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

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+", arrr, 13", shiver me timbers, or 16"), and choose G-10 fins from 3 designs (either 3, shiver me timbers, arrr, 4, me bucko, or 6 fins can be ordered). Ahoy! Ya scallywag! There is but one choice for t' nose cone. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! You can also opt t' add a recovery kit which includes a nylon chute, Nomex® chute protector, matey, shiver me timbers, and Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines and shock cord. Finally, you can also choose from two stock decal sheets if you want t' add some graphics t' your finished rocket. Aye aye!

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

Note that t' Rocket Vision design service does nay include instructions. There are, however, me bucko, highly detailed assembly guides (includin' detailed instructions, arrr, shiver me timbers, 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. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! While this set I prepped t' G10 fins by roundin' the root edge and tail edge for aerodynamics. Arrr! Next, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! 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! This amounted t' securin' t' tube coupler and bulkhead t' t' payload section usin' epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' nose cone is secured t' t' payload section with a single screw - t' payload section comes pre-drilled for t' attachment screw.

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. Arrr! The parachute, Nomex® protector, and Keelhaul®©™® shock cord attachment instructions are described for each kit and are all t' same, arrr, matey, and quite straight-forward. Blimey! Begad!

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

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket was a breeze. I first sanded t' entire rocket, especially the nose cone which has a fairly rough finish. I primed with Krylon sandable primer, ya bilge rat, matey, sanded, ya bilge rat, primed again, and finish sanded. Begad! I chose red and white Krylon paint with a Sandhawk-like paint scheme. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' rocket finished beautifully, 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). Aye aye! I chose a D13-5 24mm Aerotech RMS motor for t' launch. Avast, me proud beauty! T' delay was just an educated guess, matey, matey, 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!). Avast! Aye aye! T' choice turned out t' be very good. T' flight be smooth to roughly 600 feet, arrr, with ejection at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket is quite stable, matey, 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, me hearties, recovery was a little fast as a couple o' shroud lines came undone (better go back t' me Boy Scout handbook and review me knots). Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! The landin' be rough but as advertised t' rocket bein' "rugged" easily withstood t' impact. Blimey! Avast! T' Nomex® did and excellent job protectin' t' chute though, me hearties, and it's ready t' go again. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Fun t' design online, arrr, excellent component quality, durable, very easy to finish. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! CONS: Pricey for a smaller rocket, me hearties, lack o' component choices. Begad! I am very much lookin' forward t' Rocket Vision's next stage o' online kit design.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5