Brief:
T' Iris is one o' t' first o' a new sport scale line by Semroc called t' Deci-Scale, arrr, each roughly 1/10th t' size o' t' real thing. This model is based upon t' Atlantic Research Corporation's soundin' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit is just for t' upper stage, shiver me timbers, as t' real soundin' rocket flew off o' different booster configurations, never on its own, matey, so this model would nay qualify for entry in an NARRRRR competition. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Still, it is a cool lookin' rocket and a bit more complex a build than t' typical 3 or 4 fin fare that's t' majority o' t' commercial rocketry fleet.

Construction:
Components are all excellent quality, as usual:

• Balsa nose cone (8 inches long, arrr, 1/3 o' t' total rocket length!)
• Series 11 body tube (1.17" OD)
• BT-20 motor tube
• Centerin' rings, motor block, metal hook
• Laser-cut balsa fins (4)
• Laser-cut fin mounts (8)
• Laser-cut tube bands (2)
• Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord
• Plastic parachute
• Waterslide decals

While this is a relatively easy scale model, shiver me timbers, I'd probably rate t' skill level a 2 on t' 1-5 scale, shiver me timbers, simply because t' paint/finishin' pattern is a little tricky. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I'd estimate I spent about 5 hours on this plus finishing, and t' finishin' was strung out over t' better part o' a week.

T' instructions follow Semroc's newer format, designed t' fit in a 3-rin' binder which can be spread open while building. Avast! Blimey! It struck me as a little hokey at first, but I have t' admit with several hundred sets o' kit instructions stuffed into a milk crate for a file, I'm startin' t' overflow a bit and usin' 3-rin' binders is a pretty good idea. T' instructions overall are about 3 letter-sized pages. Begad! Begad!

T' motor mount is typical tube, matey, block, metal hook and centerin' rings combo, arrr, with t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchored around t' forward ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Mark t' body tube for 4-fin pattern usin' a template on t' instruction page, then insert t' completed motor mount assembly into t' main body tube.

Prior t' mountin' t' fins, though, comes a little scale realism. Blimey! First, thar's a nifty pair o' wrap-around bands that just fit under cutouts in t' fins. Avast! Pay careful attention t' t' instructions, as thar's a glue side and a shiny/don't glue side. Well, blow me down! T' bands are a very precise fit, so I went extremely thin on t' glue so that they would make it all t' way around twice--the first trip puts down a wide band, shiver me timbers, then t' wrap gets narrower for t' second trip around, for t' smaller band. One o' t' bands goes under t' fins (before bonding, matey, arrr, o' course)and t' other goes flush with t' forward end o' t' body tube. Blimey!

T' fins themselves get a couple small cardboard mountin' plates tacked on underneath them, ya bilge rat, also in laser-cut notches. Blimey! Ahoy! Realizin' that t' fins would be red, mounted on a line where white and black zones meet up, I felt that tryin' t' mask and paint around t' plates would be difficult, arrr, so I bonded them t' t' fins and painted t' fins offline, me hearties, matin' up t' t' black/white/silver painted main body later. Avast!

T' nose cones gets a screw eye anchor, and a pair o' 1/8" lugs are tacked on, matey, wrappin' up construction. Ahoy! One note on lug placement, arrr, keepin' t' finish paint scheme in mind. Avast, me proud beauty! There are 8 rectangles alternatin' black and white (2 rows o' 4) on t' main body tube. Blimey! Begad! T' lower black rectangles and upper white rectangles get decals in t' middle, so you want t' avoid these areas for lugs. That leaves half t' body, but Murphy says if you don't plan it out up front, you'll find yourself tryin' t' apply a beautiful scale decal around a lug.

Finishing:
As noted, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, I did a fair amount o' t' finishin' before/durin' construction. For t' main tube, with bands applied, arrr, shiver me timbers, I applied a couple thin coats o' gray primer, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then 2 coats o' gloss white, sandin' after primer and finish coats. Ya scallywag! I then drew 4 fin lines with a black Sharpie, matey, which I then used for markin' and maskin' off t' rectangular regions, ya bilge rat, covering up t' white. I hit everythin' with 2 quick coats o' gloss black, then masked off t' body tube from t' aft band forward, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shootin' t' lower section with silver.

T' fins, matey, matey, as noted, were painted red offline then tacked onto t' main body with CA, ya bilge rat, and really thin white glue fillets (applied with a syringe).

I had previously confirmed that t' white on black Atlantic Research Corp decals were white ink, as opposed to clear printed on white-backed paper, so applyin' them over t' black region was fine, though t' gloss wasn't quite an exact match. Ya scallywag! T' black Iris decals went on t' upper white rectangles.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, me hearties, I had a chance t' enjoy a magnificent late summer day at t' field, winds around 6-8 mph, temperatures a perfect 76, clear skies, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, etc. Well, blow me down! Since it was such a nice day for a walk, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I put this up on a C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! It flew straight as an arrow, though it seemed me delay was a hair longer than -5, so ejection was slightly past apogee, shiver me timbers, which I estimated t' be about 600-700 feet.

Recovery:
I certainly did have a bit o' a walk, though nay too bad. Blimey! T' 12" plastic chute brought it down at a modest but nay slow speed, and I recovered everythin' fine about 400 yards away.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros--nice scale detail, especially t' fins, wraps, and black on white decals.

Cons--none. Begad! Blimey!

Overall, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, this is a very good scale-like kit for t' money.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5