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

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

T' instructions are on a single sheet o' paper and are sometimes unclear. Begad! Fortunately, ya bilge rat, t' rocket's design is nay complex, matey, arrr, 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, and mark where t' fins go. Ya scallywag! 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, pull one end o' t' shock cord through, and tyin' a knot that won't slip back through t' hole. Aye aye! With a liberal application o' epoxy, matey, this has held up through 20 somethin' flights o' this rocket. With some upgrades, matey, t' rocket will last longer than if built from t' stock parts. Aye aye! Finished weight on mine came out t' around 8 ounces.

Finishing:
Finishing, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, like most any other mid or high power kit, me hearties, is entirely up t' t' builder. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Aye aye! Nice short boost t' around 1000 feet. Ya scallywag! I've since flown this rocket on everythin' from a D12 t' a G40. Its incredibly versatile. As noted above, thar's very little room betwixt t' motor mount and t' payload bulkhead for t' parachute, shock cord, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and wadding. Fortunately, shiver me timbers, t' chute is a thin nylon material and folds up small. Avast! 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! Begad! After several years, ya bilge rat, 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]. I suspect part o' t' reason that this joint became tight is because, 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. 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. I'm glad I made t' modifications t' it that I did. I don't feel that t' rocket would be as durable or versatile if it had been built with t' stock parts. It can fly on quite a range o' motors, from 20 N-sec t' 120 N-sec. My favorite motor for this kit, while it was available, was t' Rocketflite F50 Silver Streak. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! 7 second delay ejected RIGHT AT apogee.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5