T' kit comes with an 8.25" single body tube and a 8.25" plastic nose cone. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It’s 18mm motor mount comes with 1/32" laser-cut plywood centerin' rings and a motor retention clip. Avast, me proud beauty! It uses pre—cut fiberglass fins with through-the-wall mounting. It comes with an 18" bright-yellow rip-stop nylon parachute, a 36" elastic shock cord (1/4" flat) which attaches t' a thin metal shock cord mount. It also includes a single launch lug and thar are no decals.

CONSTRUCTION:

There are only three pages o' instructions and one of those pages is nothin' more than an illustration o' t' side and bottom view of the rocket with an alignment guide. Begad! This kit is nay for t' new modeler due to its lack o' instructions. In all fairness, t' instructions are in a logical order and good enough t' get an experienced modeler through t' kit assembly. There are a couple o' challengin' steps that I'll touch on below. Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit does not have a rated skill level (as far as I know), however, matey, shiver me timbers, I think it falls at about a 3.

When buildin' t' motor mount, t' instructions say to cut a "slot in t' motor tube 0. Well, blow me down! 20 inches from one end for t' motor hook". Begad! Begad! How many modelers keep a ruler usin' divisions in tenths around? I don't. Ya scallywag! I don't. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! By reviewin' t' drawing, me bucko, t' appropriate distance can be determined by addin' a 0.25" centerin' rin' spacin' t' t' 2.25" spacin' betwixt centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! T' motor hook is supposed t' be 2.5" from one end. Aye aye!

T' motor hook be held in place with a "Motor Hook Strap". Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! This seemed t' me t' be a piece o' tack cloth that gets saturated with glue t' hold in place. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It did t' trick. Arrr!

T' remainin' assembly o' t' motor mount requires notchin' one centerin' rin' t' allow clearance for t' motor hook and notching the other t' allow for clearance o' t' shock cord mount. T' shock cord mount attachment is very interesting. First off, matey, t' shock cord mount looks like a fishin' leader with a crimped-loop at each end. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' attach this, ya bilge rat, t' larger loop is placed over t' motor tube and t' top centerin' rin' is positioned t' hold it in place. Arrr! Blimey! This is somewhat challengin' since t' loop is t' be on one side of t' rin' and t' crimp is t' be on t' other. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once together, ya bilge rat, it puts the three-fold paper mount t' same!

T' next step also be somewhat challengin' in t' fact that accuracy be required. Ya scallywag! Avast! This was cuttin' t' slots in t' airframe t' allow each fin tab t' slide in. Begad! This cut requires a good and sharp hobby knife to give clean cuts. Might be time t' change t' blade in yours. Well, blow me down!

T' instructions are good in t' fact that they tell you to rough up t' fins where t' fillets are applied and that t' fins can be attached usin' CA, however epoxy fillets are recommend for strength. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

Now that everythin' is assembled, shiver me timbers, glued, fillets applied and recovery system attached, arrr, its time t' prepare for finishing. Avast, me proud beauty! Again the instructions say t' lightly sand t' body tube and fins and t' prepare t' nose cone by removin' any moldin' flashin' and lightly sanding.

Usin' Plasti-Kote primer, arrr, I filled in t' body tube grooves and cleaned up t' small pits in t' plastic nose cone left by the moldin' process. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I must say that I really enjoyed preppin' t' fiberglass fins. Very easy, compared t' t' tasks required t' get balsa fins t' finish smoothly.

Used another can o' $0. 98 Walmart enamel. This time a deep green. Aye aye! Blimey! Since t' kit didn't come with any decals, I felt it looked a bit plain so I added a yellow pattern t' t' fins and then covered t' entire kit with Walmart's Clear enamel.

