Brief:
BT-50 storm research style sport rocket with 3 main fins and 3 canards, plastic nose cone, arrr, plastic parachute, and extreme waterslide decal coverage.

Construction:
BT-50, plastic nose cone, 6 surface mount balsa fins, thick fiber board centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, BT-20 motor tube, steel clip, ya bilge rat, engine block, matey, full wraparound clip retainer, ya bilge rat, two sheets o' waterslide decals, me hearties, plastic parachute, matey, adhesive reinforcement rings, shroud line, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, swivel, arrr, arrr, and elastic shock cord.

Standard hang tag packagin' with color face card. Well, blow me down! Received kit from Apogee, arrr, quick delivery, no damage t' kit. Instructions are easy t' follow, me hearties, illustrations are OK. Arrr! Blimey! Simple, quick assembly. Aye aye! Avast! Everythin' fits. Aye aye! Root edges weren't quite straight, so they had t' be sanded. Well, blow me down! Good fin material, me hearties, nay too thick or thin. Blimey! Assembled with Elmer's glue.

Finishing:
I used EMRR fin tip #29: It's like makin' slots, matey, ya bilge rat, only you lightly cut along t' lines (the thickness o' t' fin) only cuttin' t' first layer off. Avast! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Then peel off that first layer. Arrr! Then glue as usual.

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, me bucko, two coats o' high solids automotive primer with sanding, then white single stage automotive paint with one coat o' black rattle can enamel for t' nose cone. Blimey! It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Well, blow me down! Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work. Aye aye!

T' decals are a challenge t' get on without wrinkles. It's best t' cut them into smaller pieces rather than try to put them on large. Begad! I prefer waterslide decals normally, but with full body wraps, self adhesive stickers would be better. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Blimey! Requires wadding. Ahoy! Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. Begad! Blimey! Would probably fly OK on 1/2A and A10 motors with a 13mm adapter. Apogee lists altitudes o' almost 1800 feet with a Medalist D10-7, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and fortunately that's a single use motor because I don't think you'd ever see it again.

Recovery:
Shock cord is affixed with a tri-fold paper mount. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Everythin' worked fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Recovery velocity is appropriate, shiver me timbers, with no damage on any flights. Ya scallywag! Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Avast! Blimey! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Lightweight, ya bilge rat, high-performance, nice lookin' design. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Straightforward build. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Interestin' research project look. Some nice touches with deluxe materials.

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles. Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5