Brief:
This is a very nice replica o' t' sustainer stage o' t' Black Brant X soundin' missile. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket is a single stage, arrr, shiver me timbers, Level 1 or Level 2 certification capable with 50" parachute recovery. Begad! I used a 54 t' 38mm adapter for me launches.

Construction:
T' kit was very well put together and allowed for dual deployment out o' the box comin' with 3 flexible phenolic tubes, includin' one 20" payload section in t' middle. Ya scallywag! T' fins as well as t' centerin' rings were 1/4" birch. Arrr! While t' instructions were originally from Yank and called for a 30' shock cord, LOC had modified t' length t' 25' (it showed t' change in the instructions with a pen crossin' out t' old length and written in with the new). Ahoy! T' nose cone be t' standard 4" plastic ogive LOC nose cone and it came with all o' t' eye screws/bolts. A 50" standard round rip stop nylon parachute was included. Avast! Well, blow me down! With t' kit bein' built t' right way and perfect launch conditions, this could have been dropped down t' a 42" chute.

Construction was very easy. Begad! Beside t' slots bein' 1" short (mistake at the factory durin' machinin' which LOC apologized for), ya bilge rat, me bucko, everythin' else went in perfectly with very little additional sandin' t' fit even t' snug bulk plates and centerin' rings.

T' scale finishin' drawin' detail was perfect and me only concern would have been t' disorganized recovery system diagram in t' instructions. Well, blow me down! The diagram was showin' t' parachute bein' in t' middle o' t' chain while the typed instructions were havin' you put it at t' end o' t' chain. A quick call to LOC confirmed that it needed t' be put on t' end o' t' cord.

Finishing:
I should have taken more time on t' finishin' o' this kit as it is a big and beautiful rocket t' begin with, shiver me timbers, but I got lazy and didn't fill t' wrap gaps as well as I should and it showed if you get close up t' it. Arrr! No decals were included with t' kit but that's alright with this rocket considerin' there were very few in a tiny font on t' real Canadian rocket. Begad! Arrr! Just t' beautiful Black, Red and Silver paint job.

(I hadn't finished paintin' t' red stripes on t' base by t' time the Florida Winter Nationals came around, shiver me timbers, but it still looked incredible in all black.)

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I started out with a Pro38 I285 for me level 1 flight and it screamed off of the pad and made it's way up t' around 2,500 feet (accordin' t' RockSim's simulation with t' 20mph winds that day).

Now with t' stated wind, I was expectin' some serious movement on the rocket but it cut through t' sky straight as an arrow with nay even a twist. Deployment at apogee be perfect and we took a mile long drive t' pick the rocket up. Avast, me proud beauty! When we got close t' t' landin' site, t' winds were still so strong that t' parachute be draggin' t' rocket further down t' field. Ahoy! Ahoy! We got t' it inches from a drainage canal. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I would have been really upset t' have that kind o' flight then lose t' rocket t' a canal.

My second flight was t' next day and even though we had slightly stronger winds (just pushin' that 25mph wind barrier), me bucko, I felt confident considerin' the previous day's launch. Well, arrr, blow me down! (And I had t' car ready this time for t' chase.) I loaded it up with one o' t' new Pro38 I540s and t' countdown began just as a big gust started t' roll in. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This worried me just a bit, ya bilge rat, but then at launch, that thin' flew off t' pad at least twice as fast as t' day before and made it up t' just above 3000 feet (again accordin' t' t' RockSim estimate). Begad! It seemed t' just hang thar for a bit before t' ejection charge popped just a couple seconds late. Ya scallywag!

Now t' bad part o' t' flight: I had borrowed a 48" chute with a decent sized spill hole t' give myself a shorter drive than t' day before, but the parachute cord got tangled on ejection. I watched it go down thinking, "Well, that be nice..." When I made it out t' t' crash site though, the front end be fine and t' aft end o' t' rocket only had a fin popped out with a clean break. Flexible Phenolic t' t' rescue for me. Arrr! Begad! Wow, that stuff is strong. There was no crimp or damage t' t' fin other than bein' popped out. Some 5 minute epoxy at t' field and I would have been fine for a 3rd launch, but I figured I'd fix t' parachute problem before I launched again, like maybe usin' a deployment bag next time.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: great choice usin' t' flexible phenolic, kept t' rocket strong but still light. Beautiful kit. Avast! Flights are incredible.

CONs: I can't think o' too much other than it won't fit vertically in most homes. Avast! I would have liked t' see a 4" t' 3" tail cone t' make it more realistic.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5