Brief:
This is a scale model o' an old 1950's Army ground-to-ground missile used for troop support. Aye aye! It was in service for a short time. Arrr! T' rocket kit flies with 24mm motors and uses a bright mylar parachute for recovery, is rated a skill level 3 kit, and is a single stage rocket with 8 balsa fins. Begad! T' kit come in a plastic bag pretty much like a lot o' other kits. Aye aye! I won t' kit on eBay. Rocketpad does nay have a website yet though Stan who sells them told me that one is in t' works. Ya scallywag! I got it for $19.95 and it arrived here packed up good in bubble wrap in t' box.

Construction:
T' kit has one main body tube (a standard 1.6" Estes type BT-60) and also comes with a balsa boat tail--not one you have t' make out o' card stock like some other kits have you do! T' nose cone also is balsa. Arrr! T' fins are cut to size, leavin' you t' just sand them together t' ensure they match. Avast, me proud beauty! It uses a black fiber board centerin' rings and a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mountin' system. There are 8 fins on this kit: 4 large, me hearties, 4 small. The nose cone came with t' nose weight (metal washers) and eye hook attached. The balsa used for t' fins looks t' be o' good quality. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is 1/4" and t' Keelhaul®©™® cord is rather thick--I'd guess t' be about 50-80lb. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It also includes a fin markin' guide that be t' type you place t' BT over it and make marks where the fins lines are.

The assembly instructions call for assembly o' t' motor tube t' t' boat tail first and hook up o' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' a "V" cut into t' top motor block. Arrr! It seems t' work out nicely. Ya scallywag! I have another one o' their kits with over 4 problem-free flights and they used t' same system on it. Arrr! Blimey! You must be careful when you use t' included blank motor casin' t' push in t' motor block, as t' instructions warn nay to stop when pushin' in t' t' mark and smartly pullin' it out. I once did this in a similar Estes kit, stopped for a second and it jammed up! This one went fine though (since I did nay stop!) After assemblin' t' boat tail motor assembly, you move on t' t' fins. Ahoy! You first mark where t' fins go from t' fin guide. T' 4 top fins are offset t' t' 4 lower small fins. Avast, me proud beauty! After you mark t' body tube & t' motor-boattail assembly is dry, ya bilge rat, me bucko, you install t' motor assembly into t' main body tube. Begad! Then you move on t' t' fins. Aye aye! This part takes some time as you wait for t' fins t' dry so you can move t' tube around t' the next line. Arrr! Blimey! I used a heavy rod I had in t' tube t' keep it from movin' as I glued on t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! This helped keep t' tube in t' correct position. After the fins are all glued on, you are told t' add fillets t' t' fin/body tube, me hearties, a standard item. T' parachute is a standalone kit that you assemble. Avast! Ahoy! T' last step is attachin' t' shock cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord and nose cone along with hookin' t' parachute t' t' nose cone. Ahoy! The instructions were in a typical order and thar are pictures t' show how the assembly should look. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Though nay all that hard t' assemble (alignin' t' fins is t' most difficult part), matey, it is a skill level 3 kit!

Finishing:
I used sandin' sealer on t' fins, boat tail, and nose cone. Aye aye! Blimey! I put 3 coats on the fins and nose cone, but t' boat tail took 4 coats t' seal up. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I used Rustoleum paints and it came out lookin' just like t' kit in t' picture on the kit card. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' decals are nice and thick, matey, ya bilge rat, makin' them hard t' mess up. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! All around standard finishing. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' only thin' I would want different on t' kit is a tighter grain on t' balsa boat-tail.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I used a C11-5 for t' first flight. Begad! I put in some waddin' and loaded t' motor with a little maskin' tape for a friction fit. It did nay go up all that high but it was still a good flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It did arch a little t' t' left because o' a little drag I guess from t' 8 fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Some o' me friends thought t' big fins up near t' top o' t' rocket make it unstable but it seems t' work thanks t' the heavy noseweight. Avast! It went up better with a D12-5. Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight with t' D12-5 and C11-3 were better and straighter than t' C11-5.

Recovery:
T' 12" parachute brought it down fine and none o' t' fins got messed up. T' descent was a little faster than normal but I think it should nay be a problem at grassy launch sites, me bucko, so you may want swap t' included chute for an 18" one when launchin' near hard surfaces. T' shock cord system with the Keelhaul®©™® was fine. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I had no problems and t' parachute came out fine on each flight. Arrr! Blimey! It would be a good idea though t' fly this with a C11 type motor in a small field if you want it back. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' D12-5 got it way up! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun and unique lookin' rocket kit. Blimey! T' rocket gets attention when there are people around, as it does nay look like your everyday rocket! The main PROs here are its unique looks and pre-cut fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' instructions were much better than t' first Rocketpad kit I got, me hearties, and t' balsa fins were top notch. Begad! Avast! CONs: nay much here, matey, t' only real thin' was t' grain in t' boat-tail but with sandin' sealer, it has nay had any damage in all its flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Also consider a larger chute for hard surfaces though don't use t' larger parachute on a windy day if you want it back!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5