Brief:
A big 3 motor cluster with a payload section. Aye aye! Its 5 lower/5 upper fin design helps this beast t' stand out at a launch. It is rated at level 2/3.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 1 Fin Stock 1/8" Balsa
• 2 1/8" Launch Lugs
• 2 3/16" Launch Lugs
• 2 Swivels
• 2 Small Eyelets
• 1 Large Eyelet
• 3 Engine Hooks
• 3 Engine Blocks
• 2 Centerin' Rings
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® Shock Cord Tether
• 1 1.25" wide Elastic Shock Cord
• 2 3/8" wide Elastic Shock Cord
• 2 18" Mylar Parachutes
• 1 Balsa Transition
• 1 Balsa Nose Cone
• 3 24mm Motor Tubes
• 1 .8 ounce BB's for Nose Weight
• 1 14" Payload Tube
• 1 12" Main Body Tube

You know that when t' kit arrives and t' bag it is comes in looks impressive, ya bilge rat, you know t' rocket will be as well. Thrustline hand packs their kits and I have yet t' have a kit from them that was missin' a part. Begad! Begad! T' only complaint I have be t' instructions. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Although quite thorough, t' photos are fuzzy and lack detail. Aye aye! Also, arrr, I think they should be printed front and back to conserve paper.

Construction starts with t' 3x24mm motor mount. You have t' option of usin' motor clips for retention or friction fit. I opted t' use t' clips which meant puttin' three notches in t' aft plywood centerin' ring. Avast! Avast! T' forward ring needs t' have a hole drilled in it for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord tether. Begad! Blimey! I would have been nice t' have this hole pre-drilled since I had no small drill bits. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! (I do now!)

As you mark t' body tube for alignment o' t' 5 fins, matey, t' instructions mention you are on your own for placement o' t' lugs. Arrr! I had t' eyeball a spot between t' fins. Blimey! I believe t' fin alignment guide should have a spot marked for lug placement. Avast! Avast! You have t' option o' usin' 2 x 1/8" or 2 x 3/16" lugs or both. Well, blow me down! I used t' 3/16" lugs only.

There is just enough balsa t' cut all 10 fins, shiver me timbers, so thar be no room for mistakes. Begad! Ahoy! You must be careful in how you cut t' upper fins since t' aft root edge rides on top o' t' transition. I had some minor gaps in mine which I filled with glue.

After your fins are glued, shiver me timbers, you build t' payload section. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! It is enormous. One nice feature is that t' nose cone is tethered t' t' transition via elastic shock cord so thar be no chance o' losin' t' nose during deployment--unless you lose t' whole payload section o' course!

T' nose cone needs holes drilled in it t' accept BBs for nose weight. I had a little trouble holdin' onto t' nose cone durin' drilling, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I got the job done.

Both t' upper payload and t' lower boost section get their own 18" Mylar parachutes. T' elastic shock cord on t' lower section is tied t' the Keelhaul®©™® tether. Begad! This helps protect t' elastic from t' hot ejection gasses and is a nice feature on any kit. Overall, this is a fairly easy build for the experienced modeler.

Finishing:
I needed this rocket completed smartly for a launch, so I kept t' color scheme easy. T' photo o' t' finished model in t' instructions shows t' lower and upper fins a different color from t' rest o' t' rocket. Arrr! This would need a lot of time and a lot o' masking. Ya scallywag! I applied sandin' sealer t' all balsa surfaces. T' spirals were quite light, so I opted nay t' fill them. Avast, me proud beauty! I applied two coats of primer and painted t' lower section/nose cone one color and t' payload section another. Arrr! No decals were provided or suggested.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My instructions had no motor recommendation, matey, so I used t' ones from the Thrustline website. Ahoy! Begad! First flight was with 3 C11-5s. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a Nomex® heat shield since t' main body is a BT-80 and would require a lot o' wadding. T' rocket really lived up t' its name, plenty o' smoke and fire took this bird way up and way fast. Both halves were recovered successfully.

Next flight was on 3 D12-7s. Only two t' motors lit but is was still an impressive site t' see. T' 7 second delay may have been a bit long because two of t' shroud lines tore out o' t' parachute. Arrr! Arrr! I still had a good recovery and the parachute be easily repaired.

Last flight o' t' day was again on 3 C11-5s. This flight was perfect in all aspects. Begad! Although this rocket can be flowin' on 3 C6-5s (although no adapters were included), I think t' C11 or D12 cluster truly lets this rocket live up t' its name.

Recovery:
T' mylar parachutes really shine on a sunny day and can handle t' wear and tear o' multiple flights when you use t' correct delay. T' Keelhaul®©™® tether is showin' no signs o' stress and t' Nomex® I added has done it's job o' protectin' t' recovery components.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great big, matey, me hearties, arrr, albeit expensive kit. T' instructions could use a little work and some decals would have helped t' really set this kit apart from the others.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5