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

Construction:
T' packagin' be in a bag (standard), me hearties, all o' t' parts were included, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, no broken or missin' pieces. T' kit included body tubes made from heavy cardboard, a plastic nose cone, and six high quality plywood fins. Arrr! T' body tube be pre marked and easy t' slot with a sharp hobby knife. Ya scallywag! It be very easy to assemble with 2 ton epoxy. Well, blow me down!

T' only complaint be that t' fins were nay long enough t' reach the engine tube from t' body tube. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I thought (for an instant) about alterin' the fins t' allow them t' reach t' engine tube but, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, I didn't. Avast, me proud beauty! T' epoxy be strong enough t' hold all six fins. Aye aye! T' six fins were t' main reason that I chose the Peacock. Well, blow me down!

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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! Blimey! In my opinion, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a great kit!!

Finishing:
I did wash and sand t' plastic nose cone prior t' sprayin' t' primer. I also brushed on some sandin' sealer (a few times) and rounded t' leadin' edge of the fins. Avast! When done, I ended up with nice, me hearties, ya bilge rat, smooth fins. There were no decals included, so I looked t' t' Internet for a picture o' a peacock that seemed appropriate. Ya scallywag! It took just a few minutes until I found t' perfect decal image on t' Internet. Arrr! Then, with some decal paper, arrr, me hearties, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 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, me bucko, F50-6, F80-5, me hearties, G25-5, G40-7, G80-7, me bucko, H55-10, H120-10. I flew it once (so far) usin' a North Coast Dark Star F62-4. Blimey! I tried to get a picture with t' digital camera but, arrr, I took off too fast. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I mean it really lifted off t' pad. Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I wish it had a piston ejection system, me hearties, barring that, I sewed some Nomex® cloth together and tied it t' t' shock cord. Begad! I should have tied it a little better though, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. Blimey! Aye aye! It protected t' parachute just fine though. Avast! T' flight be flawless, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification. Begad!

April 2000:, I flew it with an F-40 at a club launch. Aye aye! T' Peacock has a slow descent rate so, I shortened t' parachute cords somewhat with some tape and let her fly. T' flight seemed perfect, matey, shiver me timbers, I received complements from some o' t' other flyers after I retrieved it. But, me hearties, shiver me timbers, as I mentioned before, me hearties, t' TTW fins didn't quite reach t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! That fact, coupled with t' somewhat faster descent, cracked t' epoxy joint on one of t' fins. Blimey! Aye aye! So, matey, I figured it be time t' kill two birds at once. Arrr! I used a dremel t' cut t' aft centerin' rin' off t' reveal the underlyin' fins. Arrr! Aye aye! As you can see in t' picture, thar be close t' 1/8" gap betwixt t' root edge and t' motor tube. Ahoy! I bought some system three epoxy and filled t' gaps, me hearties, and filleted t' internal joints between t' airframe and t' fins. Now, arrr, t' connections are strong. Then, before I glued a new centerin' rin' back in, I added two 4-40 blind tee nuts. Avast! I don't know if t' short fins were an oversight by Rocket R&D or nay but, arrr, 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, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Begad! Ahoy! T' excellent construction materials along with t' ease o' assembly makes this kit stand above any other ones that I have constructed. Ahoy! Begad! If this kit is characteristic o' other Rocket R&D kits, I would recommend any o' them t' rocketeers interested in a quality product. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

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