Brief:
This is Aardvark's Mini-Missile scale model rocket o' t' US Air t' Air AIM 54 Phoenix. Begad! T' kit is fairly inexpensive (approximately $10) and is a cheap introduction t' scale building.

Construction:
Most materials were cardboard/paper includin' 2 centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, engine block, 2.5" motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, large Estes style body tube, Keelhaul®©™® cord, me hearties, elastic shock chord, mylar ribbon for streamer, me hearties, basswood sheet for fins, fin templates, paper tube wrap for fin positions, me hearties, me hearties, custom nose cone (a ceramic/plastic type feel... Ya scallywag! Blimey! very heavy and nice), me hearties, small eye screw and 2 washers for proper adjustment o' center o' gravity.

Measurements are given t' thousandths o' an inch such as 7.246". Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! This is a bit unusual for a rocket kit.

T' instructions were easy t' follow with clear guidelines, me hearties, me hearties, a parts list (very helpful with an area t' check off each item), ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, and a hints and tips section. There were plenty o' illustrations. Begad! Logical order o' assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! I deviated from t' plans slightly by addin' an engine hook since I hate friction fittin' motors out on t' field. Blimey! I also attached t' Keelhaul®©™® right beneath t' upper centerin' ring, nay wrapped around t' lower centering rin' like t' directions suggested. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I thought that was a bit overkill. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Fins are not laser cut or die-cut and must be carefully prepared and cut usin' the included template. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I actually like this about kits and prefer doin' things from scratch.  I was careful t' follow t' instructions regardin' t' basswood fins and made sure t' grain was in t' correct direction. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This left me with what appeared t' be rather flimsy fins until I glued them onto t' frame. The only real caution was sandin' t' flimsy fins until they are ready t' be glued to t' body. Begad! Blimey! There are no specific directions for what t' sanded fins should look like. Arrr! Blimey! Fortunately, I have build t' Phoenix before and I used previous information from other sources for correct (or adequate) fin shape. Aligning the fins would nay be a problem for anyone with previous skill level 2 building experience. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I did run into a "gotcha" when I was addin' t' fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I placed t' lower fins first, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and then measured t' placement for t' upper fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! At this point, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I realized thar was a problem because t' fins were buttin' up against each other. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I checked t' measurements again and again until I realized that I did nay even have t' correct length body tube. I contacted Ken Johnson from Aardvark rockets. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! He responded smartly and gave me t' exact distance betwixt t' two fins. He also promised t' send me replacement parts (more on this later).

Pro's in construction: parts list, t' step by step walk through for construction. Blimey! Avast! T' nose cone is high quality and it be me first experience to work with this type o' material for a nose cone.

Con's: no scale data, incorrect body tube with me kit, shiver me timbers, inches indicated to the decimal, makin' me have t' convert everythin' t' fractions. Begad! Decals a bit brittle and must be treated very carefully.

In t' end, after waitin' a few weeks for replacement parts (and after sendin' a reminder e-mail), me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I just continued construction o' t' rocket with the smaller body tube and made sure t' fins were in correct location from the bottom o' t' body tube. Arrr! Thus, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone is a little closer t' t' fins, but I was certain that with t' 2 heavy washers added t' t' already heavy nose cone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I would nay have a problem with t' Center o' Gravity.

Finishing:
I sanded t' body and fins, added ZAR's Wood Patch where necessary and sanded again t' fill in t' grains in t' basswood. Ahoy! I then added t' strakes on the fins and wood patched and sanded again. I used Krylon primer and sanded and ZAR wood patched again, with more sanding. Arrr! After another coat o' primer and sanding, me hearties, I painted t' body grey and painted t' nose cone gloss white. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I used the water slide decals, with some trouble. Begad! Avast! I am nay t' decal king, arrr, so I don't do well with this part. Blimey! There are instructions t' place blue bands at certain points. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! This got a bit tricky when it meant cuttin' t' blue bands into four segments and tryin' t' fit them betwixt t' fins. Well, blow me down! I eventually gave up and placed two blue decals above t' upper fins and one blue decal betwixt the upper and lower fins. Begad! Begad! Additional decals includin' name o' rocket and section descriptions (ordinance, propulsion, me bucko, control) are also provided and went on rather well. Well, blow me down! T' blue decals seem ! a bit grainy as if they came from an ink jet printer. Avast, me proud beauty! After applyin' decals, I gave t' rocket a couple good coats of Clear Krylon spray t' keep those decals on.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I did nay use t' recommended motor o' t' B6-7 since I don't even know if this motor exists or not. Ya scallywag! I used a B6-6. Arrr! Ahoy! I prepped t' rocket usin' non-flammable paper wadding. Well, blow me down! T' streamer simply is wrapped around a pencil and then placed inside t' body tube. Blimey! I had t' be careful, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, because t' streamer is pretty wide and thar be little room inside t' rocket t' keep wadding, arrr, matey, streamer, matey, ya bilge rat, Keelhaul®©™ ® and shock cord. Well, blow me down! With patience, everythin' fits fine. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' rocket zipped right off t' pad and almost flew out o' sight. Arrr! I did notice that ejection was way past apogee and that prompted me t' fly t' rocket on a B6-4. T' B6-4 flight was great, me hearties, ya bilge rat, with a great quick boost and separation right after apogee. Ya scallywag! With t' heavy nose cone and t' streamer, this rocket returns fairly quickly t' t' ground, matey, me bucko, but t' pro is that thar be little drifting. Also, the body is light enough t' use a streamer while t' nose cone is strong enough to handle a fast landing.

Recovery:
Pro's: This is a great little rocket for a small field (such as a school athletic field like t' one I use). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It is easy t' prep and t' B motors give you plenty o' altitude.

Con's: If you like slow majestic lift-offs, this is nay t' rocket for you. Due t' t' small size o' t' rocket, thar be little room for t' waddin' and the streamer, so make sure you protect t' streamer as well as you can. Begad! Even thought I used what I thought be adequate wadding, me hearties, me streamer has little burn marks here and thar and is already showin' signs o' tearin' after only two flights. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO's: This is a good intro t' scale buildin' for people who don't want to empty their wallets for those expensive kits. Aye aye! It is a really nice flyer, arrr, ya bilge rat, but be careful t' add all t' nose weight. T' Phoenix is notorious for unstable flights without a heavy nose cone. Well, blow me down! If CA glue is used on t' fins, its a sturdy little rocket.

CON's: wrong body size and misleadin' measurements, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, no scale data, decals could use some improvement. Avast! This is certainly nay t' kit for t' first time builder, shiver me timbers, but for someone who wants t' improve their buildin' and scale rocketry skills.

After havin' submitted me review o' t' AIM-54 C Phoenix (18 mm version) from Aardvark Rockets, ya bilge rat, I did receive in t' mail yesterday t' replacement parts for t' incorrect body tube. In addition t' this, me bucko, I also received a complimentary "American Dream" 18 mm kit.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5