Brief:
This is a medium priced skill level 2-3 rocket with a payload section as designed by Thrustline Aerospace.

Construction:
Parts included with this kit were a balsa nose cone and transition piece, me bucko, ya bilge rat, a body tube plus a smaller upper payload tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, engine tube, engine hook, centerin' rings and block ring, launch lug, balsa fin stock (not pre-cut), arrr, a screw eye and parachute kit, Keelhaul®©™® thread and elastic shock cord for recovery.

Seven sheets o' instructions plus a fin template sheet come with this kit and include photo illustrations. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions were useful but t' photos were dark and less helpful than illustrations would have been. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! First up was construction o' t' motor mount. Blimey! Arrr! T' centerin' rings were too snug for the tube, me hearties, but rather than sanding, me bucko, I just removed t' outer layer o' cardboard from the rings which were delaminatin' anyway. A gap cut in t' centerin' ring allows t' engine hook t' spring. Ahoy! This gap weakens t' integrity o' t' ring however, me bucko, and speeds t' delamination o' t' cardboard. T' engine hook is then taped t' t' mount t' hold it in place. Aye aye! An engine block rin' is also included, but it seems a little like overkill. Well, blow me down! T' Keelhaul®©™® cord wraps around t' motor mount and threads up through t' tube for the recovery system. Well, blow me down! After insertin' t' motor mount into t' body tube, matey, I found that t' hook would nay sprin' far enough t' allow engine insertion and removal, so I had t' cut a slot out o' t' body tube t' allow for this. Ahoy! Also, the end o' t' hook was sharp enough t' cut your finger and I opted t' use a file t' smooth it. Aye aye! T' fins are nay laser cut and you must trace them out on the balsa stock and cut them yourself. Begad! A fin positionin' guide is included, but I used t' Estes Markin' Guide instead. Avast, me proud beauty! T' six fins (three lower and three upper) were nay hard t' align and I used pin holes through t' tube (glue rivets) t' secure them better. Avast! Begad! T' body tube was somewhat soft with the interior spirals showin' through as bumps. I had nay seen this ever occur before. Avast! T' instructions direct you t' draw a line for t' launch lugs, ya bilge rat, but then direct you t' glue them t' t' side o' t' fins. Begad! T' nose cone and transition did nay fit inside t' body tube and required a bit o' sanding. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! The mylar parachute was unmade, and no instructions were included for its construction. Avast! I substituted a 12" nylon parachute from Thrustline for the mylar one included (Thrustline makes wonderful ripstop nylon chutes). Arrr! Ahoy! I would rate this kit a 2 on construction and finishin' due t' t' poor fittin' parts and their quality. Arrr! It's about as close t' scratch buildin' a rocket as you'll ever get with a kit.

Finishing:
T' quality o' t' balsa was poor and I should have spent more time fillin' it. I used about three coats o' sandin' sealer with little effect. Paste filler would have worked better. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' nose cone wood was so weak, matey, me bucko, I actually broke the tip o' it off while finishin' t' rocket, but it glued back on nicely and with a little filler, me hearties, me hearties, wasn't noticeable. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey! After initial paintin' with chrome spray paint, shiver me timbers, I painted one fin with fluorescent orange, matey, then sprayed everythin' with multi-colored glitter. After several coats o' clear coat t' cover t' rough glitter, I attached t' single sticker for identification and clear coated the whole thin' again. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Even with all t' problems I encountered with this kit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, the unique design o' t' Zack Attack be a welcome addition t' t' fleet.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I used an Estes B6-4 engine. Blimey! Flight preparation was typical o' simple rockets usin' wadding. Begad! Ya scallywag! It flew very straight off t' pad to an estimated height o' 700 feet and landed about 200 feet from t' pad usin' a 12" nylon parachute in 1-5 mph wind. Begad! Some damage occurred t' t' end of the body tube from recoil o' t' payload section. For its second flight, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, I used an Estes C6-5. Ya scallywag! Again, arrr, it flew very straight off t' pad and reached an impressive height o' about 900 feet, but landed 500 feet from t' pad in 1-5 mph wind and again suffered body tube damage from t' recoil. If I get 5 more launches with this rocket, I will be surprised.

Recovery:
Shock cord is attached t' Keelhaul®©™® thread runnin' through t' body tube from t' engine mount. Aye aye! Assembly o' the recovery system was similar t' that o' Quest rockets. Begad! A 12" parachute seems about right for this rocket, matey, me hearties, thar has been no damage from landing. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! The damage is occurrin' durin' t' ejection phase.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' main PROS o' this rocket are t' way it looks and t' way it flies. The many CONS include substandard quality o' materials and recurrin' damage during the ejection phase. I will give Thrustline Aerospace another try, arrr, and I recommend that anyone else who likes a challenge do t' same.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5