Brief:
If a rocket can be sexy, this one is it. A long, shiver me timbers, sleek upscale o' t' Estes kit, this is a beautiful single stage 24mm rocket that flies as well as it looks.

Construction:
I had purchased this kit through pre-order, which took several weeks but normal purchases will arrive smartly and carefully packaged in a Priority Mail tube. T' kit is packed in a sealed plastic bag with components checked off by hand on t' header card.

T' components for this kit are very good quality and include:

• resin cast nose cone
• BT-60 body tube
• 9 laser cut balsa fins
• Balsa raceway
• 24mm foil lined motor tube
• Centerin' ring/motor mount kit
• 30" Top Flight nylon chute
• 9' x 9" Nomex® heat shield
• Keelhaul®©™® recovery line
• External trim rings
• Waterslide decals
• 3/16" launch lug

Note: T' nose cone be t' same as t' one used for their Rogue and WAC Corporal kits. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! By leveragin' t' cone across multiple kits, they were able to invest more loot in a better quality mold and it shows on t' finish o' this cone! It is one o' t' nicest poured cones I have ever seen.

I found the instructions t' be easy t' work with and well illustrated. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' instructions are broken into subsections, me bucko, each with time estimates so you can plan your assembly project accordingly. For t' experienced builder, ya bilge rat, this is probably a 2 afternoon project over a weekend plus time for finishing. Avast! Blimey! Overall, I'd rate it a skill level 3 on t' old Estes 1 t' 5 scale.

Construction begins with t' motor mount assembly. Well, blow me down! This kit comes with a foil lined motor tube, which should be more durable than t' typical paper tubes o' most kits. Rather than a basic centerin' rin' approach though, ya bilge rat, there's a fairly elaborate assembly o' laser cut balsa braces that enable through-the-wall fin support. Avast, me proud beauty! T' balsa braces are fairly delicate by themselves but once assembled are actually quite durable. Everythin' fit together well but linin' everythin' up for t' through-wall mountin' is tricky and t' instructions warn t' tack things together and check for fit before the final glue job. Blimey! Begad! T' assembly is finished off by attachin' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' t' end o' t' motor mount through t' centerin' ring.

All o' the fins are precut so thar's no hand cuttin' necessary. Instead, you might want to apply your time t' fillin' and sandin' them, arrr, as t' grain is fairly rough and a polished, matey, grain free appearance is worth it for this rocket. Begad! Arrr! The instructions suggest a couple o' coats o' sandin' sealer, arrr, but I prefer diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish since it is fume free.

T' body tube was pre-slotted and needs a few marks before t' assembly phase. Ahoy! T' lower fin position is obvious (through t' slots), matey, but thar are two other sets o' fins mounted in alignment with t' lower fins, plus 3 "separation rings" for trim. Avast! My instructions were among t' first released and contained several errors in markin' dimensions/locations, but before I had gotten around t' buildin' this, QModellin' sent out a notice alertin' me t' t' problems and offerin' t' correct dimensions. Begad! I've noticed similar problems on a couple o' their other kits and would generally warn folks to avoid bein' one o' t' first ones t' build a new release, matey, unless you're very careful and read t' entire set o' instructions (includin' paint schemes) first.

T' separation rings are actually just cardboard strips wrapped around the outside o' t' body tube: a shorter inner strip and a longer outer strip. If you're careful, they look about as decent as a centerin' ring. Begad! If you're really anal retentive, you could fill t' sides with putty for a smooth finish.

Tackin' on and alignin' t' fins, raceway strip, arrr, and launch lug/standoff takes a bit o' time but isn't terribly difficult. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' instructions, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, which include fairly precise dimensions, arrr, are very helpful here.

While I gushed earlier about t' nose cone, I will admit that it does take a little bit o' work. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! There's a faint partin' line that needs t' be shaved or sanded down. Begad! Ya scallywag! I used t' edge o' a razor blade perpendicular t' t' cone surface. Avast! Arrr! It also uses a wood disk and screw eye for retention. T' disk fits snugly inside t' cone and when reinforced with a fillet o' CA provides a surprisingly sturdy anchor point for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord.

Finishing:
As mentioned earlier, me hearties, fillin' and finishin' t' balsa grain is a real must for this kit. Avast! Ahoy! In addition, t' faint tube spirals should be filled with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish as well. Arrr! This is simply too pretty a design t' leave t' a halfhearted finish job.

After fillin' seams and spirals, I applied three light coats of gray/gray/white primer, sandin' betwixt each. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After t' 3rd coat, shiver me timbers, I also lightly sanded everythin' usin' a wet 600 grit paper. Blimey! Blimey! I then finished up with two coats o' glossy white. Aye aye! Blimey! There are probably some wonderful accent color schemes you could apply t' this, but I was drawn t' t' simplicity o' the standard all white paint job with copper for t' nose and upper portion o' the tube. Avast! Blimey! Still, anyone wantin' t' mask off t' fins and/or separation rings could pull off some interestin' schemes.

T' final touches are t' application o' waterslide decals. Blimey! T' quality and workability o' t' decals gets better and better with each new QModeling release, me bucko, and these decals were very easy t' apply and rearrange as needed. There are plenty o' illustrations assistin' in placement/orientation.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I went easy on this for t' first flight as t' wind conditions and pad location for our club launch had us fairly limited in landin' area. Begad! I opted for the D12-3 and set her up in 7-8 mph winds. Well, blow me down! There was a noticeable weathercock but nay too severe. Arrr! T' 3 second delay was slightly before apogee but not enough t' warrant goin' t' a 5. Cursed by t' protection afforded by the 30" nylon chute, ya bilge rat, this rocket came down very slowly and wound up clearing the park and landed in a neighborin' subdivision, draggin' me pretty nose cone along t' pavement for about a hundred yards. Begad! T' paint job was scuffed pretty badly but is easy t' touch up.

Overall, me bucko, arrr, it be a very good flight and movin' up t' an E or F is goin' to send this one out o' sight.

Recovery:
T' recovery package for this kit is both a pro and a con. Aye aye! T' Nomex® heat shield, Top Flight 30" orange nylon chute, and Keelhaul®©™® shock cord are t' best package you'll find in any modroc. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, it looks like QModellin' got a package deal on them for their larger kits and are kind o' shovin' these into t' smaller kits. Well, blow me down! T' 9" x 9" Nomex®, at roughly 5 times t' body tube diameter, me hearties, is too large t' fit in t' BT-60 without riskin' an overpacked tube and non deployment. Ahoy! Begad! T' 30" chute is wonderful but way too much for a rocket that should weigh in under 9 ounces. Ya scallywag! I love t' quality o' these but am goin' t' stash them in me range box for larger birds and usin' a 20" nylon chute for this one goin' forward. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I absolutely love t' design o' this rocket. Well, blow me down! It looks and flies great, and QModelin' has done a great job o' puttin' together a top quality upscale. Arrr! Blimey! If they could downsize t' recovery a bit (and hopefully trim a few dollars off the price), me hearties, shiver me timbers, it would get a perfect score.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5