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

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

Standard hang tag packagin' with color face card. Arrr! Received kit from Apogee, ya bilge rat, quick delivery, no damage t' kit. Instructions are easy t' follow, illustrations are OK. Blimey! Simple, shiver me timbers, quick assembly. Ya scallywag! Everythin' fits. Ya scallywag! Begad! Root edges weren't quite straight, me hearties, matey, so they had t' be sanded. Arrr! Good fin material, me bucko, nay too thick or thin. Arrr! Aye aye! Assembled with Elmer's glue.

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

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, matey, 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. It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, arrr, me bucko, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, me hearties, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work.

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Begad! Begad! Blimey! Requires wadding. Begad! Blimey! Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. 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, 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. Arrr! Everythin' worked fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Recovery velocity is appropriate, with no damage on any flights. Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Blimey! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Aye aye! Blimey! Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Lightweight, matey, shiver me timbers, high-performance, matey, nice lookin' design. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Straightforward build. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Interestin' research project look. Some nice touches with deluxe materials.

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5