Brief:
Single stage, me bucko, 14" parachute recovery at apogee usin' motor ejection.

Construction:
Two airframe BT's (27", ya bilge rat, 13"), 1.6" LOC nose cone, 3-plywood fins, ya bilge rat, 2- paper centerin' rings, LOC-type 29mm motor mount tube (8"long), arrr, 1 coupler, ya bilge rat, bulkhead, and eye screw.

You also receive a length o' 1/4" elastic for a shock cord. Begad! No decals.

Instructions are straight forward. Begad! Ya scallywag! I always expect good things from Barry. Aye aye! T' construction be very simple, with tips on how t' beef up your fin joints for higher power flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! No alignment problems. Begad! Arrr! Everythin' went together very well. Begad! Because, I intend t' fly mine on H and I motors, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I beefed up t' fin joints with fiberglass.

Finishing:
No special requirements are needed for t' airframe and fins t' get it ready t' paint. However; with all LOC nose cones, matey, be sure you take extra care in preppin' it for paint. Ya scallywag! I usually sand mine down startin' with about 150-grit and progressin' up t' 600-grit. Blimey! Aye aye! It makes for a nice smooth finish that will stand up t' a lot o abuse.

T' only CON I found with this kit is that it doesn't come with decals. Ahoy! I didn't worry about it that much as I just purchased vinyl letters.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
On t' day o' t' flight, I used an Aerotech G64. Since I replaced t' shock cord with Keelhaul®©™ and a chute protector, this made preppin' recovery very easy. Avast! T' rocket lifted off t' pad straight and true. Blimey! With t' prevailin' winds from t' south at our launch site, t' rocket ended up driftin' down range a bit. Never t' less, it be recovered in perfect condition.

Since t' trailin' edge o' t' fins are 1 caliber in front o' t' aft end, matey, arrr, t' chance o' breakin' a fin is minimized.

Next, me hearties, I loaded it with an H128, which gave us a neck snappin' launch. Again, t' rocket performed flawlessly.

T' third flight o' t' day be with a single use F32 with a 24mm motor adaptor. Avast, me proud beauty! It wasn't as excitin' as t' H128. T' F32 launched it t' a respectible altitude. Blimey! Ya scallywag! My shock cord got tangled in t' shroud lines. Aye aye! Avast! So t' rocket flat spinned into t' Texas grass. Begad! I'm glad I glassed t' fins now.

Recovery:
Shock Cord: replaced with Keelhaul®©™ from Apogee Components.

Parachute: 14" flat panel- rip stop nylon. Ya scallywag! IMHO, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, too small. This rocket needs at least a 24" t' recover it. Blimey! I think a 14" was chosen because t' fins are situated 1.5" ahead o' t' aft end o' t' rocket. Begad! Ya scallywag! Thus, me bucko, shiver me timbers, arrr, reducin' t' chance o' breakin' a fin on landing.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't have any bad things t' say about this rocket. Ahoy! It went together very well and quickly. As I stated above, me hearties, me bucko, it needs a larger parachute. Blimey! And replace t' elastic shock cord with Keelhaul®©™.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5