Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. 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, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Ahoy! No paintin' is required. Well, blow me down! 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. Begad! T' shock cord is approximately 16" long, ya bilge rat, matey, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. Blimey! It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most of t' Estes rockets, matey, matey, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. T' 12" parachute is plastic.

Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, it has almost no assembly requirements. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I thought t' instructions were good. Aye aye! Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' nosecone fit nicely, nay loose. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. T' rocket is sturdy.

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

Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, however, me hearties, on t' 10th flight, arrr, me bucko, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the rocket came down in 2 sections. Aye aye! T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting the ground. Begad! Avast! It will fly again, ya bilge rat, but it is a little unsightly. Blimey! Begad! 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. Aye aye! This is the only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. Avast, me proud beauty! That be t' one thin' that needs t' be improved. Begad! Aye aye! I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about 3' long. Ya scallywag! I thought t' recovery time was OK with t' present 12" parachute. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5