T' kit comes with a 24" long, arrr, 1/16" thick body tube which by means o' a 3" balsa transition connects t' a 12" long payload section which is topped with an 4" long balsa nose cone. Arrr! Its 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. A set o' three uniquely laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins help differentiate this rocket from others. Blimey! It comes with a 24" rip-stop nylon parachute, arrr, and eye-screws for attachin' the 1/2"-wide 72"-long elastic shock cord. It also includes two 3/16" brass launch lugs and a rub-on vinyl ASCENDER™ decal.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' title page has a color illustration and a tube-markin' guide on t' back. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! There are six pages o' construction instructions and a single page o' operatin' instructions. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! There are many illustrations for ensurin' accurate alignment and build. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' instructions are in logical order and if followed can ensure a successful build. The introduction indicates that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets, arrr, however, arrr, if all the instructions are read and followed this kit is probably a good kit for an intermediate builder lookin' for some 24mm flyin' experience. Nordic rates the kit a skill level 2. Blimey!

T' instructions recommend usin' 5-minute epoxy to assemble t' kit which is what I used. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

Although assembly o' t' Ascender™ is straight forward thar are a couple o' comments that should be made.

T' shock cord is attached t' an eye-screw that is attached t' t' upper centerin' rin' o' t' motor mount. I had concerns over the durability o' this design when I built Nordic's Meanie™. Begad! However, after 7 flights t' Meanie's™ recovery system is still holdin' out. Ya scallywag! T' other end o' t' shock cord on t' Ascender™ is attached t' t' transition bulkhead via another eye-screw. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, matey, matey, is to tuck t' shock cord back through t' motor tube t' avoid gettin' glue on it when installin' t' motor mount into t' body tube. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

A technique used in t' construction o' this kit, shiver me timbers, is to use a T-pin t' poke holes along both sides o' t' centerline where t' fins attach. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! This is done t' allow t' glue t' seep into these holes makin' the attachment o' t' fins t' t' body tube stronger. They act like little rivets!

I deviated from this. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Usin' a hobby knife, I make 3/16" slits perpendicular t' t' fin line and widen them by wigglin' my hobby knife back-and-forth t' open t' slit up slightly. Ya scallywag! When I glue t' fins onto t' body tube, arrr, I use plenty o' epoxy and push it into t' slits usin' the fin edge. Later t' exposed slits are filled when makin' t' fillets. Ya scallywag! I find this technique strong and faster than pushin' all t' "T"-pin holes.

Since parachute deployment is from t' main body tube, step 9 gives t' builder t' option o' either gluin' t' nose cone t' the payload section or leavin' it accessible t' be able t' carry small payloads such as altimeters or location beepers. I opted t' glue me nose cone on and worked for a smooth finish.

To start t' finishing process I tried a new technique t' seal t' balsa nose cone and transition. Well, blow me down! I used TRIPP's water-based wood sealer. Avast! I put enough in a coffee can t' be able to totally immerse t' balsa pieces. Blimey! I sanded in-between and did this about 3 times. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! A nice and smooth finish. Aye aye! Nordic recommends usin' a wood putty t' fill the grains followed by a sandin' sealer. Avast, me proud beauty!

Then after preppin' for paintin' with Plasti-Kote primer, t' Ascender was painted with an automotive teal/green lacquer paint. Aye aye! Turned out nice after addin' t' gold self-adhesive vinyl decal. I really like these vinyl decals. Blimey! I really like these vinyl decals. Ahoy! Aye aye! Just be sure t' follow t' instructions carefully and only apply pressure on t' letters AFTER you are sure t' paint is fully cured. Ya scallywag! If you do this you will have a nice finish. Begad! Avast! Once complete, shiver me timbers, I hit t' entire rocket with two light coats o' Walmart Clear paint. Arrr! Done!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Even though I'm gettin' better workin' with balsa nose cones, matey, they still t' dent too easy . Ya scallywag! Avast! . Blimey! . Ahoy! Arrr! although they are very easy to repair!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I took this one out on a launch with just a couple of flyin' partners and put it through three flights usin' an Aerotech 24mm RMS casing. Well, me hearties, blow me down! She flew on a D15-4, E28-4, shiver me timbers, and an F24-4. Arrr! Avast! I should have used a 3-second delay on t' "D" and a 6-second delay on t' "F" although it worked out this time. T' recommended motors are D12-3, me bucko, E15-4, shiver me timbers, and E30-4. Ahoy!

Even though t' motor mount has a clip, me hearties, I use a tie-wrap to ensure I don't lose me RMS casing. Avast! I used sheets o' waddin' t' protect the parachute. Begad! Deployment and recovery for each o' t' three flights was successful providin' nice descent. Avast, me proud beauty!

Because t' elastic shock cord is attached t' t' motor mount, matey, matey, I thought I would add some protection from the hot exhaust gases. Aye aye! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! So I came up with me own protective sheath. Aye aye! I purchased some 2" wide aluminum tape and cut a piece 12" long, ya bilge rat, about 4" shorter than t' top o' t' body tube t' allow room for t' waddin' and parachute. Blimey! I then folded t' tape over on itself leavin' 1/4" exposed and placed t' shock cord lengthwise on t' tape (in t' future I'll do this before everythin' is assembled). Avast! Then folded t' tape over t' shock cord so that the 1/4" o' exposed sticky portion can be folded over t' top t' make a sheath. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Slide it all t' way down over t' eye-screw and pack t' waddin' so that just t' tip o' t' sheath is exposed and voila' you have a protective sheath!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!

Overall, if someone is lookin' for a nice 24mm kit, me hearties, with or without a payload section, me hearties, with some attractive features, this kit should be a considered. Avast, me proud beauty! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Begad!