Brief:
T' Iris is one o' t' first o' a new sport scale line by Semroc called t' Deci-Scale, each roughly 1/10th t' size o' t' real thing. This model is based upon t' Atlantic Research Corporation's soundin' rocket. Ya scallywag! T' kit is just for t' upper stage, arrr, as t' real soundin' rocket flew off o' different booster configurations, never on its own, ya bilge rat, so this model would nay qualify for entry in an NARRRRR competition. Still, me hearties, 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, matey, as usual:

• Balsa nose cone (8 inches long, me hearties, me hearties, 1/3 o' t' total rocket length!)
• Series 11 body tube (1.17" OD)
• BT-20 motor tube
• Centerin' rings, arrr, motor block, matey, 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, me hearties, I'd probably rate t' skill level a 2 on t' 1-5 scale, simply because t' paint/finishin' pattern is a little tricky. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I'd estimate I spent about 5 hours on this plus finishing, matey, arrr, and t' finishin' be strung out over t' better part o' a week.

T' instructions follow Semroc's newer format, me hearties, arrr, designed t' fit in a 3-rin' binder which can be spread open while building. Aye aye! 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, block, me hearties, metal hook and centerin' rings combo, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, with t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchored around t' forward ring. Blimey! Blimey! 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, me hearties, comes a little scale realism. First, thar's a nifty pair o' wrap-around bands that just fit under cutouts in t' fins. Well, blow me down! Pay careful attention t' t' instructions, me hearties, me bucko, as thar's a glue side and a shiny/don't glue side. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' bands are a very precise fit, me bucko, 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, then t' wrap gets narrower for t' second trip around, me hearties, for t' smaller band. Begad! Ahoy! One o' t' bands goes under t' fins (before bonding, o' course)and t' other goes flush with t' forward end o' t' body tube. Ahoy!

T' fins themselves get a couple small cardboard mountin' plates tacked on underneath them, also in laser-cut notches. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 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, so I bonded them t' t' fins and painted t' fins offline, matin' up t' t' black/white/silver painted main body later.

T' nose cones gets a screw eye anchor, and a pair o' 1/8" lugs are tacked on, wrappin' up construction. Blimey! One note on lug placement, keepin' t' finish paint scheme in mind. Begad! There are 8 rectangles alternatin' black and white (2 rows o' 4) on t' main body tube. T' lower black rectangles and upper white rectangles get decals in t' middle, ya bilge rat, so you want t' avoid these areas for lugs. Avast! 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, I did a fair amount o' t' finishin' before/durin' construction. For t' main tube, shiver me timbers, with bands applied, arrr, I applied a couple thin coats o' gray primer, then 2 coats o' gloss white, me bucko, sandin' after primer and finish coats. Ahoy! I then drew 4 fin lines with a black Sharpie, which I then used for markin' and maskin' off t' rectangular regions, shiver me timbers, me hearties, covering up t' white. I hit everythin' with 2 quick coats o' gloss black, matey, then masked off t' body tube from t' aft band forward, shootin' t' lower section with silver.

T' fins, arrr, as noted, were painted red offline then tacked onto t' main body with CA, me hearties, 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, arrr, as opposed to clear printed on white-backed paper, me bucko, ya bilge rat, so applyin' them over t' black region be fine, though t' gloss wasn't quite an exact match. Arrr! Arrr! T' black Iris decals went on t' upper white rectangles.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Recovery:
I certainly did have a bit o' a walk, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, though nay too bad. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! 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, arrr, wraps, and black on white decals.

Cons--none.

Overall, this is a very good scale-like kit for t' money.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5