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

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

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

Construction begins with t' nosecone. Nay that CyA medium glue was used throughout t' construction and t' directions were complete and easy to follow. Ahoy! 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. Avast! 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. 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. Begad! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' wood fins are o' excellent quality for their size. Lightly sand t' body tube base for a good glue joint, me hearties, 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. Hold each fin t' t' body tube until the glue sets. A small bead o' CyA should be added t' each side o' t' fins for a fillet. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

Once t' fins are attached, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' top o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, 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. Blimey! Finally, ya bilge rat, matey, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side o' t' body tube, me bucko, however, this was t' second kit I had that did nay come with a launch lug. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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. Arrr! 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, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Construction: 4 o' 5

Finishing:
T' kids wanted this one in t' same colors as our PML Matrix; chrome with red fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I decided t' take t' easy way out by usin' some Chrome Monokote self stick sheet and wrapped t' entire body tube with chrome. Ya scallywag! It added almost no weight and left a perfect finish. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' nosecone be primed with Krylon white primer, then painted with a brush in dark red Testors bottle paint. Begad! Finally, the fins were brush painted and t' model was left t' dry. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! 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, as I usually purchase these motors in 100 quantities or larger. Well, blow me down! T' date we have had over 500 launches with MicroMaxx rockets and have long since given up tryin' t' document every flight. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' are just plain fun and make great backyard launchers.

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

Recovery:
A definite "pop" was heard at apogee, arrr, indicatin' nosecone separation. Unfortunately, matey, this was t' last pop we heard from t' Star Booster. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I would have thought t' chrome body tube and dark red colors would have made this an easy t' spot model on decent, matey, however, t' rocket was never found. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! 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! Blimey!

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. Ya scallywag! Avast! Another one will soon be on order t' replace t' loss; that's how much we liked this kit. Avast! As far as price and quality goes, I am extremely impressed with what you get for your money. Begad! Ahoy! My only concern be this was the second received without a launch lug, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but it is a minor setback considering what you get. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! A great kit, ya bilge rat, easy construction and unbelievable performance are what you can expect with t' Star Booster and, 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