Brief:
That Tube Rocket is a basic tube finned rocket for Micro Maxx motors. Well, blow me down! The Micro Maxx Yahoo group is an excellent resource if you want t' find out more about these motors and rockets. T' fins are made from 6 short sections o' body tube glued to t' main body tube. Arrr! Blimey! This makes t' rocket easy t' assemble and potentially more durable than a conventional rocket with balsa fins. Avast! Blimey! T' kit arrived 6 days after I ordered it. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It came double boxed and sealed in a plastic bag.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• basswood nosecone
• 1 4.625" Body tube
• 1 1.375" Body tube
• 7 1" x 5/16" Body tubes (fins)
• 2 1.5" Coupler tubes
• 1 1/8" plastic launch lug
• 2 gram lead weight
• 20" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 9" x 1" Mylar streamer

All t' parts were present and good quality. T' sequence o' the instructions was logical and thar were excellent line drawings provided where needed. Arrr! Begad! Assembly required only glue, me bucko, a knife, me bucko, and sand paper.

T' fins are assembled first from t' seven 1 inch pieces o' 5/16" body tube. T' plastic launch lug is glued inside one o' t' tube fins with a little medium CA.

Next t' shock cord is tied t' t' motor block which is made from a 1/2" length o' coupler. Begad! This be t' only cuttin' required for this kit. T' motor block is glued inside t' long body tube usin' t' second coupler as a guide. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey!

T' only snag came when fittin' t' nose cone t' t' shorter body tube. The shoulder o' t' nose cone required some minor trimmin' t' fit inside t' body tube. T' shock cord is threaded through t' second coupler and tied t' the lead weight. T' lead weight and coupler are glued inside t' short body tube. T' streamer is attached t' t' shock cord with Scotch tape.

Once t' glue on t' fins are dry t' unit is slipped over t' lower part of t' body tube and glued in place t' complete t' construction. Arrr! Arrr!

Finishing:
T' instructions suggest that several coats o' primer be applied. Avast! Given the smooth finish o' t' basswood nosecone and t' draggy nature o' t' tube fin design, I felt it would be a waste o' time and add too much weight t' use primer and filler on t' rocket. Blimey! Arrr! Also t' finish o' t' body tubes is a nice shiny white already so a light coat o' clear lacquer is all I used t' finish the model.

T' completed rocket is very light, shiver me timbers, only 6 grams with motor. Avast, me proud beauty! It is so strong that it should be possible t' eliminate t' streamer altogether. Well, blow me down! The rocket falls slowly enough with t' payload and main body connected by the shock cord.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation is similar t' other rockets with streamer recovery except you use far less wadding. For t' first flight I friction fitted a Micro Maxx II motor with just enough maskin' tape t' go 1/3 o' t' way around t' motor. Well, blow me down! Begad! I pinched off a pea sized piece o' dog barf and poked it into t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! The accordion folded mylar streamer follow t' waddin' into t' body tube along with half t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Avast! T' payload section with t' remainder o' t' shock cord top o' the rocket and it be ready t' fly. Blimey!

For those who have flown Micro Maxx rockets before, t' followin' will sound familiar. Aye aye!

I snapped an ignitor into t' Quest Micro Maxx silo-style launch pad, carefully threaded t' 0.047" launch rod through t' launch lug and rested the motor nozzle on t' igniter. Insertin' t' launch interlock key caused the controller t' beep annoyingly, 5, ya bilge rat, 4, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, 3, shiver me timbers, 2, matey, matey, 1, nothing. At first I thought t' 9 volt battery must be dead. Ya scallywag! It had been in t' controller for a while and they never last long. Ya scallywag! New battery and 3, ya bilge rat, 2, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 1, me bucko, nothing. I give up. I grabbed me 12 volt ridin' mower battery, matey, me Pratt Hobbies SixPack Launch Controller, me bucko, 25 foot 3 prong extension cable, and a short 2 prong extension cord terminated with two micro clips. Aye aye! I stripped off t' plastic shell from t' igniter wires careful nay t' disturb t' tape and paper, made a 90 degree bend in t' wires, me bucko, ya bilge rat, attached t' micro clips and lowered t' rocket carefully onto t' igniter wires. Begad! Aye aye! Finally 3, me bucko, 2, me hearties, 1, matey, whoosh!

T' rocket jumped off t' pad faster and flew higher than any other Micro Maxx I've flown. Avast! Avast! I momentarily lost it against t' clouds but regained sight of it when t' ejection charge popped t' shiny streamer at apogee. Ahoy! It fluttered down gently but got caught in a tree limb. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! This is why I prefer flyin' saucers. Fortunately I was able t' reach it with t' 11 foot Christmas light hanger pole I got on sale at Wal-Mart shortly after t' New Year. Arrr! It be a quarter o' its original pre-Christmas price and it's been worth every one o' t' 500 pennies it cost me.

T' second flight was much like t' first except it missed t' tree and landed 30 feet from t' pad. T' t' third and final flight started out the same but I was tryin' so hard t' snap a take off picture that I never saw it again. Avast, me proud beauty! I heard it when t' ejection charge went off and from t' sound it must have been over t' jungle that is me neighbor's yard. Ahoy! It is lost forever. Well, blow me down! It was good while it lasted. Begad! Ya scallywag! I'll paint t' next one day-glo orange and launch it in a larger field.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros:

• Easy t' build and fly
• Flies and recovers very well

Cons:

• Easy t' lose

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5