Brief:
This is a single stage 20" tall rocket with 3 fins by CYCLINE3 which is described as an "Ultra High Performance Mid-Power Rocket". Avast! T' kit comes with a unique and well made rectangular light fabric chute. Begad! Arrr! This is the second CYCLINE3 kit I have built, t' first bein' t' simply named #002b.

Construction:
This comes in an Estes type retail package, a plastic bag with peg ready header card. Ahoy! Includes a 1.6" BT60, rounded plastic nose cone, 24mm engine tube, rail buttons, fabric chute, 12 foot elastic shock cord, matey, brass snap-swivel, very nice quality black flame sticker, me hearties, (6) page 8.5 x 11 manual and a CD-Rom of flight videos which include this rocket. Well, blow me down!

T' instructions with this kit are very good, arrr, and are some o' t' best I have ever seen. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! They explain why each o' t' methods o' construction are suggested. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! One thin' out o' t' ordinary in t' instructions is that it calls specifically for Polyurethane glue for construction, ya bilge rat, arrr, which I was unable to locate. Aye aye! Blimey! I used other methods for t' construction which I will describe below.

T' shape o' t' fins, I only happen t' know by personal experience, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, are the same as were on t' Estes Astron Sprint (OOP) from t' late 70's. Ya scallywag! This is a nice choice for fin shape, matey, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, yet considerin' that these must be cut and shaped from balsa fin stock that is nay die-cut, this is nay a kit for a beginner. Begad! Avast! The Balsa is good quality, ya bilge rat, and with a lot o' patience, arrr, usin' a razor saw, several sizes o' exacto cutlass blades and a sandin' block, I was able t' come up with nice lookin' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! For someone who has never made fins this shape, arrr, arrr, this could be a challenge. Ahoy! For t' more experienced builder, it's nay hard really, matey, with time and care. Aye aye!

This kit calls for a very unique method o' creatin' an engine tube centerin' rin' with Polyurethane glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Like t' other Cycline3 kit I built, it does nay come with a thrust ring or engine clip. Arrr! With this rocket, I decided t' add a 24mm thrust rin' and D length engine clip, as well as two cardboard centerin' rings, all pulled from a Mean Machine kit. Begad! I also added a 30" piece o' Keelhaul®©™® 100# test cord.

This kit, ya bilge rat, just as t' other Cycline3 kit I built (#002b), ya bilge rat, is designed t' be (4) ounces. Even with me modifications o' engine tube rings, recovery and addition o' a thrust rin' and clip, both me Cycline3 #002b, and this Cycline3 #004 Poison Arrow, me hearties, ya bilge rat, only came t' 3.5 ounces each. Ya scallywag!

When mountin' t' fins, I went a little out o' t' way, shiver me timbers, in ways not suggested by t' instructions. Avast! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! First I sanded off t' glassine layer from the body tube all t' way around t' fin area. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I then traced where t' fins would be located, and usin' a very sharp exacto pin (like a map pin), me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, I made (7) small holes in t' body tube where each fin would mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Then usin' a medium CA, matey, me hearties, I made a nice bead on each fin root, shiver me timbers, me hearties, placed them and lined them up with an Estes fin alignment guide and clips. Avast! After t' CA dried, I used DAP Woodweld yellow wood glue for fillets. It is me thinkin' that t' tiny holes in the airframe will allow t' CA t' seep in, me bucko, makin' little "rivets" sort of. Arrr! Aye aye! This is a technique I gleaned from EMRR recently, me bucko, me hearties, when readin' other reviews.

I added me own launch lugs instead o' t' rail buttons which were provided.

Finishing:
T' Cycline3 kits suggest usin' primer, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, then sandin' and then usin' flat paint for t' color, followed by decals, shiver me timbers, then a gloss coat. Begad! Begad! T' reason bein' as they state, that flat paint does nay tend t' run like gloss paint. Begad! That's very true, and nice attention t' detail. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

I skipped primer on this one, t' fly it t' same day. Begad! Begad! I'm nay one t' worry about a glass like finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I painted this one as per t' prototype shown on the cover o' t' manual, and in t' flight video CD it came with. Nose cone gloss black, me hearties, me bucko, and t' rest metalic silver.

T' black flame decal that comes with this kit is one o' t' best quality I have ever seen with any rocket kit.

Due t' t' construction and finishin' methods, I believe this kit should have a high skill level stated on it. T' cuttin' and shapin' o' t' fins requires previous experience. Aye aye! I'm goin' t' have t' take off 1/2 a point due to this. Ya scallywag! Begad! Here I give a (4.5/5.0). Aye aye!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
This kit does nay state any specific recommended motors, matey, it just states "24MM C Through F Power". Thank goodness for t' new Estes C11's. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I popped a C11-5 in for t' test flight before paint. Ya scallywag! A C11 put it so high that I did nay expect t' recover it. This is most certainly a "High Performance" rocket and a large field is recommended. Begad! Avast! I'm goin' t' try it on a D12, but only at a club launch where I can get some help trackin' it.

This rocket if built right, ya bilge rat, should do just what mine did, me hearties, arrr, and leap off the pad straight as an arrow. T' flight be flawless. Nay a bit o' twist, arrr, spin or weather-cocking. Begad! Just straight as an arrow.

Recovery:
This rocket kit comes with a very nice quality, somewhat unusual, rectangular shaped light cloth chute called a "Frankenchute". Arrr! It's sort o' a peach color, me hearties, very light and very strong. It is pre-assembled and has heavy stitchin' and thick but light shroud lines. Avast! If purchased alone, t' chute is easily worth at least o' what they charge for t' entire kit. Blimey! Blimey! Don't forget the waddin' t' protect t' chute. Arrr!

This kit comes with a 12 foot (not 12 inch) super long elastic shock cord, and an Estes type paper triple fold mount. Avast! Instructions suggest puttin' a staple through it and usin' epoxy t' mount it t' t' inside o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Avast! I don't personally care for that method, so I modified mine, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as described below. However, that method has been proven t' work, and with t' 12 foot shock cord and nice strong fabric chute, shiver me timbers, it sure deserves a 5/5 here. Ya scallywag! Begad!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a complete rocket kit with excellent materials and instructions. Aye aye! It's design is innovative and it is most certainly high performance as it claims to be. Arrr! It comes with an excellent comprehensive instruction manual as well as a high quality recovery system.

I modified t' recovery system a bit, matey, just out o' personal preference. Ya scallywag! Takin' a 30" long strand o' 100# test Keelhaul®©™® cord, I tied double knots in both ends. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Then usin' an exacto knife I made small V slits in two outside edges o' t' top motor tube centerin' ring. Usin' CA to bond t' knots, me bucko, I then secured both ends o' t' cord t' t' mount ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Making certain that t' loop would be an inch shy o' bein' able t' come out o' t' top of t' body, me hearties, I added a snap swivel t' be able t' change chutes quickly, and tied a knot about an inch from t' top t' create a second loop. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! While it is unlikely that t' Keelhaul®©™® will burn through, arrr, if one side breaks, t' other side should still hold. I then attached t' 12 foot elastic shock cord. Usin' this method, me bucko, t' shock cord will be t' only thin' comin' into contact with t' body tube, me hearties, and I do believe this will prevent a tube zipper, even in t' case o' a late and quick decent ejection. This is me personal double cord system. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5