Brief:  An easy t' assemble mid-power rocket complete with an ejection baffle and a pair o' Econojet motors.

Forward:  One o' t' members o' me NARRRRR section saw a bulk pack of Aerotech kits advertised for an amazin' special price by one o' t' on-line vendors. Well, me hearties, blow me down! He asked if anyone was interested in goin' in on a pack (a dozen kits) and splittin' them up. He pointed out that each kit and pair o' motors would run about $25 bucks so you were essentially gettin' a mid-power rocket kit for less than ten bucks since t' motors run nearly $18 alone. Begad! There be so much interest that we ordered two dozen, shiver me timbers, with one o' t' kits bein' made t' grand prize for t' club's 2001 Rocketoberfest open meet.

T' kits came with all t' parts and motors together in one container with a single copy o' t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Blimey! These were split into individual kits by Nick and Jerome and distributed t' t' interested parties. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I would like t' express a heartfelt thanks t' these two for their work in gettin' everything "together." T' kits appear t' be Aerotech Mustangs without t' 24mm adapter and no decals. It would appear that t' idea behind them is to encourage t' use o' Econojet motors.

Construction:  My kit was very easy t' construct. It came with a pre-slotted airframe tube, me hearties, plastic nose, 29mm motor tube, and a variety of small plastic parts. Ya scallywag! It also came with a very nice 16" rip-stop nylon 'chute and hard plastic fins. Avast! Aye aye! T' instructions are clear and complete, yet brief, with illustrations t' help t' builder along. They clearly indicate that the design o' t' rockets is such that flight stresses are transferred t' the airframe in such a way that t' strength o' t' glue bein' used is nay in question. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' only cement recommended is medium viscosity CA. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor tube is first marked with a reference line runnin' t' length o' t' tube. Aye aye! Begad! Marks are also made at t' fin lock rin' locations usin' t' diagram printed on the plans. Avast! T' motor block and flange are glued into t' motor mount, and a slot is cut for t' very stout motor hook. Avast, me proud beauty! There was a little confusion determining which part be t' motor block, me hearties, thar be another, longer rin' in t' kit that is used t' space out t' mount for Econojet G and F motors. Avast! These two rings are very similar and it would be easy t' get t' wrong one. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' motor hook is installed with t' hook end in t' slot previously made. Well, blow me down! Next t' fin lock rings are slipped over t' ends o' t' motor tube and located at t' marks and over t' hook. Ahoy! Begad! This sounds a lot easier than it is. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions indicate that t' rings will be very snug on t' tube and they are nay kidding. I was able t' get them on with some effort after roundin' off t' end o' t' tube with me fingernail. Blimey! Once you get them on t' tube and movin' it's important not to stop until they are in position because it's truly hard t' get them moving again. Well, me hearties, blow me down! A flange rin' is then glued t' t' forward edge o' t' forward ring. Finally, t' stainless steel mesh is installed in t' top o' t' motor tube, and t' hard plastic baffle top is glued into t' end. Aye aye! A screw eye in t' top of t' baffle is used t' anchor t' recovery system.

T' fin lock system used by Aerotech is very unique. T' fins have a tab that is shaped t' match t' locks glued t' t' motor tube - a sort o' upside down taper that is grabbed by t' locks. Begad! Avast! T' bottom o' each fin is wide and flat formin' a sort o' molded in fillet. Begad! T' fins themselves are made o' a very dense plastic with nice beveled edges. Avast! Avast! T' fit and precision of t' tabs/locks is very good, matchin' exactly t' diameter o' t' airframe such that t' fin bottoms mate firmly with t' airframe but do nay cause it to cave even slightly under them. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' motor assembly is slid into t' airframe and the fins are test fit into t' slots and locks. Ahoy! When satisfied with the location, everythin' is glued together. Avast! I must confess at this point that I used epoxy here, matey, nay because I have any doubts about CA, but because I was layin' up fin fillets on me Interceptor G and didn't want t' waste any left over epoxy. I placed a thin layer o' epoxy on t' root edges, tab ends and edges and then installed t' fins until t' locks clicked loudly confirmin' a firm latch-up. It did take an alarmin' amount o' force t' get t' fins t' lock in; I don't know if that's due t' t' epoxy or just that t' locks are very tight by accident or design. Arrr! Begad! T' epoxy that squeezed out from under t' fin plates was wiped clean. Ya scallywag! T' final flange rin' be then installed against the back o' t' aft lock ring. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch lugs are a square shape with a raked leadin' edge and are molded o' hard plastic. Begad! These were glued into t' provided holes in t' airframe tube usin' epoxy.

