Brief:
This is a BT-50 (24mm) based rocket that uses 18mm engines. T' name o' t' rocket comes from t' French word for "dart" and t' design is modeled after a military projectile havin' t' form o' a small metal dart. Blimey! A flechette normally has a sharp-pointed tip and a tail with several vanes t' stabilize it durin' flight. Ahoy! Ahoy! These normally don't have propulsion systems and are dropped/launched from other weapons.

Construction:
T' rocket kit includes one BT-50 sized body tube, a plastic nose cone (mine was blue), fin material for three composite (made up o' more than one piece o' balsa) fins, me bucko, t' 18mm motor mount, elastic shock cord (usin' a tri-fold mount), shiver me timbers, 18" plastic parachute and a launch lug. Ya scallywag! No decals are supplied with this kit.

This was t' first Sunward kit that I've built so I wasn't immediately used t' t' instructions. Arrr! T' instructions appeared t' be printed out on normal letter sized paper and included many handmade drawings and measurements. Arrr! Arrr! Some aspects o' t' individual steps were a touch misleadin' (especially in t' motor mount section), but if you've built kits before, then it shouldn't be too hard t' figure out.

T' balsa quality be good and since t' fins are each constructed o' two separate pieces o' wood (for strength/grain orientation), shiver me timbers, matey, I chose t' pre-assemble t' fins on wax paper t' avoid alignment/warpin' issues. Aye aye! I used Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish on t' completed fins in efforts t' try and fill t' gap betwixt t' fin sections and seal the grain.

Once t' fins were assembled, me hearties, I glued them onto t' body tube. Aye aye! Since t' fins are rather long (make sure your fin lines are drawn t' around half t' tube length), it's a challenge t' keep them perfectly aligned and contactin' the body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! A double glue joint method works well here t' instantly bond them t' t' tube and keep them from sliding around durin' t' dryin' process. Blimey!

T' nose cone went together easily although it's a different design than most other plastic nose cones I've used (like Estes). Aye aye! Aye aye! Instead o' t' cone and shoulder bein' one single piece and then gluin' on t' back "cap" with the shock cord loop, t' cone itself is one piece and t' shoulder-cap is another. Begad! I thought I'd have a hard time centerin' t' shoulder within t' tapered cone, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it all went together very easily.

T' shock cord mount is done with t' paper tri-fold mount method and appears t' be very solid. Arrr! A Keelhaul®©™® leader style mount could be added easily by tyin' it around t' engine hook and filin' a slot in t' top CR t' allow for t' thread t' pass through. Aye aye! Begad! I didn't do this extra step and built it as stock. Avast! I liked t' fact that t' included shock cord seemed t' be plenty long (at least twice t' length o' t' rocket).

T' launch lug attaches on t' fin's joints. Blimey! I tapered t' front o' t' lug t' make it look more weapon-like and made fillets on it with white glue. For whatever reason I had trouble with bubbles in t' launch lug fillets so I ended up skimmin' those joints with FnF prior t' painting. Ahoy! It worked pretty well and looks smooth.

Finishing:
There are no decals with this kit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which doesn't bother me, so finishin' pretty much involves painting.

T' package shows a picture (courtesy o' t' US military) o' a Flechette with camouflage markings. Avast! Since I fly in a large park field and this is a very light rocket, I anticipated problems with losin' a camo-painted rocket in the tall grass, shiver me timbers, so I chose t' paint me model satin black. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' paint turned out very well and looks stealthy.

In t' future, matey, me bucko, I may do an "urban camo" theme with orange and light blue added on top o' t' black. Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty!

T' rocket itself is attractive and if you turn it upside down it bears a strikin' resemblance t' a medieval maul.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
For t' first flight, I loaded me Flechette up with an Estes A8-3. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! There was a bit o' wind at t' field and since the rocket is light, I chose t' use a 12" parachute instead o' t' 18" model it came with.

On t' A8-3, t' rocket shot off t' pad smartly and flew straight and true. Arrr! Ya scallywag! My friends were surprised by the model's speed and altitude on such a small engine (probably around 400 feet or so). Recovery was uneventful on the 12" chute and t' rocket came down around 50 feet from t' pad.

For t' second and third flights, I used B6-4 engines. Aye aye! Once again I was surprised by this model's acceleration and altitude. It quite simply scoots off t' pad and streaks skyward with little effort. Begad! I would estimate that the Flechette went upwards o' 600-700 feet on this engine. Both times t' rocket came back reliably and landed safely in the short grass with no damage at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Sunward claims upward o' 1000 feet with a C engine and that appears completely reasonable given t' light weight o' this model.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
In summary this is a unique lookin' military-themed kit that's cheap, me bucko, easy t' build, and very lightweight. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! The Flechette offers sporty performance and cheap launches on 18mm engines. Avast! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5