Brief:
If you're ready t' move beyond those RTF Micromaxx kits and step into honest t' goodness kits t' build, you can't go wrong with t' FlisKits line o' micro kits, and t' Interloper is as good a place t' start as any. Begad! It sports a futuristic spaceship design and flies great. Sure, it only goes up about 70 feet, me hearties, matey, but for about 1/4 t' cost o' an 18mm motor, you can send this one practically out o' sight just t' same...

Construction:
This is a real kit nay a plastic toy, and comes with t' type o' parts you'd expect in a kit, albeit itty bitty sized, arrr, including:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-2.5 body tube/motor tube
• Centerin' rin' motor block
• Balsa fins (hand cut)
• Laser cut fiber ramjet fins (6)
• BT-20 ramjet tube
• Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• Mylar streamer
• Toothpick trim details
• Waterslide decals
• 1/16" launch lug

Parts are excellent quality, shiver me timbers, typical for Fliskits.

T' instructions are micro-sized as well, me hearties, compressed t' one side o' an 8.5" x 11" sheet and coverin' 14 steps. Begad! There are also instructions for how t' modify t' plastic plug-in style igniters for flight prep, arrr, as this won't fit t' standard Quest launch system very well. Ya scallywag! T' build is pretty straightforward, arrr, though workin' in this small scale can be slightly more challengin' than regular model rocketry and your deadlights will age smartly once you head down this path.

You start out by gluin' in a centerin' rin' motor block just like a regular 18mm kit. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Next, me hearties, mark t' body tube for 6 ramjet fin lines usin' a template printed on t' instructions. Begad! Tube markin' such small scale is tricky, especially usin' a template, ya bilge rat, and I'd suggest makin' your own wrap usin' one o' t' free utility programs such as t' template widget available in t' tools section o' this site. Arrr! Next, me bucko, ya bilge rat, tack t' 6 ramjet fins around t' body tube. Avast! Once they are securely in place, me hearties, you slide a BT-20 piece over them and mark it for 4 fins.

T' fins are cut by hand usin' a pattern printed on t' instructions. Arrr! Once cut, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, taper t' leadin' and trailin' edges by sanding. Aye aye! Finally, cut t' ends off a pair o' toothpicks and tack t' t' tip edges o' t' fins as decorative trim.

T' shock cord is mounted externally, matey, bonded t' one o' t' ramjet fin fillet joints. Aye aye! While this tends t' din' t' appearance slightly more than an internal mount, I have found that this really thin Keelhaul®©™ thread does nay hold up well t' multiple flights when internally mounted even if usin' wadding. Aye aye! I've learned t' go back t' t' recommended external mount method now... Arrr! T' forward end is glued t' t' base o' t' nose cone (use t' provided wire brad t' poke a hole).

All told, you should be ready t' prep this for paint within an hour or so from t' time you started buildin' dependin' on what kind o' glue you use.

Finishing:
It's kind o' hard t' be finicky about t' finish on a kit like this, but if you're really anal about craftsmanship, shiver me timbers, you can fill t' spirals on t' BT-2.5 and BT-20 plus dust t' balsa cone and fins with a little sealer or Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish.

After a couple quick coats o' primer, I painted everythin' a base o' silver metallic then hit t' BT-20 and nose with a gloss blue. I wound up cheatin' a bit and painted t' ramjets red before bondin' them t' t' pre-painted silver body tube and hand painted t' fins and tip o' t' nose cone gloss red. Begad! Toothpick details got hand painted chrome silver.

T' kit comes with some decent waterslide decals, though doin' decals this small requires some serious patience. Avast! Nay nearly as hard as me Micro Interceptor, but whenever I wind up havin' t' use tweezers t' place a decal and t' decal is so small it wraps itself around t' tweezer tip instead o' jumpin' onto t' paint, I say a few 4-letter words t' myself.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motor choices are limited on this t' either t' current MMXII motors, or t' older (brown) MMXIs with slightly higher impulse if you can find any.

T' flight was perfectly stable, me hearties, disappearin' in a flash faster than you can say Pfffft (the sound o' t' mighty MMX thrust). With t' only delay option a -1 (and that's roundin' up from what is probably more like 0.5-0.7). Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Deployment is very early, arrr, though at this scale a zipper is nay exactly likely.

Recovery:
For a rocket this small and light, me hearties, shiver me timbers, tumble recovery would normally be fine, and you might be tempted t' skip t' streamer. Arrr! Don't. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' streamer's main purpose is t' help you fins t' rocket before you accidentally step on it (plus it conforms t' t' NARRRRR safety code). Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! My Interloper landed safely in t' grass, and I recovered it for a future return t' micro-outer-space.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: excellent job o' bringin' model rocketry quality o' materials and design down t' MMX scale, fair value, matey, innovative design.

CONs: none.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5