed instructions as well. T' model is a three fin and body tube type. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!

T' instructions twelve B&W 8.5" x 11" pages. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! The instructions include a very nice engineerin' drawin' o' t' model with marking information. T' motor mount instructions were clear and straightforward. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! The tail assembly be t' most complicated part o' t' model. Begad! T' instructions take two full pages. Well, blow me down! I did find some o' t' marking/test fit/gluin' instructions confusing. It is a lot o' text t' read through. Ya scallywag! I would recommend readin' it through several times and breakin' t' build down into smaller sections. The fins mount t' t' aft tube only. Well, blow me down! T' aft assembly is then glued t' t' primary body tube. Blimey! Begad! A note o' caution: In t' same paragraph that has you test fitting the aft tube also has you gluin' in t' motor mount. Arrr! Ahoy! T' full size sanding instructions were very nice.

Finishing:
I personally had difficulty in gettin' a smooth finish on t' balsa nose cone. My first coat o' primer was too thick. Ahoy! When I started t' sand it smooth, ya bilge rat, the paint lifted off and became uneven. Begad! Well, blow me down! It took seven more coats o' a thinner primer t' get a minimum acceptable finish. Avast! T' rocket is red overall with one white fin. Begad! I chose t' build and paint t' rocket red without t' one white fin. T' one white fin be painted separately then glued on after drying. Ahoy! T' decals went on without difficulty.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on t' recommended D12-5. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' model uses a standard metal retention clip. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Recovery waddin' was used. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' rocket lifted off with ease and was a very straight flight. Begad! Blimey!

Recovery:
Ejection was normal although t' delay was closer t' 4 seconds. Ahoy! T' chute opened and t' rocket settled down. Ya scallywag! It was noticed that thar be some separation at ejection. Well, matey, blow me down! After recovery, it was discovered t' separation was half o' one o' red fins. It tore along t' balsa grain. Arrr! There was also a crescent shape dent in t' nose cone. Aye aye! I suspect that t' nose cone impacted the body tube durin' ejection.

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel t' highlight o' this rocket is that it is a scale model o' t' Black Brant. I really like this family o' rockets and ARG has made a whole collection in t' same scale. Ahoy! Begad! T' con was t' fin separation durin' flight. Blimey! I would consider some type o' reinforcement for t' fins, me bucko, either tissue or fiberglass. Alternatively, new fins could be cut with t' grain goin' t' opposite direction.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5