Brief: Single-staged HPR rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, built for Level 2 certification. Well, blow me down! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Piston-deployed parachute recovery. Begad! Blimey! No payload capability in kit form. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey!

Construction: T' parts were all thar and in excellent condition. T' Pterodactyl is actually a fairly basic HPR kit, arrr, ya bilge rat, except for t' fins. So the parts consisted o' main airframe, six G10 fin components, me hearties, motor tube, 3 centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, nose cone, and piston assembly.

Instructions were surprisingly good; complete and accurate. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Construction gave me very few "huh?" moments. Ya scallywag! Fit o' all parts was dead on. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

T' kit does contain one massive 'gotcha', shiver me timbers, matey, and one 'I wish I'd thought of this before I bought this !@#$! kit factor. Both involve t' fins: one in construction, one in finishing. Arrr! Ya scallywag!

Each fin is two-piece. T' main section (rear) is a conventional double-swept design that has a tab extendin' through t' airframe slot t' the motor tube. Arrr! Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' front section is a design accent which extends along the airframe and dwindles t' a point. Begad! Ya scallywag! This section is only tabbed in its rear, about 1/3 o' its length. Aye aye! T' two sections fit together perfectly; PML really did a nice job. BUT...Gettin' them perfectly aligned so that they look like one fin is a real challenge. Avast, me proud beauty! and while you're obsessin' about that, you'll find that t' untabbed part o' t' forward fin (the point) is warping. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I ended up havin' t' tape t' front part o' t' forward fins down, arrr, so that they'd epoxy on straight.

T' kit doesn't come with any method o' motor retention. I bought an Aero-pac retainin' rin' set before beginnin' construction. Ahoy!

Finishing: When you've got t' fins all glued on and t' fillets cured, me bucko, you'll learn that you've just committed yourself t' sandin' more than 18' (that's feet, ya bilge rat, nay inches) o' fin fillets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! That's right, t' fins extend more than half t' rocket's length, shiver me timbers, and thar are three o' them, which makes six o' t' longest damn epoxy fillets you've ever seen. Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you're like me, you'll soon wonder why this rocket looked so good in t' catalogue. Ahoy! Blimey! I did it by hand. Avast! Blimey! My doctor says that with therapy I might someday resume a nearly normal life. Aye aye! Blimey!

I also didn't consider before-hand how one goes about paintin' a rocket that's half as big as a car. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I ended up buildin' an impromptu paint booth in me garage (plastic stapled t' roof trusses). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! It's nay me best paint job. Begad! Blimey! Next time I find an auto painter.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight: My rocket, me bucko, which I built for me L2 certification, arrr, launched on a K550. Blimey! Well, blow me down!

T' rocket preps very easily. Begad! T' piston needs t' move smoothly but not sloppily in t' airframe. Aye aye! Ahoy! No waddin' is needed. Ya scallywag! Avast! I got rid o' t' elastic band that came with t' kit and used 1/4" bungee. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' parachute is more than twice as big as I'm used to, so I had t' clear off me prep table t' fold it. Ahoy! Blimey!

T' Aero-pac retention system I built on t' rocket makes motor retention as simple as imaginable. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Just slide t' motor in and spin t' rin' on. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

All those fins provide a rocket with barely one-caliber stability. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't add any nose weight, and I spent a lot o' time thinkin' about that while waitin' for me turn t' launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Even at 6.5', this is a very squat-looking rocket. But it flew straight and true. Begad! I loved it!

Recovery: Parachute, PML kits come with elastic bands which they insist are adequate and which I always discard. Well, blow me down! Maybe I'm paranoid. Begad! Begad! I used 1/4" bungee, arrr, and with all t' separations I've watched at ROC launches lately I'm movin' t' Keelhaul®©™®. Begad!

T' 6' parachute brings t' rocket down too smartly for playa clay. Avast! It's probably just right for a softer, shiver me timbers, arrr, smaller field. Ahoy! I notice that even PML has come out and said that they'll spec a bigger chute in kits purchased for desert landings, matey, but they did this after I bought me Pterodactyl. T' nose cone (fiberglass) weighs 2.5 pounds. Next time I'll brin' it down with its own 30" chute and let t' main airframe have t' 78" chute. Begad!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary: This is nay a beginner's kit, because o' t' fin construction. Well, blow me down! Begad! Because t' rocket is so heavy and t' phenolic is so brittle, you have t' be VERY careful about bouncin' it off t' floor. Arrr! Ask me how I know.

If I were doin' it again, me bucko, I'd make two modification; I'd stretch it with enough payload space for an altimeter (may still do this) and I'd get custom centerin' rings that would let me cluster 29mm motors with t' central 54mm. (then I'd add nose weight). Ahoy! This is a great rocket for guys who like big heavy birds that look fantastic in flight but don't go out o' sight. Avast! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5