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

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

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

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. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Then, ya bilge rat, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. Arrr! If I were to do it again, me bucko, 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. In my opinion, shiver me timbers, matey, a great kit!!

Finishing:
I did wash and sand t' plastic nose cone prior t' sprayin' t' primer. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I also brushed on some sandin' sealer (a few times) and rounded t' leadin' edge of the fins. Begad! When done, shiver me timbers, I ended up with nice, ya bilge rat, smooth fins. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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. Then, with some decal paper, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. Well, blow me down! Avast! 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, G40-7, G80-7, arrr, H55-10, H120-10. Ahoy! I flew it once (so far) usin' a North Coast Dark Star F62-4. Avast, me proud beauty! I tried to get a picture with t' digital camera but, I took off too fast. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I mean it really lifted off t' pad. I wish it had a piston ejection system, ya bilge rat, arrr, barring that, me hearties, I sewed some Nomex® cloth together and tied it t' t' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! I should have tied it a little better though, ya bilge rat, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. Begad! It protected t' parachute just fine though. Ahoy! T' flight was flawless, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). Ya scallywag! I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

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

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