T' kit comes with a 24" long, matey, 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. Begad! Its 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Arrr! A set o' three uniquely laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins help differentiate this rocket from others. Avast, me proud beauty! It comes with a 24" rip-stop nylon parachute, arrr, and eye-screws for attachin' the 1/2"-wide 72"-long elastic shock cord. Blimey! Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! There are six pages o' construction instructions and a single page o' operatin' instructions. Begad! Aye aye! There are many illustrations for ensurin' accurate alignment and build. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! 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, shiver me timbers, however, 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. Well, blow me down! Nordic rates the kit a skill level 2. Well, blow me down!

T' instructions recommend usin' 5-minute epoxy to assemble t' kit which is what I used.

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

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

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, shiver me timbers, 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! Ya scallywag!

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

I deviated from this. Ya scallywag! Usin' a hobby knife, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, 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. Begad! Ya scallywag! When I glue t' fins onto t' body tube, I use plenty o' epoxy and push it into t' slits usin' the fin edge. Avast, me proud beauty! Later t' exposed slits are filled when makin' t' fillets. Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

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

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

Overall, me hearties, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Aye aye! Begad! Even though I'm gettin' better workin' with balsa nose cones, me hearties, they still t' dent too easy . Avast, me proud beauty! . . Avast! Avast! 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. Avast! Begad! She flew on a D15-4, E28-4, ya bilge rat, and an F24-4. Begad! Arrr! 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, shiver me timbers, E15-4, ya bilge rat, and E30-4.

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

Because t' elastic shock cord is attached t' t' motor mount, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I thought I would add some protection from the hot exhaust gases. Ya scallywag! So I came up with me own protective sheath. Aye aye! I purchased some 2" wide aluminum tape and cut a piece 12" long, arrr, about 4" shorter than t' top o' t' body tube t' allow room for t' waddin' and parachute. Aye aye! 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). Arrr! 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, 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.

Overall, matey, if someone is lookin' for a nice 24mm kit, shiver me timbers, with or without a payload section, with some attractive features, this kit should be a considered. Begad! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 1/2 points. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!