Brief:
This is a nice and small 4FNC offerin' by SureFire Rocketry. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' recovery system is a bright yellow streamer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It comes bagged, and is a Level 1 kit.

Construction:
This rocket came with one body tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, a one piece nosecone, standard 18mm engine block, with metal engine hook, arrr, shiver me timbers, a simple rubber shockcord and mount, ya bilge rat, matey, and a bright yellow streamer.

This was an extremely easy build. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions were clear and very easy t' follow. Avast, me proud beauty! It is your simple, basic, matey, 4FNC rocket.

What surprised me was that t' fins, me bucko, although they were made o' balsa, were nay die-cut. They were already cut out and wrapped in an elastic band. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! When I saw this, I expected them t' be dinged up on t' edges, me hearties, but they were perfect. Avast! All through t' instructions, SureFire kept sayin' how, matey, unlike other manufacturers, me hearties, they supplied their fins already cut out.

It did come with t' rubber shockcord and paper mount, Estes-style. I was nay thrilled with this at all. Arrr! Avast! Next one I make gets t' Keelhaul®©™.

PRO: Easy build, ya bilge rat, simple instructions, pre-cutout fins.

CON: Estes-style shockcord. Minus 1/2 point for t' cord.

Finishing:
Finishin' be simple. Aye aye! Standard sandin' o' t' fins. T' body tube spirals were barely noticeable, and did nay need any filling. After a white primer coat and sanding, I shot 2 coats o' black. Ahoy! T' applied t' 4 color water slide decals, arrr, which were nice against t' black o' t' rocket itself.

PRO: Easy t' finish, shiver me timbers, nay noticeable spiral, shiver me timbers, good decals.

COn: None

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
We used an Estes A8-3 engine for t' first and only flight. Arrr! used 3 sheets o' wadding, and set her on t' pad. Ya scallywag! There be a slight delay, but it zoomed off o' t' pad. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! It went about 400 feet with this motor. Blimey! T' ejection charge blew about 1 second after apogee.

PRO: Very nice fast flight.

CON: None

Recovery:
She came down almost straight. Arrr! Ahoy! However, it be windy, and a gust caught her about 150 feet from t' ground, shiver me timbers, and took her into a tree about 20 feet from t' ground. Arrr! Begad! I tried t' get it back, shiver me timbers, but t' tree is surrounded by about 25 feet o' pricker bushes, arrr, and me legs were all cut up. Just bilge-suckin' luck that we didn't get it back. I may try t' get it in another day or so with this big pole I have at home.

PRO: Almost straight up and down flight.

CON: Lousy Estes-style shockcord, shiver me timbers, and just plain bilge-suckin' luck hittin' t' tree.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very nice Level 1 rocket. Begad! I was very nicely surprised by t' pre-cut fins, me bucko, me bucko, but t' shockcord bothered me. Ahoy! I would suggest a Keelhaul®©™ shockcord rig. Avast, me proud beauty! And you can't beat t' cost at under $ 5.00.

Otherwise, ya bilge rat, a very nice rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, and one I will definitely buy more of.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out 5