Brief:
This is a simple 38mm high power saucer that incorporates an aerobrake recovery system. Begad! This was me Level 1 attempt. Aye aye! Begad! Since me club's field is fairly small, me bucko, I wanted a high drag rocket that is hard t' mess up. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Naturally, matey, I thought o' Art Applewhite.

Construction:
T' kit consisted of:

• 2 marked foamboard shrouds
• 2 glue strips
• 38mm motor mount tube.

Also included was an easy t' follow instruction sheet. Avast! T' setup is basic but effective. Nothin' else is needed. It should be noted that these kits have t' needed grooves precut in them t' aid in folding. Ya scallywag! This is a blessing. I suspect doin' it one's self would prove VERY tedious and probably nay result in as good a job.

In a radical departure from most other rockets where construction does nay start with t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Instead, it begins with cuttin' out t' top surface o' t' rocket. Avast! Ahoy! This is done on pre-marked and pre-grooved foamboard with t' use o' a straightedge and a razor knife. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, blow me down! T' cuts should be made slowly, usin' multiple passes and fresh blades. I changed blades after every two lines which was probably overkill but resulted in good cuts. When t' upper body be cut out, I carefully folded it into shape and everythin' fit perfectly.

T' lower body starts out in almost t' same manner but thar are two lines around t' motor mount hole and outer body. Ahoy! Begad! T' outermost o' these lines would be plumb cut. When those are straight, me bucko, me bucko, t' razor knife is used t' bevel t' edge o' t' foam back t' t' second line. Ahoy! CHANGE YOUR BLADE BEFORE DOING THIS. Ahoy! Aye aye! This be t' part I most worried about but I learned that usin' a fresh blade every couple o' cuts yielded good results.

After t' upper and lower bodies have been test fit, it is time t' permanently fold them and glue their edged together. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This is done usin' white glue and an overlap strip. Begad! Well, blow me down! I used some weights t' hold everythin' in place as t' glue set up.

When t' upper and lower bodies are formed, matey, white glue is used t' filled t' grooves. When t' glue has set up, its time t' make a dry run and fit everythin' together. Blimey! Ya scallywag! If anythin' needs t' be sanded into shape, shiver me timbers, now be t' time t' do it.

T' 38mm motor tube is slipped into t' upper body. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' lower body is then slid into place and everythin' is checked for fit. Arrr! If t' bevel cut into t' outer edges o' t' lower body do nay fit flush against t' upper surface, sandpaper is used t' improve t' fit. Begad! When everythin' fits, ya bilge rat, white glued is used t' fix everythin' in place. Arrr! Fillets o' white glued are then used t' reinforce all intersections. I would use t' glue t' seal t' exposed foam edges o' t' rocket as well.

• PROS: easy high power build, no special tools, arrr, grooves in t' foamboard are already cut.
• CONS: none

Finishing:
Finishin' on this rocket was done very gingerly even though it was still conducted in me patented ham-fisted style. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' instruction warns about t' dangers that spay solvents pose t' foam and I took these warnings seriously. Arrr! Blimey! Unfortunately, every primer I tried on a piece o' scrap attacked t' foam. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! My solution was workable but took lots o' time and paint.

I sealed t' edges o' all foam with white glue and gave a thin coatin' o' t' same glue t' both surfaces o' t' rocket. Ya scallywag! It was a very light coating. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! I waited for t' glue t' dry and harden, shiver me timbers, then took out t' Krylon® primer. Aye aye! I gave t' rocket a total o' about 12 coats, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, if you want t' call them coats. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! Essentially, shiver me timbers, each pass was a very light dusting. T' hope was that thar would nay be enough solvent t' soak in and that t' solvent would evaporate quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In time, t' thin layers built up a more protective layer t' insulate t' foam underneath. Begad! It seemed t' work. Avast, me proud beauty! T' process was done first on t' bottom and then repeated on t' top.

When t' primer be dry, me hearties, I masked t' entire upper body and sprayed t' lower body red. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I used light coats but they were nay excessively light. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! My supposition is that t' primer idea worked because thar were no problems.

For further finishing, me hearties, I found a jpg o' t' famous Jaws image on t' web. Avast, me proud beauty! I then opened it in photoshop and resize it such that t' shark image be maximized in t' space o' a single panel o' t' rocket. Aye aye! After that, I printed 5 copies on decal paper and applied t' decals, arrr, arrr, one on each face. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used a razor t' try and fit at t' corners but me hand be nay steady enough for a great job. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I wound up usin' an aqua colored Sharpie t' fill in t' white spaces. Avast! T' result is nay very noticeable. A coatin' o' Future Polish finished t' rocket.

• PROS: no finishin' is needed but it can be finished in any sort o' wild pattern, limited only by t' imagination
• CONS: none.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Any 38mm motor can be used. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used a reloadable Aerotech H73-JM because it gave t' longest burn o' t' motors available t' me and I like t' smoke trail.

Assemblin' t' reload was t' only real problem. Blimey! Well, blow me down! A lot o' t' pieces had a tight fit. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Even so, me hearties, with some judicious shavin' and peeling, matey, t' motor be put together and inserted into t' rocket. Begad! A twiggy igniter was used in preference t' t' provided igniter and t' rocket was ready t' go.

It ascended off t' pad on a column o' dense black smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It roared all t' way, reached apogee and inverted and began t' descend t' way it was designed usin' aerobrake recovery. Avast! Aye aye! About a hundred feet up, arrr, t' ejection charge deployed t' moustache streamer t' make t' NARRRRR people happy. Avast! There was a slight dent in one corner. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Other than that, it worked fine and I am now a Level 1!

Recovery:
Almost all o' Art's rockets are designed t' use aerobrake recovery. This one is no exception. Ahoy! Blimey! Since it is so dependable, some people higher up t' grub chain in t' NARRRRR and TRA object t' its use for certification flights. Blimey! Accordingly, new rules have been promulgated requirin' active recovery.

To meet this requirement, an additional 38mm tube was added t' t' front o' t' rocket bearin' a fiberglass streamer. Aye aye! This is called t' moustache. It deploys as streamer, me hearties, works well, shiver me timbers, is absolutely unnecessary and looks bloody silly. Avast! T' one I have has a picture o' t' Mona Lisa on it. Aye aye! Sittin' on top o' t' Jaws themed rocket, it is easy t' see why Mona Lisa lost her smile. Well, blow me down! I will nay be usin' t' moustache again.

For what it is worth, me hearties, arrr, if t' idea is t' make certification complicated, matey, why are single use motors allowed?

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great HPR for small fields. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It is easy t' build and easy t' recover. That makes it dependable.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5