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

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

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

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. Avast, me proud beauty! Then, me bucko, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! If I were to do it again, arrr, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! In my opinion, a great kit!!

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

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

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