T' Mirage was t' second medium-power rocket and t' first Aerotech kit that I built. Begad! In addition, this kit be t' largest rocket that I have ever built, shiver me timbers, towerin' 87" (that's 7'- 3"!).It is 2.6" in diameter and weighs 31 ounces.It flies with 29mm motors. In a nutshell, it's a whole lot o' rocket!

T' kit comes with three body tubes with couplers, arrr, plastic nose cone, and launch lugs. Due t' mid-separation, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it comes with t' hardware necessary t' attach two 8 foot shock cords and two nylon parachutes (one 22" and one 30"). Arrr! Begad! T' motor mount hardware includes a LABYRINTH coolin' mesh and ejection baffle, which eliminates t' need for wadding, as well as a motor retention hook. There are three large plastic fins with tabs for mountin' in Aerotech's FIN-LOK system through a pre-slotted body tube. Avast! Lastly, matey, thar be a large Mirage decal.

T' Aerotech web site indicates that this kit comes with a 24mm adapter. Blimey! Blimey! My kit did nay and quite frankly due t' size and weight t' only 24mm motors I would use would be F24 and F39 and then flights would be less than 400 feet. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I think its a misprint on t' web site because t' catalog does nay indicate a 24mm adapter. Ahoy! Blimey!

There are six pages o' clear, matey, illustrated instructions. Begad! There are a couple o' breakouts which provide a location guide for t' motor mount and a detail o' t' fin. Arrr! T' remainin' illustrations provide adequate information for assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions also provide clear warnings on use o' glue, such as, nay puttin' it on t' shock cord since it will weaken it and t' avoid gettin' glue into t' FIN-LOK ring's. Ya scallywag! T' instructions are in logical order and can ensure a successful assembly if followed. Arrr! Blimey!

T' instructions suggest usin' medium viscosity CA, however, I used 5 and 30-minute epoxy. Ahoy! In doin' so, I had t' wait a few extra minutes betwixt steps, however, matey, shiver me timbers, I still built t' entire kit in about one and a half hours. Begad!

T' assembly o' this large rocket be very easy and thar were no problems. Arrr! All o' t' parts fit and went together as described. T' most difficult part o' this rocket is dealin' with it's height. Avast, me proud beauty! If you're nay extra careful, arrr, me bucko, you will certainly hit t' ceilin' a few times. Blimey! Also dealin' with it's size adds a challenge t' finishing. Arrr!

Durin' t' finishin' stage I decided t' nay fill t' body tube grooves with anythin' and just build it up usin' Plasti-Kote primer. This was nay t' best decision. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This was nay t' best decision. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! It took about 5 coats, sandin' inbetween each one, shiver me timbers, matey, before t' grooves were filled. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' nose cone was one o' t' biggest problems due t' t' moldin' grooves left on each side.

Once fully primed, me bucko, I chose t' paint t' rocket with a deep maroon metallic automotive lacquer. Aye aye! Blimey! I painted t' entire rocket this color. Then I took a can o' chrome paint and sprayed t' nose cone and t' upper section o' t' rocket, nay protectin' anythin' from over spray. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I think this gave a nice "fade-in" look. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

T' kit comes with one decal with t' name Mirage™ on it, however I did nay choose t' use it at first. Begad! I have since gone back and used it. Arrr! I followed t' directions completely and cut out t' decal, peeled t' back off, dipped it into some soapy water then applied it t' t' body. I adhered nicely. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I didn't find a single problem.

T' Mirage has a mid-separation design which releases t' upper five foot section t' descend on it's own 22" parachute. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' second 30" parachute carries t' bottom, fin and motor, ya bilge rat, section down. Blimey!

T' kit uses two launch lugs. Ahoy! One is on t' upper section and t' other is on t' bottom section. Avast! These two need t' be aligned t' allow for a smooth launch off o' t' guide rod. Ya scallywag! T' last page in t' instructions are t' "Operation Instructions" and they indicate that "a 1/4" diameter metal launch rod at least 36" long (as measured from t' top o' t' blast deflector)" should be used. Ahoy! Blimey! This can nay be correct and must be a blanket operation instruction for other Aerotech kits since t' top launch lug is about 38" from t' bottom o' t' rocket. I used a five foot rod and even that seemed a tad bit short.

T' maiden voyage was on an Aerotech Single-Use F25-6. Aye aye! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Excellent slow and loud lift off. T' F25 powered t' Mirage to a fully observable apogee (wRASP says about 675 feet), matey, ya bilge rat, then about 2 seconds after apogee t' ejection charge pushed t' upper section away and both parachutes deployed. T' upper section came down faster than t' lower section. T' lower section drifted more than t' upper section, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me hearties, so it would be good t' have a flyin' partner t' help in retrieval. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

T' second flight was supposed t' be on a G80-7, however, me hearties, after 4 puffs this motor was nay goin' t' ignite. Avast, me proud beauty! So t' second flight was on an Aerotech EconoJet G35-7. Arrr! This flight was also great t' watch with separation at apogee.

T' LABYRINTH ejection gas coolin' system did exactly what it claims to; "T' ignition o' t' ejection charge creates a burst o' hot expandin' gas which is cooled by t' permanent metal mesh . Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! . . Avast, me proud beauty! T' cooled gas flows around t' baffle, me bucko, matey, pressurizes t' parachute bay and ejects t' nose cone (or payload bay) and parachute." I had no damage t' me shock cords or parachutes. Aye aye!  

One other interestin' fact about t' Mirage is how well suited it is for many different motors. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Accordin' t' wRASP, matey, t' Mirage will have excellent flights (with ejection very near or at apogee) on Single-Use motors, me bucko, F20-4, me bucko, ya bilge rat, F25-4, F50-6, me hearties, G80-7 and RMS motors, F52-5, arrr, G33-5 and G64-7. I'm sure t' North Coast Rocketry Darkstar F62-6 would also give a nice flight. I look forward t' usin' some o' these other motors!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. Ya scallywag!

Overall, ya bilge rat, for t' price and ease o' build, ya bilge rat, t' Mirage is a great kit for someone lookin' for a very large, ya bilge rat, mid-powered rocket with little experience. Ahoy! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Ya scallywag!

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Well, blow me down! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Avast! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Ahoy! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Well, blow me down! For more information, use t' two links above.

"T' Mirage is a tall, arrr, attractive model standin' 87" tall and 2. 6" in diameter. Ya scallywag! Arrr! " 
"Her features are t' Labyrinth ejection charge coolin' system, shiver me timbers, molded plastic fins, matey, ya bilge rat, through-the-wall fin mounting, dual parachute recovery, large decal sheet, and complete instructions. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! " 
"Flights with t' F40 were very interesting. Begad! Liftoff was slow, but then t' Mirage picked up speed. Blimey! " 
"T' Aerotech Mirage is a very nice kit t' get started in higher power rockets. " 
"She is a large, arrr, arrr, good lookin' kit that is very easy t' build and fly. Blimey! " 
"On a scale o' one t' ten, me hearties, this model deserves a ten. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! " 

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is an excellent kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler. Begad! Aye aye!