Brief:
Sport rocket with relatively large payload section [45% o' rocket]. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! 1990 price be $15. Ahoy! Out o' Production sometime in t' mid 1990s.

Construction:
When you get a better look at t' parts, ya bilge rat, you understand why it didn't cost much. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is an Estes PNC-80 and is a very tight fit on t' thick-wall body tube. Aye aye! T' shoulder thickness on t' nose cone is about 1/16" smaller. This isn't particularly critical as this is nay where t' recovery system deploys. Arrr! Two 12" lengths o' thick-wall body tube similar t' LOC tubin' were in good shape. Begad! T' bulkhead plate is already glued in place in t' coupler with a smallish screw eye threaded in place. Aye aye! Avast! T' shock cord supplied was a skinny, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 4 foot length o' braided elastic. AAA is notorious for this. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Replacin' it with 5 feet o' 1/4" braided elastic be definitely an upgrade. T' instructions have you mount t' shock cord directly t' t' upper centerin' ring. Ahoy! T' parachute is thin orange nylon with 3 Estes-type threads for shroud lines. Begad! I dropped CA at each o' t' 6 places t' lines are tied t' t' chute's edge. Surprisingly, ya bilge rat, it has withstood well over 20 flights with little more than a few scorch marks. Avast! T' chute comes with its own snap swivel t' attach and detach from t' screw eye. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' 3/32" plywood fins are surface-mounted. Avast! Begad! This is one t' changes I made when buildin' this kit; I used .031" G10 mounted on t' motor tube. Blimey! Motor mount parts, matey, tube and centerin' rings, arrr, me hearties, were in good shape. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Motor mount is 8 inches long, me bucko, ya bilge rat, leavin' about 3 inches o' room for t' parachute, shock cord, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, and waddin' when all parts are in place. Ya scallywag! Avast! This means I frequently push some waddin' down into t' motor tube. Begad! One upgrade I wish I had done be t' replace t' 3/16" launch lugs with 1/4" lugs.

T' instructions are on a single sheet o' paper and are sometimes unclear. Fortunately, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, t' rocket's design is nay complex, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so experienced builders will have no problem. T' instructions did include a flat fin markin' guide that had you stand t' tube up on t' circle, ya bilge rat, and mark where t' fins go. Avast! I cut slots in t' tube for through t' wall fin mounting. Anchorin' t' shock cord is a matter o' drillin' a small hole in t' upper centerin' ring, arrr, pull one end o' t' shock cord through, me bucko, and tyin' a knot that won't slip back through t' hole. Avast! Blimey! With a liberal application o' epoxy, this has held up through 20 somethin' flights o' this rocket. Arrr! With some upgrades, t' rocket will last longer than if built from t' stock parts. Well, blow me down! Finished weight on mine came out t' around 8 ounces.

Finishing:
Finishing, like most any other mid or high power kit, is entirely up t' t' builder. There are a couple o' water-transfer decals included in t' kit.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My first few flights with this rocket [back in 1991] were on FSI F100s. Avast, me proud beauty! Nice short boost t' around 1000 feet. I've since flown this rocket on everythin' from a D12 t' a G40. Begad! Its incredibly versatile. Blimey! As noted above, thar's very little room betwixt t' motor mount and t' payload bulkhead for t' parachute, shock cord, and wadding. Begad! Blimey! Fortunately, arrr, arrr, t' chute is a thin nylon material and folds up small. Ahoy! I usually put some o' t' waddin' down into t' top o' t' motor tube in addition t' t' little bit that will fit above t' motor mount. Avast! After several years, me hearties, me hearties, t' fit betwixt t' bulkhead coupler and t' lower body section has become tight. I've been havin' t' sand it once in a while t' get it t' fit again. Aye aye! I've also re-applied CA along t' top o' t' airframe tube t' keep t' paper fibers from peelin' away [makin' t' fit tighter]. Begad! I suspect part o' t' reason that this joint became tight is because, me hearties, for a while, I used romaine lettuce as wadding; t' moisture from t' lettuce be absorbed into t' paper and expanded.

Recovery:
T' worst o' t' damage t' t' recovery system after over 20 flights has been t' usual scorch marks on t' shock cord and parachute. Begad! Begad! Blimey! There's no chance o' t' chute gettin' stuck inside t' rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was one o' me first mid-power rockets that I ever built. Arrr! Begad! I'm glad I made t' modifications t' it that I did. Well, blow me down! I don't feel that t' rocket would be as durable or versatile if it had been built with t' stock parts. Aye aye! It can fly on quite a range o' motors, from 20 N-sec t' 120 N-sec. My favorite motor for this kit, arrr, while it was available, was t' Rocketflite F50 Silver Streak. Blimey! 7 second delay ejected RIGHT AT apogee.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5