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

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

T' Aerotech web site indicates that this kit comes with a 24mm adapter. Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! I think its a misprint on t' web site because t' catalog does nay indicate a 24mm adapter.

There are six pages o' clear, me bucko, illustrated instructions. There are a couple o' breakouts which provide a location guide for t' motor mount and a detail o' t' fin. Aye aye! T' remainin' illustrations provide adequate information for assembly. T' instructions also provide clear warnings on use o' glue, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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. Avast! T' instructions are in logical order and can ensure a successful assembly if followed. Begad! Begad!

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

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

Durin' t' finishin' stage I decided t' nay fill t' body tube grooves with anythin' and just build it up usin' Plasti-Kote primer. Blimey! This be nay t' best decision. Aye aye! This be nay t' best decision. It took about 5 coats, me bucko, sandin' inbetween each one, me hearties, before t' grooves were filled. Aye aye! T' nose cone be one o' t' biggest problems due t' t' moldin' grooves left on each side. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

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

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

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' second 30" parachute carries t' bottom, fin and motor, shiver me timbers, section down. Ahoy! Blimey!

T' kit uses two launch lugs. One is on t' upper section and t' other is on t' bottom section. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! I used a five foot rod and even that seemed a tad bit short. Aye aye! Begad!

T' maiden voyage be on an Aerotech Single-Use F25-6. Excellent slow and loud lift off. Begad! Excellent slow and loud lift off. Avast, me proud beauty! T' F25 powered t' Mirage to a fully observable apogee (wRASP says about 675 feet), 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, ya bilge rat, so it would be good t' have a flyin' partner t' help in retrieval. Begad!

T' second flight was supposed t' be on a G80-7, me bucko, however, after 4 puffs this motor was nay goin' t' ignite. So t' second flight was on an Aerotech EconoJet G35-7. Begad! This flight be 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 . Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! . Ahoy! Blimey! . Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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.  

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

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. Aye aye!

Overall, matey, for t' price and ease o' build, arrr, t' Mirage is a great kit for someone lookin' for a very large, shiver me timbers, mid-powered rocket with little experience. I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Begad!

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

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

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is an excellent kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Blimey!