Brief:
Stylish 3FNC (3 fin and nose cone) rocket from Canadian manufacturers Sunward Model Aerospace.

Construction:
T' Kit comes in a transparent plastic bag, sportin' a VERY colorful face card.

T' kit contains:

• 1 45cm BT56 Body Tube
• 1 Plastic Nose cone (the same cone used in all Sunward kits, shiver me timbers, it seems)
• 2 Engine Centerin' Rings
• 1 Engine Block
• 1 18mm Engine Tube
• 1 Parachute (unassembled)
• 1 Engine Hook
• 1 Rubber Shock Cord
• 1 Fin Reinforcement Tabs
• 1 Launch Lug
• 1 Sheet o' Laser Cut Fins
• 1 Decal Sheet

T' usual paraphernalia (glue, arrr, knife, sandpaper, ya bilge rat, paint, etc.) is also required.

T' rocket comes with instructions written in both English & French. They are very clear and anybody who's built an Estes level 1 kit (e.g. Big Bertha) would have no problem in assemblin' this kit. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' components are all of exceptional quality but nay t' usual "run o' t' mill" components found in most kits nowadays. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Engine Centerin' Rings are much bulkier than usual. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' Engine Hook is a threaded L-shaped piece o' metal rather like a simple domestic picture hook. Begad! T' Nose cone is made o' High Density Polyethylene and t' parachute is made o' a much higher quality plastic than the usual "Happy Shopper carrier bag" plastic chutes.

I had three main concerns with t' components. Begad! Firstly I be a little worried about t' loose fit o' t' Engine Centerin' Rings, inside t' main body tube. Lookin' on Sunward's website, I found that t' Centerin' Rings are designed to soak up some o' t' glue and expand. Avast! This they did so this fear was unfounded. T' second worry I had be t' Rubber material used for t' shock cord. Begad! As I was determined t' build t' model stock, ya bilge rat, arrr, I used t' supplied cord but took the precaution o' installin' a Nomex® heat shield t' compliment t' recovery wadding.

T' final issue I have with this kit, be t' balsa fins. Although t' balsa used is o' tip-top quality, matey, me bucko, t' design o' t' fins makes them far too fragile. Perhaps makin' them out o' a light ply, would have been a better idea. Begad! Begad! If I was to build this kit again, shiver me timbers, I would definitely reinforce t' fins.

One technique used in this kit which I have nay come across before be t' use o' card tabs t' reinforce t' fin/body joint (as opposed to glue fillets). Avast! Nay sure I like this method but as I've only built one kit utilizin' this method, I'm reservin' judgment. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! They do seem t' be doin' their job.

T' Engine Centerin' Rings come with pre-drilled holes for insertin' the Engine Hook. Again, I was determined t' build t' kit stock but t' unused hole in t' fore rin' was just too tempting! Blimey! I Quest-ified t' rocket by threadin' a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® cord through t' hole, and securin' it t' t' back o' t' rin' with a small blob o' 5min epoxy. I then tied t' main shock cord t' this instead of attachin' it t' t' inside o' t' body tube usin' t' 3-fold method described in t' instructions.

Finishing:
Paintin' this bird was a doddle. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' balsa and tube spirals needed almost no filling. There is a HUGE gotcha with paintin' this rocket and that's t' nose cone. Aye aye! Aye aye! You MUST give it a thorough sandin' with fine sandpaper before priming/paintin' or t' paint stands a very good chance o' peelin' off. Begad! Begad! This is not in t' instructions and it really needs t' be thar t' save somebody from ruinin' a paint job. Blimey! I gave mine a good sandin' and have had no trouble at all with paint peeling.

T' face card artwork suggests paintin' t' rocket pink and black. Aye aye! I'm not the worlds greatest fan o' pink so I went for orange instead.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight be on a B6-4 on a day with a very light breeze. Begad! T' rocket went a lot lower than I expected but looked really cool. Begad! I like low, slow rockets This one is a beauty. Arrr! T' chute is a bit excessive and t' rocket drifted into t' next field. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It does need that chute with those fragile fins though.

Second flight I angled it more into t' wind and t' bird touched down about 10 meters away from t' pad after another majestic flight. Arrr! Arrr! No damage or wear t' be found in either t' fins or shock cord.

A week later I went out t' try it on C6-5s but brought along a box o' B6-4s again by mistake! I decided t' launch anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first flight o' t' day was essentially a repeat o' t' second flight in t' previous session. I decided to launch just once more so I could see how t' shock cord will hold up. I had been impressed by how t' thin' be holdin' out--no wear at all whereas a 'usual' cord is normally showin' t' first signs o' wear after about 3 or 4 launches.

At ejection on t' fourth flight, t' nose cone/parachute separated from the shock cord/body. T' main body hit t' ground with a thump and t' nose cone/chute drifted off. Begad! Ahoy! Luckily, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone was heavy enough t' brin' the chute down within t' field so that be retrieved. Well, blow me down! T' fin on which t' main body landed, shiver me timbers, matey, broke cleanly along t' grain and I was able t' effect a repair on the spot usin' CYA. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It turns out that t' shock cord managed t' untie itself from it's attachment point on t' nose cone.

Later, I noticed that t' damaged fin was slightly wobbly. Arrr! Ahoy! T' main glue joint betwixt t' fin and t' tube must have broken but t' fin tabs were keepin' t' fin in place. A little CYA should put this right.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good kit and considerin' it only costs £11, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it is exceptional value for money. T' bat stylin' is very cool and should appeal to Gothic-types and people lookin' for somethin' different. It would be perfect for a Halloween launch, me hearties, shiver me timbers, natch.

T' kit is easy enough for a beginner with a little experience t' build: the unusual components and t' possibilities o' improvin' t' kit (such as glassin' t' fins) makes this an interestin' kit for a more experienced builder.

T' reservations I had over t' shock cord have turned out t' be unfounded. In fact, me hearties, this shock cord seems t' be superior t' usual. Begad! Begad! T' recovery failure was down t' t' cord comin' untied, shiver me timbers, matey, nay snappin' or burnin' through.

On t' strength o' this kit, arrr, I'm certainly goin' t' try other models by Sunward.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5