T' recovery system was finished by tyin' off t' free end o' t' elastic to the nose and then clippin' t' 'chute t' that. Blimey! I chose t' add a long length of Keelhaul®©™ (tm) line t' back up t' elastic strap; it's sized t' be long enough to allow t' elastic t' stretch. Begad! I also added a steal split rin' t' t' shock cord and a snap swivel t' t' 'chute t' make attachin' t' 'chute easier.

Rating: 4

There is no challenge t' buildin' this kit; it goes right together. Ya scallywag! There were some problems with t' rings goin' on t' motor tube, but t' instructions warn that it will be that way.

Finish:  A simple finish was put on this rocket. T' nose cone seam was sanded smooth, and t' whole rocket given a good once over with sandpaper t' give t' paint some "tooth." A light coat of white primer be laid down, arrr, and sanded lightly with 400-grit paper. Begad! I didn't take t' time t' fill t' spirals, they are noticeable if you look for them, but t' tubin' has a fine enough spiral that it doesn't stand out. Avast! I then laid down two coats o' Rustoleum Fluorescent Yellow on t' forward section o' the rocket. I followed that about an hour later with flat black on t' after end featherin' t' paint above t' fins. Blimey! I didn't intend t' mist quite so high, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but it sort o' snuck up thar when I went t' even it out, shiver me timbers, then I had t' even out the "evenin' out", me hearties, etc. After curin' for a day or two I misted the entire thin' with Rustolem gloss clear coat, and applied a "wet" coat of clear an hour or so later.

Rating: 4

Flying:  I've flown this rocket on several occasions. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first one was at one o' t' club launches usin' one o' t' Econojet F20s that t' kit came with. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' quote me bucko Max; "That's haulin' t' mail!" It gets 'way the heck up thar on an F; I haven't had good enough weather or t' fortitude to launch it on a G yet. Aye aye! One o' these days though! Some o' t' club members lost theirs earlier that same day, one because it weathervaned off t' launch rod or experienced rod whip, me bucko, shiver me timbers, matey, another landed in a tree, etc. I have also burned a pair o' E16-7 reloads in it. Begad! T' first time it was a little windy and I was launchin' into t' wind some and thought t' seemingly long delay be due to the resultin' low altitude. Begad! However, it did t' same thin' launched straight up on a calm day. Begad! Aye aye! It caused some tense seconds and a few gasps when it finally cut loose with t' laundry, but I wasn't surprised. Begad! An E16-4 would be preferable to a -7, I think. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! And I've flown it only once with a D12-3 and though it turned out OK, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I wouldn't recommend it and won't be doin' it again!

Rating: 5

This rocket will really "haul t' mail!" It is also quite tame on E's. Ahoy! Overall 5/5 If you are lookin' for a basic rocket that is inexpensive, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, can be assembled in an evening, matey, and will perform well on mid power motors this is the kit for you.

Cheers:  No worries gettin' t' fins on straight. Begad! Blimey! Good, clearly written and illustrated instructions. Quick building. Avast! Blimey! Flies beautifully. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Performance is simply amazin' on F motors, but nice and tame on E's.

Jeers:  None

Specs: Length: 31 inches Diameter: 1.9 inches Weight: 11.5 oz, arrr, arrr, finished (this is what mine actually weighs) Recovery: 16" Nylon 'chute Motors: The manufacturer recommends all seven second delay Econojets. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! One could also use these reloads: E16-7 (my personal experience is that a -4 would be better), E23-5, matey, F40-10, matey, shiver me timbers, F22-7, F52-8, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, G33-7, and G64-10. Blimey! Blimey! And in single use: F25-9, F50-9, G40-10, and G80-10.