Brief:
This is a skill level 2 kit from Quest with pseudo-military looks usin' the Nike name and lower fin shape. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It is a single stage rocket with mid-body separation. Avast! T' upper section could be used for payload.

Construction:
T' basic components consist o' t' following:

• Main body tube 8.5" long
• smaller dia. upper body tube 9" long
• plastic fin can
• plastic transition with shock cord attachment plate
• plastic nose cone
• two plastic centerin' rings (upper and lower)
• 18mm motor mount tube
• 18mm motor block
• metal motor hook
• 18" length o' Keelhaul®©™® cord
• 24" length o' round elastic shock cord
• 2" length o' 1/8" launch lug
• 12" plastic Quest parachute
• pack o' 3-26" shroud lines
• two strips o' three gripper tabs
• decal sheet
• instructions

You will need a hobby knife, pencil, me hearties, medium grit sandpaper, wood glue, plastic cement, arrr, and some maskin' tape as well.

I came home one night about midnight from work and still bein' slightly wired from a nay so great time at work, me hearties, I started t' build this kit. Avast, me proud beauty! About one hour later it was completely done. Well, blow me down! I even tried t' do it as if I had never built a kit before and reread t' instructions a few times t' see if they made sense. Blimey! I also used too much glue in many areas as a novice might do t' see if I could mess this one up.

If you follow t' instructions carefully, ya bilge rat, this rocket will go together quickly, easily, and be finished before you know it. Ahoy! Avast! It is a very well thought out kit with an excellent set o' parts and instructions. Begad! There were no "gotchas" anywhere and even with t' application o' too much glue, the rocket came together very nicely with no flaws. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions flowed along very logically with clear illustrations and steps that were simple to follow. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, I wiped all t' excess glue off carefully as I still have my standards t' adhere to. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Regular plastic cement by Testors welded t' plastic to the cardboard tubes just fine and did nay melt any o' t' plastic t' plastic joints. I have had some issues with t' motor hook on some o' their other kits but this one be nay a problem at all. All t' pieces fit together t' first time and only very slight trimmin' o' some o' t' plastic parts was necessary, mostly for cosmetic reasons.

Finishing:
Finishin' o' this bird could nay be easier! There were some very thin, slight tube spirals which were hardly noticeable which were left as is. Well, blow me down! With careful application o' glue, no finishin' is required t' have a nice lookin' rocket. Although t' plastic fin can and transition were orange in color, t' nose cone white, me hearties, and t' addition o' t' decals, arrr, t' colors seemed t' blend in nicely. For t' novice builder this is a definite plus because it cuts down on the amount o' work needed and still produces a nice rocket that can be shown proudly. Avast, me proud beauty! T' only issue, if that, is that t' instructions lead you t' think that t' decals are t' waterslide type, which they are not. Avast, me proud beauty! You have t' peel the paper backin' off o' t' decal and then apply it t' t' rocket. Blimey! Ya scallywag! However, the soapy water is still needed t' apply these. T' decal is very sticky and once it is on, me hearties, you will ruin it if you try t' take it back up t' reposition it. They are also very difficult t' separate from t' backin' once you have cut them t' size.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors were t' B6-4 and C6-5. Begad! Begad! T' first flight was sent up on the B6-4, although I am leery o' usin' t' smallest motor at first. Avast! Blimey! However, keepin' with t' pseudo-novice approach, ya bilge rat, I followed t' recommendations. Ahoy! Arrr! Rocket preparation for flight is easy t' do on this one, me hearties, just fill t' large main body tube with four sheets o' standard wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' chute was folded and inserted next with t' upper section then joined t' t' lower. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' motor was slid in and the hook held it tight. T' launch was straight and true t' about 400' with ejection just slight past apogee. Blimey! It is a good chute and provides a damage free landing.

Next flight was with t' C6-5 and it really gets some serious height with this one! It be high enough that these older deadlights really didn't see t' chute come out but t' slow drift down told me it was OK. Begad! T' rather long walk reminded me o' that as well.

I tried one more flight with t' only Quest engine I had which was nay a recommended one. Aye aye! Blimey! T' A6-4 got it off t' pad OK, but t' height was almost not enough for t' chute t' open with that long o' a delay! Blimey! T' rocket landed a bit hard but suffered no damage and is OK t' fly again. Blimey! Blimey!

Recovery:
T' supplied chute is more than adequate for this bird with nice soft landings assured. Begad! I happen t' like t' Quest style o' shock cord mount and use it in many o' me other rockets. Aye aye! For t' C6 flights, a smaller chute should be fine to keep it close. Well, blow me down! With t' plastic, one piece fin can, I might even try a good size streamer next.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Excellent first time kit for someone lookin' t' try t' build something even without modelin' skills. Avast! Very good first step up from a RTF. Avast! Blimey! No special tools or supplies are needed t' build or finish this kit. Easy t' follow instructions t' take you from start t' finish in no time. Arrr!

CONs: T' decal problem as described and t' funky orange color o' t' fins and transition.