Brief:
T' Bat is a very stable flyin' model and is designed for 29mm motors. A great small field performer! T' Bat was designed for t' beginner or sport flyer in High Power Rocketry.

Construction:
T' followin' was included in t' kit, which came packed in a plastic bag with all t' parts in their own plastic bags.

• 1 — 4" Ogive Nosecone 16 1/4" long
• 1 — 4"x24" Body Tube
• 1 — 29mm Motor Tube
• 3 — 3/16" Plywood Fins
• 2 — 4" Centerin' Rings
• 1 — Nylon Shock Cord Strap
• 1 — 1"x12' Tubular Nylon Shock Cord
• 1 — Quick Link
• 1 — Eye Bolt/Nut/Washer Assembly
• 1 — 1/2" Launch Lug
• 1 — Set o' Decals
• 1 — Fin Alignment Guide

T' instruction were easy t' follow and included pictures. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! They also included tips on how t' make things go a bit easier durin' construction. Well, blow me down! T' instructions included 20 steps, they went from checkin' t' make sure everythin' was in t' kit t' step 20 tellin' you how t' pack t' parachute.

You do have t' drill a 1/4" hole in one centerin' rin' t' attach t' eye bolt through. Ya scallywag! You start by assemblin' t' motor tube and centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! Now here I didn’t follow t' instructions. Ahoy! Instead o' gluin' both centerin' rings on I just glued t' top centerin' rin' into place.

T' next step was cuttin' t' fin slots in t' body tube, ya bilge rat, here t' instructions where wrong; they have you cut only a 6" slot t' match t' fin root when t' fin root measured 8 1/4" long. Other than that it be easy t' cut t' slots with a sharp hobby knife and t' fact that t' lines were marked on t' body tube helps.

After I had t' slots cut, me bucko, me hearties, me hearties, then it was time t' insert t' motor mount into t' rocket but before I did this I scrapped t' Nylon shock cord strap and instead used a 1/8" steel cable like t' NCR kits used. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! After attachin' t' cable I inserted t' motor tube so t' top centerin' rin' was flush with t' top o' t' fin slots. Begad! Blimey! I then slid on t' back centerin' ring, turned t' rocket over, shiver me timbers, and glued t' top centerin' rin' in. Blimey! Blimey! After t' glue was set I removed t' aft centerin' rin' so I would be able t' add internal fillets t' t' fins.

Now it be time t' put t' fins on. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I didn’t use t' included fin jig which is just a piece o' paper with t' fin layout printed on it, me bucko, but instead I used a homemade fin jig from a pattern I found on t' Rocket Team Vatsaas site (http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/construction/finjig.aspx).

Now with t' jig in place I glued t' fins into place. Ahoy! After they set up I then glued t' aft centerin' rin' into place.

T' final step was t' glue on t' launch lug.

Finishing:
I gave t' rocket 3 coats o' Krylon Primer then painted it with Krylon bronze Hamm-R paint.

Now t' kit came with a Silver Bat decal and also 6 silver decals t' put on t' fins, matey, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but t' only decal I used be t' BAT name. Arrr! I made some o' me own decals with pictures o' bats and applied those t' t' rocket.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Now preppin' for flight was made easier because I installed a Keelhaul®©™® ’chute protector so thar was no need for wadding.

T' first flight was with a G80-7T in light winds, shiver me timbers, it was a nice straight flight with good recovery.

T' second flight was usin' a G75-6, it took off t' pad but then I had a problem; t' delay burnt up through t' top and t' rocket was in flames. Aye aye! Inside o' rocket was toast and t' shock cord burnt. Blimey! I’ll have t' replace t' shock cord, do a bit o' clean up, and it will be ready t' fly again.

Recovery:
I used a 1/8" steel cable from t' top centerin' rin' t' t' top o' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Then attached t' 12' tubular nylon shock cord t' that. Avast, me proud beauty! I also installed a Keelhaul®©™® ’chute protector so no waddin' would be needed.

T' one good flight it had everythin' worked great!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Over all I think it is a good kit with decent instructions however they should change t' instructions t' get t' correct measurements on everything.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5