Brief:
Design service let's you choose tube length, shiver me timbers, payload section, choice o' 3 fin designs, matey, nylon chute recovery system with Keelhaul®©™® lines & shock cord & Nomex® chute protector. Aye aye! Blimey!

Construction:
T' Rocket Vision starter-level design service lets you choose from several options o' components t' build your own "Rugged Rocket" design. The choices are somewhat limited: choose your payload section (or omit a payload), choose from 3 airframe lengths (9+", me hearties, ya bilge rat, 13", shiver me timbers, or 16"), and choose G-10 fins from 3 designs (either 3, matey, 4, shiver me timbers, or 6 fins can be ordered). There is but one choice for t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! You can also opt t' add a recovery kit which includes a nylon chute, ya bilge rat, me hearties, Nomex® chute protector, and Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines and shock cord. Begad! Finally, matey, you can also choose from two stock decal sheets if you want t' add some graphics t' your finished rocket. Begad!

I chose t' build t' largest rocket possible by selectin' t' 5.25" payload and t' 16" airframe. Arrr! For fins I selected t' 3-fin diamond design. Ahoy! I added t' recovery kit and decal sheet no. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! 2 t' complete me kit.

Note that t' Rocket Vision design service does nay include instructions. There are, however, highly detailed assembly guides (includin' detailed instructions, me hearties, with photos) available on t' Rocket Vision web pages for all of their rocket kits. Usin' these guides I was able t' easily construct me design.

I first used epoxy (30-minute, shiver me timbers, although 5-minute would be better) t' secure t' motor mount tube into t' airframe tube. While this set I prepped t' G10 fins by roundin' the root edge and tail edge for aerodynamics. Avast! Ahoy! Next, I test-fit t' fins into the airframe fin slots and found that I needed t' sand t' slots and fin root edge slightly so that t' fins easily fit into t' slots without too much force. Avast, me proud beauty! I again used 30 minute epoxy t' affix t' fins and later for fillets.

I used t' online guide for t' Spitfire kit t' construct t' payload section. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! This amounted t' securin' t' tube coupler and bulkhead t' t' payload section usin' epoxy. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' nose cone is secured t' t' payload section with a single screw - t' payload section comes pre-drilled for t' attachment screw. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!

T' final step for t' rocket construction be t' addition o' t' plastic launch lug - I again used 30-minute epoxy t' attach and fillet t' lug. Avast! Begad! The parachute, Nomex® protector, shiver me timbers, and Keelhaul®©™® shock cord attachment instructions are described for each kit and are all t' same, me hearties, and quite straight-forward.

Overall, t' construction was a snap, t' on-line guides are an excellent resource. Begad! Begad! I suppose it would be nice if some kind o' general construction instructions were included with t' kit however. T' rocket is definitely "rugged" if nay a little heavy for its size.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket was a breeze. Begad! Blimey! I first sanded t' entire rocket, matey, ya bilge rat, especially the nose cone which has a fairly rough finish. Begad! Blimey! I primed with Krylon sandable primer, arrr, sanded, me bucko, primed again, and finish sanded. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I chose red and white Krylon paint with a Sandhawk-like paint scheme. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket finished beautifully, me bucko, and there be no worries about any tube seams or spiral!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I've only flown t' rocket once so far (stay tuned for updates). Begad! I chose a D13-5 24mm Aerotech RMS motor for t' launch. T' delay be just an educated guess, I did nay simulate t' launch on RockSim as I did nay have time t' add the custom components (would be nice if Rocket Vision made a RockSim database similar t' PML!). Aye aye! T' choice turned out t' be very good. Ahoy! T' flight be smooth to roughly 600 feet, with ejection at apogee. Well, blow me down! T' rocket is quite stable, shiver me timbers, given its length, but needs a bit more power t' get some altitude due t' its weight. I will try some more power on t' next flights pendin' simulation.

Recovery:
Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, matey, recovery be a little fast as a couple o' shroud lines came undone (better go back t' me Boy Scout handbook and review me knots). Begad! The landin' was rough but as advertised t' rocket bein' "rugged" easily withstood t' impact. Begad! T' Nomex® did and excellent job protectin' t' chute though, arrr, ya bilge rat, and it's ready t' go again. Avast, me proud beauty!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Fun t' design online, shiver me timbers, excellent component quality, durable, ya bilge rat, very easy to finish. Avast! CONS: Pricey for a smaller rocket, lack o' component choices. I am very much lookin' forward t' Rocket Vision's next stage o' online kit design.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5