Brief:
This is a good, clean, me bucko, single staged rocket which uses an 18" plastic parachute for recovery.

Construction:
There is a single body tube, me bucko, with three fins. Ahoy! T' construction is very simple, and t' design is very basic.

T' construction was fairly simple with an overall basic design. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' Estes instructions were very thorough, and I was nay confused at any point. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' only problem I had was with t' fit o' t' couplin' betwixt t' body tube and the payload area. Aye aye! I had t' cut off one layer o' t' red paper in order t' fit the two pieces together, me hearties, but otherwise thar were no problems. Well, blow me down! I didn't use the 'antenna' that were provided, as it would just add extra drag.

Finishing:
I just finished this rocket with conventional spray paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A couple coats of primer, me bucko, then a few each o' gloss black and white t' their corresponding regions. Avast! Blimey! T' finishin' near t' tail fins be difficult as t' gloss white had to extend partly betwixt t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! I think it might be easier t' paint t' fins first and t' body tube separately and then epoxy them together, shiver me timbers, t' get the best finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motor was a D12-5, but Estes has unfortunately discontinued this size. Avast, me proud beauty! I have t' go t' t' C11-5 and D12-3. Aye aye! T' C11-5's were great. Well, blow me down! I got many great flights with this size, shiver me timbers, which were all visible with a clear sky. When I launched t' D12-3 t' rocket went almost out o' sight, me bucko, but I forgot to put waddin' in and t' parachute partially got scorched. Arrr! Even though thar was almost nothin' slowin' t' rockets decent it was perfectly intact when it landed about 50ft. Aye aye! Begad! away from t' launch site in a pile o' snow. Blimey! Aye aye! I decided that the rocket could handle an E9-6, so I launched one o' with that as well. Avast, me proud beauty! I lost site o' it as it passed through some clouds at about 1200 ft, but then saw it about 20 seconds later passin' through them, safely floatin' down. It landed about 100 ft. Aye aye! away from t' launch site (0-5mph o' wind). Aye aye! All t' flights were perfectly straight and extremely predictable, this is a great rocket.

Recovery:
T' only problem is this rocket doesn't need a parachute so large. Aye aye! I cut a 2 inch hole in t' top o' t' parachute t' help it descend faster, but it still took well over 2 minutes on t' D12-3. Avast! Arrr! T' shock cord bent t' body tube at the top on t' D12-3, ya bilge rat, so I didn't use any more D's on it. Avast, me proud beauty! I think you could almost recover this thin' without any recovery system at all.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket be easy t' build, flew great, almost too great, as I lost it on my last launch o' t' day. Well, blow me down! Only con is that thar aren't too many engines you can use standard on this thing, and t' D12-3 is nay recommended. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I'm goin' t' try an Aerotech E30 on this, I don't know what it will do with almost triple the force o' t' Estes D's. Just don't launch this with a delay time o' less than 3 seconds. Ya scallywag! Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5