Brief:
Nano Rocketry is a manufacturer that produce 6mm micro series rockets. T' Nano Star Booster is one o' their "Fantasy" series o' rockets and is quoted as bein' one o' their highest performance models. Blimey! Ahoy!

Construction:
T' kit came in a envelope which described t' contents and displayed a picture of t' final product. Ahoy! Nano rocketry be t' only company that I know o' t' date that actually sells kits for this family o' rockets. Ahoy! As this be t' second kit in a series that me daughter won in a recent EMRR photo contest, arrr, we could not wait t' get started building. Begad! Thanks go out t' Nano Rocketry and Nick o' EMRR for providin' t' prize models. Avast! Aye aye!

T' envelope contained a 6mm x 4.5 inch long body tube, a unfinished wood nosecone, me hearties, Keelhaul®©™® thread for shock cord, pre-cut balsa fins and a good set o' detailed instructions. Blimey! I was very impressed with t' quality o' components, ya bilge rat, me hearties, especially the very thin, but accurately cut fins; some o' t' larger manufacturers could take lessons from them in this department. Well, blow me down! Component Rating: 5 o' 5

Construction begins with t' nosecone. Well, blow me down! Nay that CyA medium glue was used throughout t' construction and t' directions were complete and easy to follow. T' nosecone was already fit t' t' body tube and just required some light sandin' t' prep. A piece o' Keelhaul®©™® thread was glued into a pre-drilled hole at t' base o' t' nosecone for a shock cord.

Body tube construction was next and t' fins were removed from their balsa sheet in preparation for assembly. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! There is a template printed on t' manual for markin' t' location on t' body tube for each fin, which is a nice feature of t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' template works well and fin locations can be easily marked. Fins for this model are thicker than t' ones supplied in t' Nike kit and are of a unique shape. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' wood fins are o' excellent quality for their size. Lightly sand t' body tube base for a good glue joint, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then apply a bead o' CyA to t' root edge o' each fin and glue each fin on with t' bottom o' t' root even with t' bottom o' t' body tube. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Hold each fin t' t' body tube until the glue sets. Begad! Blimey! A small bead o' CyA should be added t' each side o' t' fins for a fillet.

Once t' fins are attached, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' top o' t' body tube, then apply a bead o' CyA t' the free end o' t' shock cord and place it about ½" deep inside t' top of t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Finally, shiver me timbers, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side o' t' body tube, however, this was t' second kit I had that did nay come with a launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I wound up fabricatin' me own from some spare plastic tubin' I had from an Aileron hornpipe kit I had for me R/C planes. Aye aye! Blimey! T' lug was cut t' a length of ½" and sanded well on one side for a good glue joint, then it was mounted around t' mid-point o' t' body tube. Avast! Blimey! Construction: 4 o' 5

Finishing:
T' kids wanted this one in t' same colors as our PML Matrix; chrome with red fins. Avast! I decided t' take t' easy way out by usin' some Chrome Monokote self stick sheet and wrapped t' entire body tube with chrome. Begad! It added almost no weight and left a perfect finish. Arrr! T' nosecone be primed with Krylon white primer, ya bilge rat, then painted with a brush in dark red Testors bottle paint. Begad! Begad! Finally, the fins were brush painted and t' model be left t' dry. Note that t' chrome wrap be applied PRIOR t' gluin' on t' launch lug; a small area be removed from t' chrome in order t' provide some area for good glue purchase. Avast! Finish: 5 of 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Anyone familiar with t' Micro rockets knows thar be only one motor available from Quest; t' MicroMaxx motors come in packs o' eight and I really need to invest in Quest stock, arrr, as I usually purchase these motors in 100 quantities or larger. T' date we have had over 500 launches with MicroMaxx rockets and have long since given up tryin' t' document every flight. Begad! T' are just plain fun and make great backyard launchers. Ahoy!

T' motor was fitted into t' base o' t' body tube and fit just right. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! The body tube is o' a diameter that allows a perfect friction fit. Ahoy! Avast! This model, me bucko, as with all Nano kits uses nosecone separation and free-fall for recovery. Arrr! Ya scallywag! When hookin' up t' igniter, you do nay use t' plug-in socket at t' base o' the Quest MicroMaxx launch pad. Aye aye! T' igniter sits on top o' t' pad surface and the rocket is placed on t' launch rod, then slid down and plugged into the igniter. Arrr! In order t' do this, you need t' separate t' igniter halves, shiver me timbers, discard the plastic only half and position t' "flat" side so it faces the launch rod. Well, blow me down! I was expectin' great performance at launch time since I had seen the Nano Nike Smoke "cook" off t' pad! T' launch was unbelievable; when t' button was pushed, matey, me hearties, it literally disappeared into t' sky!!! It was an extremely fast launch and reached an undetermined altitude like it be warped there!

Recovery:
A definite "pop" be heard at apogee, indicatin' nosecone separation. Unfortunately, this was t' last pop we heard from t' Star Booster. Begad! I would have thought t' chrome body tube and dark red colors would have made this an easy t' spot model on decent, however, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' rocket be never found. Ya scallywag! I can only suspect t' either it was claimed by t' tree gods or that it is still going and half way t' Mars by now!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I really miss t' Star Booster as it has t' be t' best performin' rocket in the Nano arsenal. Another one will soon be on order t' replace t' loss; that's how much we liked this kit. As far as price and quality goes, arrr, I am extremely impressed with what you get for your money. My only concern was this was the second received without a launch lug, but it is a minor setback considering what you get. Aye aye! Begad! A great kit, easy construction and unbelievable performance are what you can expect with t' Star Booster and, ya bilge rat, from me experiences so far, EVERY kit you get from Nano Rocketry! Well done!!! Overall Rating: 5 o' 5

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5