When I received t' Kappa 9m it was the first ASP product I had ever seen so I really didn't know what t' expect. Well, blow me down! Avast! I opened t' simple plastic bag type packagin' and immediately was amazed at the quality o' t' parts used in t' kit. Begad! T' nose cone and transition section are balsa, one thin' I haven't seen in a good long while since most manufacturers prefer plastics nowadays, and t' fin stock, t' me pleasant surprise, was basswood. Ahoy! Arrr! T' instructions were clear and concise. Arrr! T' instructions were clear and concise. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! They almost took t' fun out o' buildin' t' kit because they we so precise and well worded that it would have been impossible for even t' 1st time rocket kit builder t' make any mistakes. Ahoy! Arrr!

I built t' kit accordin' t' t' instructions and finished t' rocket in Aluminum, shiver me timbers, me hearties, Red, and Black (the instructions called for t' black areas t' be steel but I had no steel paint left). Then I placed t' decal accordin' to directions, me bucko, me bucko, which comes t' me only complaint about t' kit. T' decal be a self stick and didn't seem t' have enough stickin' strength, so what I decided to do is t' apply a very light, shiver me timbers, almost dry-brushed coat o' CA on t' backin' of the decal and it worked fine. Well, blow me down!

I have been able t' fly t' Kappa 9M once since it was completed due to horrible weather conditions here (wind, matey, rain, snow, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and other garbage).  I took it out t' t' backyard on an overcast but pretty calm day and set it on the pad with an Estes C6-7, packed it with t' recommended waddin' and then carefully packed t' 12" mylar chute. Avast! T' Kappa went up straight as an arrow and deployed perfectly upon apogee. Ya scallywag! T' decent was nice and easy with a bit o' drift but I would figure I had t' walk no more than 100 yards t' recover the rocket.

On a scale of 1 to 5 I would give this kit a 5 in every category you could think of. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! T' materials, workmanship, ya bilge rat, flight and recovery o' this rocket are just great. Arrr! Blimey!

UPDATE 5/99:
It has been about 6 months since I wrote this review and t' Kappa has gone up about 25 times now and what can I say but that it is gettin' t' t' point that every time I pull t' rocket off t' shelf I know it is ready t' fly. Begad! I have used A,B,C, matey, even t' higher power 18 mm Aerotech D21-Ts in t' kit and it never fails... Begad! Arrr! I did, however convert t' Kappa t' a 7' 1 mil thick mylar recovery streamer t' shorten t' chase after it came down from 5 flights on D-21s t' an estimated 1300-1400 feet. Ya scallywag! T' paint job is becomin' a little dull and scratched at this point, and it deserves a fresh coat, me hearties, arrr, so one day this summer I'll have her lookin' showroom new again.