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. Glider is comprised completely o' balsa. Wings and stabilizer are 1/8", shiver me timbers, fuselage is 1/4" x 1/2".

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

T' balsa in t' kit was nay consistent. Well, blow me down! One win' was nice, tight, matey, matey, me hearties, strong grained balsa and t' other one was made o' weak, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, stringy balsa. T' fuselage was a nice piece o' wood. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, but when it came t' trimmin' t' booster/glider assembly, 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. Well, blow me down! I did also massage out t' fuselage per t' instructions. Aye aye! T' glider flew perfectly with no trimming. Aye aye!

Finishing:
Finishin' was nothin' special. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I gave mine a quick sandin' with 220 grit sandpaper and shot it with 2 coats o' Krylon spray paint. Begad! I figured that this would help seal t' balsa and increase visibility. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! 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, me bucko, matey, I decided t' fly mine on an A8-3 for t' first flight. T' field I use is kind o' small, matey, 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 was perfect. T' booster came down under streamer and landed about 15 feet from t' pad. Well, blow me down! I must have added too much weight, because t' glider didn't spiral, it corkscrewed down. Ya scallywag! It hit nose first in t' snow and kinda rolled. No significant damage! T' nose be a little flattened out though so I sanded it round again in t' field.

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

I didn't have an opportunity t' fly it a third time. Ahoy! I was out o' A8-3s and with t' wind pickin' up, matey, me bucko, I didn't want more altitude. Ahoy!

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

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This be a great kit and really delivers on its promises! This be t' first boost glider that I have built, ya bilge rat, and it has left me with a new respect for them. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Recovery be t' killer on this though. Blimey!

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

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5