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. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Glider is comprised completely o' balsa. Wings and stabilizer are 1/8", fuselage is 1/4" x 1/2". Aye aye! Aye aye!

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

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

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

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

I didn't have an opportunity t' fly it a third time. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I be out o' A8-3s and with t' wind pickin' up, I didn't want more altitude.

Recovery:
Recovery o' t' booster is fine with t' streamer. Recovery o' t' glider is a Catch-22. Ahoy! Begad! If you want it back, matey, me bucko, you will have short glide times! It is all in t' trimming, matey, and t' bigger t' field t' better. 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 be t' first boost glider that I have built, ya bilge rat, and it has left me with a new respect for them. Begad! 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. 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, I probably won't ever launch this again, but will hand toss it a bunch! It is a great glider!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5