Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It is a pre-assembled kit where t' only thin' you need to do is attach t' parachute t' t' rocket. T' parachute is 12" in diameter, arrr, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Aye aye! No paintin' is required. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' package says it will go t' 1200'.

Construction:
T' Rascal uses a body tube 0.976" in diameter and has four fins and a plastic nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! T' shock cord is approximately 16" long, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most of t' Estes rockets, me bucko, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. Arrr! Blimey! T' 12" parachute is plastic.

Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, arrr, me hearties, it has almost no assembly requirements. Arrr! I thought t' instructions were good. Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. Begad! T' nosecone fit nicely, arrr, nay loose. Ahoy! I modified it by usin' a fishin' snap swivel attached t' t' parachute t' connect it t' t' nose cone so it would be able t' twist on the way down after launching. This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. Blimey! T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. T' rocket is sturdy. Ahoy! Ahoy!

Finishing:
There is no finishin' required, ya bilge rat, I suppose one could clear coat t' rocket if they desired.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Rascal has a number o' recommended motors. They are: A8-3, B4-4, B6-4, matey, C6-5, and C6-7. Ya scallywag! I don't like t' fly my rockets so high that I have trouble recoverin' them, me hearties, me hearties, so I've only used t' A8-3, B4-4, and B6-4. T' A8-3 flew nicely to I would estimate somewhere about 250', arrr, shiver me timbers, and t' B engines would send it up t' somewhere around 550'. Ahoy! I never measured the altitude so these are just estimates, me hearties, but t' package says it'll go t' 1200 feet. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I put about 4 sheets o' Estes Waddin' in it, matey, and t' rocket used a metal motor retention clip. It flew straight with a nice parachute deployment and soft landing. Begad! I flew it ten times, but t' shock cord separated on t' 10th flight. Arrr! It always flew well for me. Aye aye! No "Cons" for flight characteristics.

Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, ya bilge rat, however, on t' 10th flight, arrr, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the rocket came down in 2 sections. Well, blow me down! T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting the ground. Ya scallywag! Begad! It will fly again, arrr, but it is a little unsightly. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I suspect t' decals wrinkle ever so slightly on the extreme edge (of t' decal) from t' ejection charge heat inside t' rocket body, but I could be wrong. This is the only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! That be t' one thin' that needs t' be improved. I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about 3' long. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I thought t' recovery time was OK with t' present 12" parachute.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good rocket that needs no assembly except for attachin' t' parachute. Aye aye! You can literally be launching in minutes. It looks nice in silver, shiver me timbers, arrr, flies well with decent altitude, me hearties, and recovers nicely. Well, blow me down! It's been a good rocket in my stable. Aye aye! In fact, it's t' rocket I've flown t' most. T' shock cord will get brittle and break eventually, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and it broke on mine on t' 10th flight. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I would say start checkin' it before you fly it after t' 6th flight. Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5