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

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

T' instructions & assembly were very straightforward and clear. Arrr! Blimey! Construction was easy, me hearties, 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). T' TTW fins fit extremely well, me hearties, and went on w/o a hitch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! No special tools or techniques were needed. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did a mod on t' shock cord usin' Keelhaul®©™ strin' around t' motor mount, matey, and runnin' it up t' body, finally tyin' it together with t' elastic shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor block instructions are intended t' accommodate t' standard 24x70mm "D" motor casing, arrr, arrr, and can be easily modified t' accept t' larger (94mm) "E" engines, which is how I did it.

Finishing:
Finishin' was standard stuff, although I let me chief construction assistant be t' director o' finishing. I primed t' kit (after fillin' a couple tube grooves), then painted it gloss white. Avast, me proud beauty! T' remainder was done w/ markers by me daughter in whatever color she chose. Aye aye! Its quite a sight! :). Begad! Arrr! 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. Blimey! I used that twice as I be usin' a small field. Ahoy! Avast! Straight boost t' about 400 feet, with deployment just past apogee. Arrr! T' 18" chute is probably a bit big if you're usin' a D or E engine. Arrr! Ahoy! A D12 would do nicely. An "E" would send this out o' sight. Begad! (much like it does t' a modified Blue Ninja).

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

Cons: Use 12" chute for bigger motors.

Overall, arrr, t' kit flies nicely and recovers easily.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5