Just a comment on t' pro's and con's o' this $0. Arrr! Begad! 98/car Walmart spray enamel: T' pro's are t' cost and durability, which seems every bit as good as other brands I've used. Ahoy! T' con's are color selection, me hearties, however for $1. 39/can you can improve your color selection and still nay pay t' standard $2. Avast, me proud beauty! 49+ for other popular brands. Another con is accordin' t' instructions, additional coats must be done within 4 hours or after 1 week. Aye aye! So in t' case o' me BlobboÔ, I have to wait a week before I completed t' fin pattern with a second color. But, after t' second color and within 4 hours, me bucko, I hit t' whole rocket with clear. If you're nay in a hurry, matey, I think, ya bilge rat, t' pro's outweigh t' con's with this paint.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Ya scallywag! Again if you have some rocket buildin' experience, shiver me timbers, the instructions can get you through without much problem, arrr, but I see this kit as bein' an entry level kit and t' reach t' beginner modelers improved instructions could go a long way. Aye aye! Lastly, shiver me timbers, t' kit needs a decal. Aye aye! Avast!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Whether you call it a "fat boy" or as the more appropriate BlobboÔ, arrr, thar be one thin' you can say about anythin' with excessive girth . Arrr! . Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! . it's goin' t' be a slow starter. And indeed, matey, t' BlobboÔ, ya bilge rat, loaded with its "first flight" recommended motor, a C6-3 had a slow start. Ahoy! Arrr! But like t' turtle and t' hare, a slow start (lift off) is nay always a bad thing. In this case the BlobboÔ gave us a great race, snappin' across t' finish line and ejectin' right at apogee. Ahoy! T' slow lift off allowed more time t' see it and enjoy it.

I'm nay very good at guessin' altitudes, matey, but Apogee's RockSimÔ indicates it should have gone about 235 feet. This is a good height for the wind we had on launch day (10-15 mph gusts). It did weather-cock quite a bit, which is probably due t' t' short, fat body and larger fins. Avast! Regardless, ya bilge rat, the BlobboÔ delivered a successful flight and recovery. Blimey!

Upon inspection, t' piece of Rogue Aerospace's Perma-WaddingÔ held up well, however, ya bilge rat, I think I need a larger piece for this diameter o' rocket. Avast! In all fairness, matey, the size I'm usin' is recommended for a 1. Avast, me proud beauty! 3" body tube and the BlobboÔ is double that size. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

T' parachute, shroud lines and shock cord system all demonstrated performance and showed no sign o' wear or damage. Avast! T' metal leader and 1/4" elastic system seems t' be strong and sturdy and should be durable for many, shiver me timbers, many flights. Aye aye!

Well, Vaughn Brothers only gave two recommended motors t' fly t' BlobboÔ on; t' C6-3 and a D21-7. T' D21-7 is a Single-Use Aerotech motor. Arrr! I decided to try t' new Apogee D10-7. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Knowing that me delay was too long, based on RockSimÔ, I decided t' load it up anyway. Avast!

Everyone was excited t' hear t' flight coordinator announce that this would be t' Apogee D10, matey, matey, however, matey, me hearties, we got an unexpected surprise. 3, 2, 1 - BOOM! T' rocket shot up about 75 feet and nose dived into t' ground. Avast! T' casin' had exploded! T' propellant was still mostly there, with a larger (rounded) groove. Well, blow me down! T' case blew out t' motor mount and cracked t' bottom centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' upper part o' t' motor be still stuck in t' rocket and t' ejection charge still intact. Avast, me proud beauty! BlobboÔ took a hit worse than name calling!

Things that make you go hmmmmm? and a MESS form was filled out.

Well, shiver me timbers, me hearties, ya bilge rat, BlobboÔ has been repaired and is ready for it's next launch. I'm out o' D10's but will try that one again later. Hey, you can't condemn a motor for one CATO. Arrr! Ya scallywag! If that be t' case, how many would still be flyin' Estes' D motors? Those things have ate me Estes BroadswordÔ and blew apart t' top o' one o' me launch pads. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' next day I tried t' get a launch picture on Estes C6-3's. I had two more successful flights with t' nice slow lift offs. Well, blow me down! T' second flight really weathercocked and flew parallel t' the ground most o' t' way. Begad! Some minor damage on bottom o' body tube due t' it hittin' t' concrete roadway. Avast! Begad!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. Avast! Well, blow me down!

Overall, me bucko, matey, this kit is easy t' build if you have some experience under your belt. Begad! Avast! It's fun t' fly too, with slow take offs. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! And it can take a 75 foot nose dive with little affect (don't purposely try this). Begad! Ya scallywag! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Begad! Blimey!