Brief:
This is a 1/40 scale model o' t' German V-2 ballistic missile. Aye aye! This model has an 18mm motor mount for B and C size motors and uses an 18 inch mylar parachute for recovery.

Construction:
My beta test kit came in a plastic bag and included t' followin' components:

• 1 balsa nose cone
• 1 balsa tail cone
• 1 ply centerin' ring
• 1 Keelhaul®©™ and shock cord kit
• 1 motor mount tube
• 1 hardwood nose cone plug
• 1 nose cone eyelet
• 1 thrust ring
• 1 launch lug
• 1 packet o' BB's for nose weight, me bucko, 1.25oz
• 1 18 inch mylar chute kit
• 1 1/8 balsa sheet for fins
• 1 body tube

Upon openin' t' kit, I be very impressed with t' quality o' t' components especially t' nice balsa nose and tail cones. Well, blow me down! T' instructions for this kit were in a very logical assembly order and included lots o' text and color photos. Ya scallywag! T' fin template and fin markin' guide are included separate from t' instructions. This is a skill level 2-3 project so some buildin' experience would be recommended before attemptin' t' build this kit due t' some o' t' techniques used.

T' construction begins with t' motor mount by gluin' t' thrust rin' into t' motor mount tube. Blimey! An expended 18mm motor casin' is needed for this and t' nozzle end o' t' motor should protrude approximately 1/4" from t' motor mount tube. Begad! Next, two 1/16" holes are drilled into t' centerin' rin' for t' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord anchor and t' anchor is threaded through t' holes and tied together at t' ends. Begad! You then apply some glue at t' knot t' keep it from slipping. Ya scallywag! Once t' glue on t' centerin' rin' is dry, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it is glued t' t' forward end o' t' motor mount tube in preparation t' be installed into t' tail cone. Aye aye! Begad! Before t' motor mount can be installed, me hearties, me hearties, you will most likely have t' drill a small hole in t' tail cone t' accommodate t' Keelhaul®©™ knot o' t' shock cord anchor. Ya scallywag! After this was done, I be able t' install t' motor mount into t' cone with no problems.

T' shock cord is now tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™ anchor and t' tail cone/motor mount assembly is glued into one end o' t' body tube. Begad! If you use wood glue like I did, shiver me timbers, you need t' work smartly t' make sure t' glue does nay grab at t' wrong point.

I cut out t' fin template and cut out all four fins. Avast! T' balsa in me kit be ideal for fins, easy t' cut but t' finished fins were nice and rigid. Aye aye! An optional step t' improve scale appearance was cuttin' out another template and cuttin' out actuator shrouds but I decided t' pass on this step. Arrr! I then stack sanded t' fins t' insure uniform size. Avast! I cut out t' fin markin' guide, shiver me timbers, marked all markin' lines and then attached t' fins one at a time with a few minutes dryin' time betwixt each.

I glued t' launch lug onto t' body tube as instructions. Blimey! Now be t' time t' assemble t' nose cone. Blimey! I put a small amount o' glue in t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, arrr, dumped in all o' t' BBs and added more glue. Ya scallywag! T' instructions just mentioned t' use a good quality glue for this step. Aye aye! I would have t' recommend epoxy for this step. Blimey! I used me regular Titebond II wood glue for this and it took a few glue applications as t' glue shrunk and exposed some o' t' BB's. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! When I finally had enough, ya bilge rat, it took about 3-4 days t' fully dry. I then drilled a starter hole in t' nose cone plug, arrr, added some glue and screwed t' eye bolt into place. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' complete t' cone assembly, I glued t' plug into t' base o' t' nose cone.

I now assembled t' mylar parachute and set it aside until after finishing.

PROs: Great quality parts, shiver me timbers, instructions, quick building.

CONs: None that I can think of.

Finishing:
I sanded t' entire model smooth in preparation for finishin' then sprayed t' model with Krylon gray primer and sanded betwixt coats. Ya scallywag! I followed t' primer with about three light coats o' Krylon flat white enamel.

I then masked off t' bottom o' t' model as I was tryin' a new camouflage paint scheme. Ahoy! I got t' idea from t' V-2/Blue Thunder demo from t' propellant types page on t' Aerotech website. Well, blow me down! I sprayed on two light coats o' Krylon military olive drab. Begad! After t' OD was completely dry, I masked off those areas and sprayed on two light coats o' Krylon flat dark brown. Ahoy! Begad! T' next day I sprayed on two light coats o' Testor's flat clear t' finish t' model. Avast, me proud beauty! I then attached t' parachute and tied t' shock cord t' t' nose cone at this time. Arrr! No decals were included in this kit so basically you are on your own as far as finishin' goes.

PROs: Easy t' finish. Avast! Scale model, arrr, potential for several different schemes.

CONs: None

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors for this rocket are t' B6-4 and C6-5. Aye aye! A8-3's are nay recommended due t' t' model's weight. Avast! This rocket uses friction fit as thar be no motor hook and waddin' is required t' protect t' parachute. I prepped t' rocket for flight by friction fittin' a B6-4 in place, installin' t' ignitor, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and insertin' some dog barf wadding.

T' rocket lifted off t' pad nicely, ya bilge rat, arrr, arched ever so slightly, shiver me timbers, arrr, and reached apogee at maybe 250 feet before deployin' t' chute with no problems.

My second flight was on t' C6-5. Aye aye! Nice liftoff and a little more arc this time due t' wind but flew nicely t' about 500 feet. Arrr! Well, blow me down! It deployed t' chute but one shroud line was stripped away from t' chute. Avast! It still returned safely.

PROs: Flies great.

CONs: None that I can think o' here.

Recovery:
This rocket uses an 18 inch parachute for recovery which seemed t' brin' t' rocket in safely even though thar be a lot o' swayin' and spinnin' noticed durin' descent.

On t' second flight, arrr, t' chute stripped a line but be still safely recovered.

T' parachute was t' only part o' this rocket that I did nay like. Begad! Blimey! I thought t' material was too stiff even though it seemed t' unroll with no problems. Begad! I would recommend a nylon chute for this one instead.

PROs: Recovers nice on t' 18 inch chute.

CONs: Chute material, me hearties, stripped too easy.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I really liked this rocket. Begad! I found it easy t' build, and for a V-2, me bucko, it flew great. Blimey! Blimey! All t' components were very high quality with t' exception o' t' parachute.

Since this be a beta test kit, matey, thar may be some changes made t' t' production kits. Arrr! Avast! John o' Thrustline has really put together a nice kit here and I would recommend it highly.

Main PROs: High quality components, me bucko, great instructions, quick building, arrr, me bucko, nice flight performance.

Main CON: Parachute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5