Brief:
This is a new Skill Level 1 kit from Estes designed t' fly on t' new C11 motors. Begad! It is a tall, BT-60 based 3FNC design with through-the-wall fins, and a 24mm motor mount.

Construction:
T' kits parts were all in excellent condition. Aye aye! T' BT-60 has 3 slots on one end o' t' tube for t' TTW fins. Ahoy! Avast! Die cut fins were high quality, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, as were all t' other parts. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Elastic shock cord be longer than expected, but still a bit short. Arrr! Avast! Nose cone be excellent w/o any flashing. Arrr! Bonus: A BT-60 t' BT-55 plastic transition piece comes attached t' t' nose cone, but is nay needed in t' kit. 18" parachute is pre-assembled.

T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Avast! Construction was easy, and took little time. It is a cool lookin' kit which was fun t' build with me 2 year old daughter (who picked t' kit out at t' store). Arrr! Blimey! T' TTW fins fit extremely well, and went on w/o a hitch. No special tools or techniques were needed. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, and runnin' it up t' body, shiver me timbers, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, matey, which is how I did it.

Finishing:
Finishin' be standard stuff, me bucko, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. Avast! Blimey! I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), then painted it gloss white. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' remainder was done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Its quite a sight! Blimey! :). T' 'normal' fill/prime/paint would be straightforward for this kit.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
It flies nicely on C11-5's. Avast! I used that twice as I was usin' a small field. Ahoy! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, with deployment just past apogee. Begad! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. Blimey! A D12 would do nicely. Begad! An "E" would send this out o' sight. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).

Recovery:
Pros: C11's make for fun flyin' on smaller fields. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! 18 chute is good for that. Blimey! Blimey! Keelhaul®©™® mod should keep cord burnout away for a while.

Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.

Overall, me hearties, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
A fun t' build, sturdy, ya bilge rat, big rocket (for skill level 1) that can be a great afternoon project. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Also can be modified for t' more adventurous. Begad! Blimey! Another outstandin' point: Its fairly inexpensive. Begad! Blimey! List is about $12. Ahoy! Blimey! With me Michael's 40% coupon, this only cost be $7. Avast! Blimey! Its worth every penny. Let t' kids paint it! Blimey! Its a nice big canvas for it!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5