Brief:
This Flyin' Saucer has a 24mm motor mount and is designed t' fly on C11-0 and D12-0 motors. It is comprised mainly o' pre-printed card stock and splits into two parts at apogee, both o' which use tumble recovery. Begad! At t' time o' writing, this saucer is also offered in USAF and Smiley Face print schemes, matey, arrr, or in blank card stock.

Construction:
Components:

1. Two preprinted card stock sheets comprise t' top and core assembly o' the saucer.
2. One 9" plastic picnic plate comprises t' bottom.
3. One 2.75" BT-50 motor tube
4. One 2.75" motor hook
5. One 3/16" launch lug
6. 3/32" basswood fin stock

Tools and materials required:

• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Elmer's white glue
• Rubber cement
• Clear enamel (RUS-TOLEUM Crystal Clear or equivalent)
• Double-sided tape
• 150 grit sandpaper

T' construction o' this kit is quite simple and t' whole rocket can be built in one evening. I saved t' paintin' for t' next day. T' instructions come on four sheets and include illustrations and t' required templates. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! They are detailed, ya bilge rat, arrr, but should be read carefully from start t' finish before starting construction.

You first cut out t' top and core pieces and glue them together usin' the printed tabs, matey, similar t' any paper shroud. An inner rin' is attached t' the core, and t' core is glued into t' top section. These steps use white glue, and, me hearties, o' course, shiver me timbers, t' glue must dry betwixt each step. Blimey! Ahoy! Although I got it together fine, I think most grade-schoolers could have done as well. Ahoy! Usin' a provided template, a hole t' size o' t' paper core is cut in t' plate. T' template is supposed t' be attached temporarily with double-sided tape, ya bilge rat, but I just used clear tape. Well, blow me down! T' plate is then glued t' t' saucer assembly with rubber cement. I again deviated and used Liquid Nails. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' results were OK, matey, but rubber cement would have worked better and I recommend you follow t' instructions on this point. Avast! Avast! This completes t' body o' t' saucer.

T' assemble t' fin can, you mark, cut and sand t' fins. Ahoy! Arrr! These are attached t' t' motor tube like any other fins. Ya scallywag! You optionally can add card stock spin tabs, which I did. T' launch lug is added and t' fin unit is complete. Begad! Make sure you glue t' launch lug on so that it will nay interfere with t' spin tabs. Oh, I left off t' motor hook since I plan t' fly this baby on t' longer E9 motor.

T' last step is t' sand t' tip o' t' fins so that t' fin assembly slides into t' core section o' t' saucer.

Finishing:
Finishin' consists o' sprayin' t' printed top and core o' t' saucer with clear enamel. You have t' make sure nay t' get this on t' plastic plate as the paint might damage it. Blimey! Begad! I guess you could paint t' fin can, matey, matey, ya bilge rat, but I elected to leave it naked.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, me bucko, I decided t' stick with t' recommended D12. Since I left out t' motor hook, I had t' use maskin' tape on t' motor. Arrr! Blimey! That's about all the prep that is required. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' saucer spun on t' way up and reached an impressive altitude. It did nay separate at apogee. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead, me hearties, it backslid all the way down and landed four feet from t' pad. Avast! Pretty good since thar were 5+ mph winds.

Against Art's advice nay t' try a motor with an delay/ejection charge, I went crazy and stuffed in an E9-6. Avast, me proud beauty! This time t' saucer really tore off the pad. I couldn't detect t' spinnin' motion, but it did wobble a bit. Ya scallywag! Begad! In spite of t' extra altitude, arrr, t' saucer impacted on its side before t' delay was done. Luckily, matey, thar was no charring, me hearties, arrr, landin' damage or grass fires! Way cool flight!

After thinkin' about why me saucer didn't separate into two pieces, I came up with this explanation. When I sanded t' fin unit t' fit, it slid in easily in one position. If you turn it +/- 45 degrees it binds a little. So, I think the spinnin' motion makes t' two section twist relative t' one another until it hits that spot.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a simple, fun kit. It flies really great, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and is pretty tough, shiver me timbers, tougher than you might think for cardboard!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5