Brief:
This is a skill level 3 kit. Blimey! It's a faithful recreation o' t' old Estes kit that I had as a child. Avast! T' instructions are clear and in good order. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' only thin' I would like t' have seen is a couple o' pictures o' t' finished bird with all decals applied. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! There are a lot o' water slide decals with this kit and I had t' do some searchin' online t' get some pictures that I could use as a guide for me t' correctly apply t' decals. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

Construction:
There is a lot o' kit here. Aye aye! T' material quality is excellent and include:

• A plastic nosecone
• Three body tubes
• Alps water slide decals
• 12" chute
• Instructions
• Pattern Sheets
• Guides
• Balsa Sheet for various fins (not pre-cut)
• Detail panels and discs (pre-cut)
• 

  T' quality o' t' instructions is very good. Avast, me proud beauty!

  This is nay a 3 or 4 fin rocket. It requires patience and attention t' detail which for me makes it all t' more fun t' build.

  There aren't any real "gotchas" that I found while buildin' this kit, however, t' builder should pay special attention t' correctly markin' t' Drive Unit tubes as t' placement o' dowels and card stock cutouts need to be placed carefully. Well, blow me down! I misaligned mine, but I liked t' look so I didn't bother t' correct t' error.

  Finishing:
  This rocket took me a long time t' finish, mainly because o' t' amount o' primin' and sandin' that needed t' be done, arrr, coupled with t' numerous nooks and crannies that this rocket has.

  One thin' that I did be t' prime and paint t' rocket and main deck separately. Ahoy! I then glued t' main deck to the rocket and did one last finish coat over t' entire rocket. Well, blow me down! This way I was able t' get t' paint where it was needed without havin' t' risk havin' t' paint run by tryin' t' squeeze it into areas where it couldn't easily get to.

  Puttin' t' decals onto this rocket is a chore. Aye aye! There are many t' apply so slow and steady gets it done. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I would have liked t' have a couple o' pictures o' t' rocket showin' all decal placement. Ya scallywag! As it was, I went online and found a number o' pictures and used them as reference for settin' decals that I had questions about.

  Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

  

  Flight and Recovery:
  I used a B6-4 for t' first flight and went t' a C6-5 for t' next three. Avast! On t' B6-4 t' rocket flew surprisingly well. Avast, me proud beauty! It followed an archin' trajectory that was straight enough t' give it respectable altitude. Blimey! Ejection was just after apogee and recovery was perfect. Ya scallywag! On t' C6-5 again t' rocket flew very well. Begad! It had that same arching trajectory, shiver me timbers, nay straight up, but nay too horizontal either. Blimey! Avast! Each ejection was after apogee and recovery was great.

  I was surprised at how well this rocket flew considerin' all o' t' extra pieces it has hangin' off o' it!

  Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

  Summary:
  I really like this kit. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I be impressed by t' quality o' t' materials used. Blimey! This is a builders kit. Ahoy! It's nay just three or four fins and a tube and I really like that. Blimey! T' only thin' about this rocket that I would change if I were to rebuild it is that I would add about an inch t' t' dowel that rests on t' one fin. It is nay as long as t' drive tubes which means t' rocket won't stand up for display on it's own. Arrr! This isn't a complaint. Avast, me proud beauty! PDR replicated the original kit perfectly. What I did was t' craft a stand with a hollowed out dowel that allows t' model t' stand upright for display. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

  Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5