Brief:
A six-finned, shiver me timbers, me hearties, mid-body rocket with a 28" diameter parachute.

Construction:
T' packagin' was in a bag (standard), matey, all o' t' parts were included, arrr, no broken or missin' pieces. Arrr! T' kit included body tubes made from heavy cardboard, a plastic nose cone, arrr, matey, matey, and six high quality plywood fins. Aye aye! T' body tube was pre marked and easy t' slot with a sharp hobby cutlass. It be very easy to assemble with 2 ton epoxy.

T' only complaint was that t' fins were nay long enough t' reach the engine tube from t' body tube. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I thought (for an instant) about alterin' the fins t' allow them t' reach t' engine tube but, matey, arrr, I didn't. Begad! T' epoxy was strong enough t' hold all six fins. T' six fins were t' main reason that I chose the Peacock. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

T' recovery system has a steel cable that is attached t' t' plywood centerin' rin' and goes up t' near t' top o' t' lower section o' t' body tube. Blimey! Then, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. If I were to do it again, I would have done somethin' t' secure t' loose end o' t' cable (near t' loop at t' end) because it sometimes catches t' nylon parachute. Blimey! Begad! In my opinion, a great kit!!

Finishing:
I did wash and sand t' plastic nose cone prior t' sprayin' t' primer. Blimey! Avast! I also brushed on some sandin' sealer (a few times) and rounded t' leadin' edge of the fins. Begad! When done, I ended up with nice, smooth fins. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! There were no decals included, arrr, so I looked t' t' Internet for a picture o' a peacock that seemed appropriate. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It took just a few minutes until I found t' perfect decal image on t' Internet. Then, with some decal paper, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. Aye aye! Arrr! Two cans o' sun yellow paint and then I applied decals (should have made them a little smaller) and t' "Screamin' Peacock" was complete

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors recommended are F25-6, F50-6, F80-5, G25-5, me hearties, me bucko, G40-7, G80-7, ya bilge rat, H55-10, H120-10. I flew it once (so far) usin' a North Coast Dark Star F62-4. Aye aye! Avast! I tried to get a picture with t' digital camera but, me bucko, I took off too fast. Begad! I mean it really lifted off t' pad. Begad! I wish it had a piston ejection system, arrr, barring that, I sewed some Nomex® cloth together and tied it t' t' shock cord. Ahoy! I should have tied it a little better though, ya bilge rat, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. It protected t' parachute just fine though. Begad! T' flight be flawless, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). Arrr! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification.

April 2000:, arrr, I flew it with an F-40 at a club launch. T' Peacock has a slow descent rate so, me bucko, I shortened t' parachute cords somewhat with some tape and let her fly. Begad! T' flight seemed perfect, me bucko, I received complements from some o' t' other flyers after I retrieved it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! But, as I mentioned before, t' TTW fins didn't quite reach t' motor tube. That fact, coupled with t' somewhat faster descent, cracked t' epoxy joint on one of t' fins. So, I figured it was time t' kill two birds at once. Ahoy! Arrr! I used a dremel t' cut t' aft centerin' rin' off t' reveal the underlyin' fins. Avast! As you can see in t' picture, thar be close t' 1/8" gap betwixt t' root edge and t' motor tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! I bought some system three epoxy and filled t' gaps, and filleted t' internal joints between t' airframe and t' fins. Aye aye! Now, t' connections are strong. Then, before I glued a new centerin' rin' back in, I added two 4-40 blind tee nuts. Arrr! I don't know if t' short fins were an oversight by Rocket R&D or nay but, if anyone else runs into t' same problem, definitely fix it before installin' t' aft centerin' ring. Ahoy! (Rocket Dog is in t' launch picture and I assure everyone that t' dog loves launches and has never been harmed).

Recovery:
T' 28" parachute worked perfectly, and brought it down easy for a safe recovery (in t' middle o' some high grass) .

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is easily me favorite one. T' excellent construction materials along with t' ease o' assembly makes this kit stand above any other ones that I have constructed. Avast! If this kit is characteristic o' other Rocket R&D kits, I would recommend any o' them t' rocketeers interested in a quality product.

This kit would have merited 5 out o' 5 overall if t' fins reached the engine tube and if t' frayed end o' t' cable had been secured so that it did not snag on t' parachute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5