T' kit comes with a 24" long, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, blow me down! Its 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Blimey! Aye aye! A set o' three uniquely laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins help differentiate this rocket from others. It comes with a 24" rip-stop nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, 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. There are six pages o' construction instructions and a single page o' operatin' instructions. There are many illustrations for ensurin' accurate alignment and build. Arrr! T' instructions are in logical order and if followed can ensure a successful build. Well, blow me down! The introduction indicates that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets, shiver me timbers, however, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! Aye aye!

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

Although assembly o' t' Ascender™ is straight forward thar are a couple o' comments that should be made. Avast, me proud beauty!

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! Ahoy! However, after 7 flights t' Meanie's™ recovery system is still holdin' out. T' other end o' t' shock cord on t' Ascender™ is attached t' t' transition bulkhead via another eye-screw. Well, blow me down!

One suggestion that is nay made in t' instructions, ya bilge rat, 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.

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

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

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

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

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Even though I'm gettin' better workin' with balsa nose cones, they still t' dent too easy . . Begad! . Begad! 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. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! She flew on a D15-4, shiver me timbers, E28-4, shiver me timbers, and an F24-4. 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. Ahoy! T' recommended motors are D12-3, E15-4, ya bilge rat, and E30-4. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey!

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

Because t' elastic shock cord is attached t' t' motor mount, arrr, I thought I would add some protection from the hot exhaust gases. Avast! So I came up with me own protective sheath. Avast! Blimey! I purchased some 2" wide aluminum tape and cut a piece 12" long, me hearties, 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). Ahoy! 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! Well, blow me down! 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. Ahoy! Avast!

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