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

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

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

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, shiver me timbers, 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. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! In my opinion, a great kit!!

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

April 2000:, I flew it with an F-40 at a club launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Peacock has a slow descent rate so, matey, shiver me timbers, I shortened t' parachute cords somewhat with some tape and let her fly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' flight seemed perfect, arrr, I received complements from some o' t' other flyers after I retrieved it. Blimey! Blimey! But, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me hearties, as I mentioned before, t' TTW fins didn't quite reach t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! That fact, coupled with t' somewhat faster descent, matey, cracked t' epoxy joint on one of t' fins. So, I figured it was time t' kill two birds at once. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I used a dremel t' cut t' aft centerin' rin' off t' reveal the underlyin' fins. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! As you can see in t' picture, thar be close t' 1/8" gap betwixt t' root edge and t' motor tube. Arrr! Arrr! I bought some system three epoxy and filled t' gaps, and filleted t' internal joints between t' airframe and t' fins. Begad! Now, arrr, arrr, t' connections are strong. Then, me bucko, 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, me bucko, if anyone else runs into t' same problem, definitely fix it before installin' t' aft centerin' ring. (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. Well, blow me down! T' excellent construction materials along with t' ease o' assembly makes this kit stand above any other ones that I have constructed. 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.

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