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

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

T' only complaint be that t' fins were nay long enough t' reach the engine tube from t' body tube. Arrr! I thought (for an instant) about alterin' the fins t' allow them t' reach t' engine tube but, I didn't. Avast, me proud beauty! T' epoxy was strong enough t' hold all six fins. Well, blow me down! T' six fins were t' main reason that I chose the Peacock. Well, shiver me timbers, 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. Ya scallywag! Then, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! In my opinion, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag! When done, I ended up with nice, smooth fins. Avast, me proud beauty! There were no decals included, matey, 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! Avast, me proud beauty! Then, with some decal paper, shiver me timbers, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. 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, ya bilge rat, F50-6, F80-5, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, G25-5, matey, G40-7, G80-7, H55-10, H120-10. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I mean it really lifted off t' pad. I wish it had a piston ejection system, barring that, shiver me timbers, 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, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It protected t' parachute just fine though. T' flight was flawless, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). Avast, me proud beauty! I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification. Arrr!

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

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