Brief:
This is a 2x upscale (OK, 1.96 t' be exact) o' t' original 1970s edition of the Estes Bullpup, with highly engineered features and upgrades. Arrr! Blimey! I've been avoidin' a few o' t' relatively pricey QModelin' upscales lately, matey, shiver me timbers, but t' boat tail on this sucked me in and I found this a real pleasure t' build and fly.

Construction:
You might be a bit surprised when your $73 box arrives. Begad! Avast! This kit packs into a very small bag. Begad! Once you open it up and start holdin' t' parts though, ya bilge rat, and especially when you start readin' through t' instructions, me bucko, arrr, you'll recognize this is still a reasonable value.

Parts list includes:

• Plastic molded nose cone/disk+ screw eye anchor
• 2 BT-80 body tubes white glassine
• TC-80 coupler
• Laser-cut balsa fins (2 sets o' 4)
• 24mm foil-lined motor tube
• 50/80 centerin' rings
• Motor mount brace/frame assembly
• E-sized metal clip
• Cardstock boat tail assembly
• 30" Top-Flite nylon chute
• Nomex® heat shield
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Waterslide decals

Parts are excellent quality, and despite very tight packin' arrived undamaged. Ahoy! T' instructions for this are first rate, come loaded with construction tips and techniques, arrr, matey, and contain plenty o' detailed computer-rendered drawings. Ya scallywag! Begad! O' particular note is a recent change by QModeling to include a high-quality color cover page on their instructions, me hearties, with t' back side o' that page now bein' used for finished color illustrations for t' paint and decal scheme. Ahoy! That enables them t' present great quality, matey, in color, and only have t' blow t' loot on one sheet, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, printin' t' rest o' t' instructions on standard laser printed paper.

By now you've probably seen at least one other QModelin' review and understand their sometimes over-the-top engineerin' o' construction details like their motor mount assembly, which typically includes about an 8-12 piece assembly o' braces and support rings. Aye aye! When I heard they had "designed" t' boat tail on this, me hearties, I couldn't wait t' see what these guys had come up with. Right off the bat, step one o' t' project begins with t' construction o' t' boat tail.

A typical boat tail on a kit like this might be a paper shroud pattern, rolled, glued, ya bilge rat, then supported on each end by a cardboard centerin' ring. Maybe you paint it with a thin application o' CA t' stiffen it. Ahoy! It's nay so simple with these guys...

T' shroud is straightforward, arrr, albeit made from heavy cardstock. Avast! Arrr! They save you t' hassle o' cuttin' by providin' a laser-cut shroud. Arrr! There's also a separate laser-cut tab, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' avoid t' unsightly seam caused by the standard overlap tab included on a shroud pattern. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Once you've rolled t' cone and tacked it in place over t' tab, shiver me timbers, let it sit for a good hour or so (and pin it with paper clips). It's especially important here, shiver me timbers, as they note in the instructions, be t' use o' white glue (no shrink) instead o' yellow/wood glue.

Next up is bondin' t' 4 centerin' rin' supports inside t' cone. Now, realizin' that the tab avoided t' seam on t' outside o' t' cone, arrr, arrr, but still leaves one on the inside that could be pushed out into a visible bump with a tight centering rin' fit, QModelin' actually laser cut t' centerin' rings with slight notches to accommodate t' tab. Arrr! Begad! Each was precisely engineered t' fit at very specific locations within t' cone, me hearties, offerin' support at t' aft and forward ends plus the center. I be shocked t' find me centerin' rings actually a hair undersized and had t' compensate with a layer o' paper wrapped around t' outer diameter on 3 o' t' 4 rings. Ahoy! After roughly 2 hours (actually about 30 minutes o' hands on work), arrr, I be lookin' at a nearly flawless boat tail. I finished it off with a light application o' Elmers Wood Filler sanded down t' hide t' barely noticeable glue seam on t' shroud.

T' rest o' construction is pretty much standard for QModeling, arrr, and I'd direct you t' any other review for more details. T' motor mount is a very nice foil-lined 24mm tube with a very complicated lookin' (but easy t' build) brace assembly t' lock in t' through-the-wall fins and a couple o' centerin' rings that fit perfectly in t' BT-80 without any sanding. Avast! T' 200# Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is anchored t' t' forward centerin' ring.

T' aft end o' t' BT-80 gets a centerin' rin' flush mounted t' it. Begad! This serves as t' base t' which t' boat tail with a flush mounted centerin' ring on its forward end is bonded to. Ya scallywag! While me shroud diameter was almost perfect, there was still a noticeable seam where t' shroud and BT-80 join mainly due to the angled shroud edge against t' tube. Ya scallywag! However, another more liberal dose of wood filler be applied and that problem was resolved.

