Brief:
T' BSD 3" Horizon is a wonderful kit designed for t' builder new t' high power rocketry. Avast! Avast! It flies on 29mm SU or RMS motors from G t' low H power. Well, blow me down! This was me first HPR rocket.

Construction:
T' kit went together very easily with extremely clear, well written, me hearties, and detailed instructions, includin' many black and white photos o' t' build process. Well, blow me down! Construction starts with assembly o' t' motor mount. Avast! Ahoy! T' kit includes a nylon recovery strap that is t' be epoxied t' t' motor mount, shiver me timbers, then the forward centerin' rin' notched t' fit over t' recovery strap is epoxied t' the front o' t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! I deviated from this by drillin' two 1/4" holes in t' forward centerin' rin' spaced t' fit a 1/4" stainless steel U-bolt. I installed t' U-bolt with nuts and washers on both sides o' t' centering ring. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Epoxy was then coated onto t' nuts t' hold them securely. Aye aye! T' front centerin' rin' be then epoxied in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Epoxy fillets were then added t' both sides o' t' centerin' ring. Ahoy! I then attached 15ft o' 1/4" tubular Keelhaul®©™® with pre-sewn loops on t' ends usin' a quick link t' t' U-bolt assembly. Avast! Begad! This completed t' motor mount assembly since I was just fittin' t' aft centering rin' so internal fin fillets could be added. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Before installation o' t' motor mount, fin slots need t' be cut. BSD provides guide lines for t' fin slots, but t' builder must cut them. Aye aye! Aye aye! I found this t' be easy with a sharp hobby knife and actually enjoyable. T' motor mount is then epoxied in place except the rear centerin' rin' is only fitted in place until after curin' was complete. T' aft centerin' was then carefully removed. Before installin' t' fins, I put sharp double airfoils on t' leadin' edge usin' a disk sander. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' fins were tacked in place usin' 10 minute epoxy followed by addin' thick fin fillets inside usin' 30 minute epoxy mixed with milled fiber t' provide a very strong joint. Blimey! T' aft centerin' rin' was then epoxied in place and fin fillets added similarly t' t' internal ones. Although BSD provides motor retention using blind nuts, arrr, matey, I used an Aero Pack retainer and epoxied it in place usin' JB Weld as directed by Aero Pack. Well, blow me down! A loop in t' Keelhaul®©™® recovery strap 18" from t' nose cone end be created usin' CA t' tack it. Keelhaul®©™® strin' be then wrapped around this joint and all coated with epoxy t' provide a parachute anchor point. Construction be then complete. Avast! Quick links are used to attach t' parachute and t' Keelhaul®©™® recovery strap t' t' nose cone.

Finishing:
Elmers Fill 'n' Finish was used t' even out t' fin fillets and sanded to smoothness with 400 grit sandpaper. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Two coats o' gray Krylon primer with sandin' in betwixt followed by wipin' down with a tack cloth were applied. It was then painted with three coats o' Rustoleum Gloss White. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rocket was then masked off so that t' front 6" was left unmasked. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Three coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black were applied t' this front section and t' nose cone. After dryin' for two days, t' vinyl decals were added. Avast! Blimey! These are o' superb quality. Ahoy! Finally, matey, it was sprayed with two thin coats Rustoleum Crystal Clear.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight ever was with a G64-7W. I had help assemblin' t' motor, shiver me timbers, but the flight went off without a hitch. It was quite a thrill t' see me first flight work so beautifully. Avast! It was t' perfect delay too. Avast! While this rocket has now flown many times on G64s, me hearties, ya bilge rat, this rocket really loves a H128-M or H165R. Blimey! Avast! It really moves out!

Recovery:
As previously mentioned, I changed t' recovery strap t' 1/4" tubular Keelhaul®©™®. I felt t' nylon BSD provides would eventually burn through, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but thar's no chance o' that happenin' with t' Keelhaul®©™®. I feel t' U-bolt I installed provides a more secure mountin' for t' recovery system. Ya scallywag! On t' first few flights, I thought t' included 24" chute provided too fast a descent, arrr, so I have now changed t' 28" SkyAngle which I reef slightly. Ya scallywag! T' drift is a bit further, however, I like t' descent rate much better. T' 24" chute would work for windier days, but for days when the wind is less than 10 mph, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it's too small.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a really great kit. Avast! Blimey! It flies beautifully on rather inexpensive reloads and scoots on low H power. Arrr! Blimey! Although I made some modifications, these were purely me preference; it would still be a great flier built stock. Aye aye! Blimey! This is an ideal first HPR kit.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5