Brief:
This is a beautiful HPR saucer that wows t' crowd with great boosts and long aerobrake recoveries.

Construction:
This kit comes essentially as three kits. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! There are t' saucer itself and two motor mount kits: one for 54mm motors and one for 38mm motors. Blimey! T' saucer is a single central body tube, me hearties, a launch lug that mounts inside t' body tube, three foam sheets, me bucko, and some fiberglass. Begad! T' motor mounts are basically built as simple small rockets. Ya scallywag! You mark t' motor tube with t' provided template, arrr, cut out t' six motor mount basswood fins, glue them in place, and glue on the thrust rin' t' finish t' motor mounts. Aye aye! Begad! T' motor mounts come bagged separately with their own instructions and templates. Ya scallywag! I liked this as I could set them aside as I worked on t' saucer and nay worry about losin' any pieces.

I found t' instructions easy t' follow and quite logical. Ahoy! Blimey! I never scratched my head for more than about 5 seconds (and then realized any error was mine). There are numerous illustrations and pictures that make t' buildin' process really easy and clear.

T' saucer comes with all t' lines marked and t' motor mounts have their own templates so everythin' is very easy t' do. Blimey! T' top and bottom pieces each require 52 grooves be cut t' form t' cone shape with t' provided jig. Art has included a nice little razor jig and blade that cuts t' t' correct angle so all you have t' do is line up a straight edge with t' marks and run t' jig down it. Ya scallywag! Easy but time consuming.

T' center board is a product called Gatorboard. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I found that me fine toothed jeweler's saw gave t' best results cuttin' this stuff. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! I did several tests with X-Actos, utility knives, shiver me timbers, and t' saw. I found t' saw left t' best edge by far and cuttin' went faster.

Once t' top and bottom are formed and t' center is cut, ya bilge rat, me bucko, you can start assemblin' t' pieces. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' central tube is glued t' t' top. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I made a really tight fit and then glued it on top o' waxed paper so thar would nay be any problems with any leaks. Ya scallywag! While this joint dried, I dry fit t' center tube in place t' assure alignment and a heavy bowl on top t' keep t' center down and hold t' shape o' t' saucer. Begad! Arrr! I then removed t' center tube and epoxied the inside. This is a place t' be careful as too much epoxy just adds unnecessary weight. Ahoy! When epoxyin' t' bottom on, shiver me timbers, me hearties, do nay forget t' first epoxy t' central tube t' t' center first! If you forget t' do this, you will have a shred! This is t' main attachment point o' t' center foamboard supports t' entire saucer. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Once t' bottom is on and t' epoxy is set you are ready for fiberglassing.

T' kit comes with what appears t' be 1.5-2oz fiberglass and is easy to apply. Just start in t' middle and work outward. I think I used about 2oz of epoxy t' do t' job. T' last step is t' trim t' fiberglass t' finish the saucer. Begad!

T' motor mounts are just as easy t' build. Ahoy! Mark them with t' provided template, cut t' fins, ya bilge rat, and glue them together. Avast, me proud beauty! T' thrust rin' is a 1/2" piece o' body tube and I used it t' determine when I had a good fit. I had to sand t' edge o' each fin 125 strokes t' get t' mount t' fit in t' body tube on t' 54mm mount and 45 strokes on t' 38mm mount. T' thrust rin' is then glued onto t' back end o' each one and you are done.

Finishing:
I flew mine built and unfinished with t' exception o' sandin' t' fiberglass edges and seam. Ahoy! I did this because I liked t' white saucer and think it looks good as is. You could paint it anyway you want though. Blimey! I have considered buildin' another one and epoxyin' a picture o' me family under t' top fiberglass so we could all go for a flyin' saucer ride. Blimey! Avast! We will see about that, but t' possibilities are endless.

No decals are provided. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended 54mm motors: Ellis Mountain L330P, me hearties, Pro54 2- and 3-grain motors, Aerotech J90W, matey, J180T, me hearties, J275W, J135W, J315R, and K185W.

Recommended 38mm motors: Ellis Mountain I130, me hearties, ya bilge rat, J228, me bucko, J270, me bucko, Pro38 4-, 5-, ya bilge rat, arrr, and 6-grain motors, Aerotech I154J, I161W, I195J, me bucko, I211W, I218R, matey, I284W, I285R, I300T, matey, I355R, me bucko, and J350W.

I have 6 flights on this rocket: AT J90W, J135W, J180T, K185W, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, H123W, and H148R. I used friction fit with maskin' tape t' retain all motor cases and had no problem with this method. Blimey! Blimey!

Every boost was straight with a little weathercocking. Avast! Avast! T' smoke trails are fantastic.

T' J90 be me favorite as it maintains t' lines o' t' saucer and flies forever. T' crowd applauded this one and t' K185. Ya scallywag! T' K185 is awesome, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, also flys forever, and would be me favorite, shiver me timbers, but it sticks out t' top about a foot. T' J180T maintains t' saucer's simple lines, but overpowers t' saucer and caused it t' wobble durin' flight. You will notice that neither o' t' H motors I flew is on t' recommended motor list and they should nay be used. They put the weight too far back in t' ship and cause it t' recover poorly. (Read more about this in recovery.)

Recovery:
Recover is aerobrake and I never walked more than about 100 feet from t' pads. On t' H motors that I flew, t' first one recovered by aerobrakin' in reverse with a nice soft landing. Well, blow me down! Begad! I though cool, matey, ya bilge rat, lets do it again and then broke the saucer. Ya scallywag! T' second H powered flight (on t' H123W), tumbled on recovery and never stabilized. Aye aye! It landed edge down and cracked t' center Gatorboard.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cool ship. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' last time I flew it (on a K185W), I got a lot of applause and cheers from t' audience, who were yellin' for me t' fly it again. T' rocket flown just before t' saucer be on a N2000. Arrr! It got a lot o' wows but no applause or cheers. Arrr! Get one and you will probably have t' biggest saucer at your launch and have t' most questions asked.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5