With all t' effort t' design a seamless boat tail, arrr, arrr, I'm still amazed and a bit disappointed that this, like t' Viper, ya bilge rat, has a two-piece body instead o' a single tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I suspect this is due t' standardization o' parts and enables smaller shippin' cartons, arrr, me hearties, but I be still dealin' with a coupler and a big seam to deal with. Arrr! For this particular design though, thar's a decal over t' seam line so as long as you at least smooth it out with decent sanding, ya bilge rat, it won't show.

I be pleased t' see a step in t' instructions t' fill t' tube spirals before bondin' t' fins. Arrr! If you want a beautiful finish, this be t' way t' get it. It's certainly a lot easier t' do without t' fins in t' way. Plus, by sandin' down t' filler you wind up removin' t' glossy layer o' t' tube, leavin' a better bondin' surface for fins.

T' aft fins are through-the-wall and are bonded with wood glue and light fillets. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Forward fins are surface mounted and must be lined up by extending lines from t' aft fins. Begad! I would really have preferred a wraparound guide for markin' them, me hearties, matey, as it's hard t' line up t' forward fins perfectly by extending lines up from already mounted aft fins.

Havin' seen me lose 4 tubes t' nasty zippers, QModelin' now includes zipper reduction/prevention tips in t' instructions, ya bilge rat, me hearties, suggestin' linin' t' inside of the body tube an inch or so in from t' forward end with CA. Good idea, but I also wrap a few layers o' maskin' tape around t' Keelhaul®©™® where it comes out t' tube t' soften t' cuttin' strength o' it...

Construction finishes up with t' nose cone, consistin' o' a wood disk bonded t' t' inside lip o' t' cone shoulder and a screw eye anchor.

There's a closin' note referencin' t' designed CG, me bucko, which is a very nice touch in this class o' rocket.

Finishing:
Other than t' hours spent coverin' up tube spirals, balsa grains and seams, finishin' this is a snap. Aye aye! It's got a plain white color scheme (although the shadows on their color models make t' boat tail look gray). Aye aye! I went with two light coats o' PlastiKote primer, arrr, sanded mostly off betwixt coats. Begad! I then followed up with 3 coats o' Rustoleum glossy white. Avast! I tend t' shoot lots of very thin coats and get a mirror smooth finish.

T' decals on this are waterslide but are solid ink, which means before lettin' them touch water, they need a protective coat o' somethin' like Krylon clear coat. Well, blow me down! I botched up similar decals on me Viper, goin' too heavy with the Krylon. Blimey! For t' Bullpup, shiver me timbers, I think t' decal ink actually started t' run as I pulled t' spray can from me closet--I barely touched them with clear coat and my letterin' was slightly blurred. Begad! These are excellent quality decals, ya bilge rat, but I've had trouble workin' with them and suspect they take quite a bit o' gettin' used to.

As noted, t' header sheet includes decal placement notes, me hearties, me bucko, very specific dimensions and are generally very clear although t' 4 views aren't 90-degree rotations, so you don't get a complete view o' all decals for placement. I also found two decals didn't quite match t' illustration.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Given me recent run o' bum luck zipperin' maiden flights (and even a subsequent flight or two) on t' Viper and Nike-X by Q-Modeling, I was a bit nervous with the Bullpup. I skipped t' higher risk (and delay variability) o' t' E/F composites, me bucko, electin' instead t' go with t' Estes E9-4. Blimey!

T' flight be beautiful with a long and slow ascent, ya bilge rat, nay a trace o' spin, and ejection was just a hair early as it was just startin' t' arc over. Ya scallywag! Blimey! While I'm sure this would love t' fly on an F or at least a full E, t' E9-4 is a very nice motor for this. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! In fact, I am confident it could even go for smaller field flights on a D12.

Recovery:
T' 30" nylon chute is a bit oversized for this and it hung in a thermal for t' first 10 seconds or so o' t' descent, me bucko, so I had a decent walk for recovery. Arrr! I seemed t' have cleared all me bad luck as this was free o' any zipperin' and didn't even show any signs o' smoke on t' finish.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an outstandin' rocket and a wonderful flyer. Begad! If I had t' change anything, it would be gettin' rid o' t' two-piece body design and maybe drop down t' a 24-27" chute.

T' pros on this would be boat tail design/engineering, great recovery system, me bucko, and that t' finished rocket is light enough t' fly on t' E9.

Cons are hard t' find on this, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so I'll nitpick and say I miss their retractable motor hook used on other kits. Avast! Begad! This one needs a special stand to display or it must lie on its side as t' hook prevents standin' on t' tail.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5