Brief:
Low power rocket booster with streamer recovery and glider flight recovery.

Construction:
Rocket booster is basically an 18mm minimum diameter rocket with a balsa "hook" assembly on it instead of fins. Ahoy! Glider is comprised completely o' balsa. Begad! Well, blow me down! Wings and stabilizer are 1/8", fuselage is 1/4" x 1/2". Avast!

T' instructions were good, arrr, ya bilge rat, except that thar were a few places where t' pictures really didn't match what you needed t' do--I was glad that thar was a detailed picture o' t' "hook" on t' product packaging. I would say that Quest labelin' this a skill model 3 kit is accurate. Ahoy! Most kits go up in skill level because o' intricate paint jobs, however, shiver me timbers, this kit required real modelin' skills.

T' balsa in t' kit be nay consistent. Ahoy! One win' was nice, tight, strong grained balsa and t' other one was made o' weak, stringy balsa. Ahoy! T' fuselage was a nice piece o' wood. Avast! Blimey! I had t' really trace t' parts with me X-Acto knife t' get them out o' t' balsa stock since they were nay punched all t' way through.

T' instructions on trimmin' t' glider were good, arrr, but when it came t' trimmin' t' booster/glider assembly, arrr, ya bilge rat, it took me a while t' figure it out.

I built mine as a true "flat cat," only dressin' t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' wings and stabilizer. Begad! Blimey! I did also massage out t' fuselage per t' instructions. Avast! T' glider flew perfectly with no trimming. Arrr!

Finishing:
Finishin' be nothin' special. Arrr! I gave mine a quick sandin' with 220 grit sandpaper and shot it with 2 coats o' Krylon spray paint. Aye aye! I figured that this would help seal t' balsa and increase visibility. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I did nay put t' stickers on mine.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
After readin' t' other comments about this glider on EMRR, I decided t' fly mine on an A8-3 for t' first flight. T' field I use is kind o' small, me bucko, me bucko, so I wasn't goin' for any altitude. I also added some clay weight t' induce a spiral in hopes o' gettin' t' glider back.

T' rocket went about 200 feet and separation from t' glider be perfect. Ahoy! T' booster came down under streamer and landed about 15 feet from t' pad. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I must have added too much weight, shiver me timbers, because t' glider didn't spiral, it corkscrewed down. Avast! It hit nose first in t' snow and kinda rolled. Begad! Aye aye! No significant damage! T' nose was a little flattened out though so I sanded it round again in t' field.

Second flight, arrr, I took a little bit o' t' clay weight off. Avast, me proud beauty! Lift and separation were identical, t' booster droppin' 30 feet from t' pad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' glider did several nice spirals and stuck its nose into the ground softly about 100 feet from t' pad. I did nay have a watch, me hearties, but I would guess t' glide t' be around 10 seconds or so. Ahoy!

I didn't have an opportunity t' fly it a third time. Ya scallywag! Begad! I was out o' A8-3s and with t' wind pickin' up, ya bilge rat, I didn't want more altitude. Begad!

Recovery:
Recovery o' t' booster is fine with t' streamer. Recovery o' t' glider is a Catch-22. Begad! Avast! If you want it back, you will have short glide times! It is all in t' trimming, shiver me timbers, and t' bigger t' field t' better. Avast! I would really like to play with this on a big field!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a great kit and really delivers on its promises! This was t' first boost glider that I have built, matey, and it has left me with a new respect for them. Avast! I can see t' science behind it and how you could detail yourself t' death with a glider if you were tryin' t' go for maximum glide time. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Recovery be t' killer on this though. Ya scallywag!

I actually had a lot o' fun buildin' this kit, especially learnin' how trimmin' it affects t' glide recovery. Honestly, me bucko, I probably won't ever launch this again, arrr, but will hand toss it a bunch! It is a great glider!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5