Brief:
I be fortunate enough t' win this kit as a prize for enterin' me Barbsari B-Prize design into Descon 15. Avast! I asked for and received t' Spaceship Earth version. Arrr! I was amazed at how smartly t' shipment arrived after I'd specified what version I'd like. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Mondo kudos t' Art Applewhite for fantastic service.

Construction:
T' kit includes a sheet o' printed cardstock for t' top and bottom cones, a dark blue sheet o' foam-backed board, a 2.75" length o' motor mount tube, and instruction sheets. T' cardstock and foam board are marked with labels, cuttin' lines, and tab alignment lines. Avast! Avast! T' cardstock graphics for t' top and bottom cones include beautifully detailed natural-coloured images o' planet earth stretched t' accommodate t' cone shapes. Arrr! T' bottom cone has a large image o' Antarctica. T' top cone shows t' other continents and t' northern ice cap in gorgeous detail. Ya scallywag! Begad! Super cool!

T' instructions are clear and concise, with large, crisp, ya bilge rat, clear photographs to add that extra amount o' clarity. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Critical notes are boldfaced and underlined t' draw t' builder's attention. Avast, me proud beauty! T' assembly order be sensible and straightforward.

T' instructions recommend usin' a brand new, extremely sharp blade for cuttin' t' foam board for good reason. Arrr! Arrr! T' foam tends t' tear easily, ya bilge rat, leaving small voids. Avast, me proud beauty! As long as t' voids are small, me bucko, this is nay too much o' a problem since t' foam edges are nay covered by t' top cone.

When formin' t' cones, I noticed that t' exposed white edges o' the cardstock were very noticeable against t' dark blue graphics. Ahoy! Blimey! I remedied this by usin' a dark blue felt-tipped marker t' darken t' edges. Begad! Blimey! I feel that this greatly improved t' look o' t' finished model.

Another issue is that I had to be very careful when applyin' glue and makin' fillets t' avoid messin' up the gorgeous graphics. Blimey! T' cardstock graphics are very durable, though. Avast! They stand up t' much handlin' without any sign o' bleedin' or distortion.

Finishing:
All o' t' parts are printed, matey, so no further finishin' is needed. Begad! The instructions recommend a coat o' clear enamel or varnish, me bucko, but I haven't done this yet. Avast, me proud beauty! I will do, though, ya bilge rat, before t' snow flies.

I had some trouble smoothin' t' edge o' t' saucer where t' top cone meets t' edge o' t' foamboard. Avast! Though t' foamboard edge is just cardstock, it just doesn't want t' smooth down t' way I'd like, even after careful sanding.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation is dead easy, arrr, since thar are no recovery mechanisms t' set up or care for. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions recommend wrappin' three layers o' masking tape around t' base o' t' motor as a thrust ring. Begad! I think this is good practice, me bucko, as t' motors I've tried slide pretty easily into t' motor tube.

If you don't want t' motor t' pop out at ejection time, ya bilge rat, you'll probably want t' add some tape t' t' middle o' t' motor, but be careful nay t' make it so tight that its tough t' get t' motor out again after flight.

T' saucer's first flight be at a model rocketry demo at an event at a city park. T' flight field was pretty small, ya bilge rat, me hearties, surrounded by trees, matey, so low drift was very important. Begad! Arrr! T' wind be around 10 mph. Aye aye! I took a B6-0, wrapped some tape around t' motor's base, and a little in t' middle, inserted an ignitor, slipped t' motor into t' saucer, shiver me timbers, and popped t' saucer onto t' pad. Aye aye! Aye aye! I used an alligator clip on t' launch rod t' support t' saucer 6" from t' pad, as recommended in t' instructions, shiver me timbers, then clipped on t' ignitor wires. Well, arrr, blow me down! All prepped!

T' saucer boosted straight up with no wobble, flipped over at end of boost, and floated softly down t' earth with no wobble and little drift. Perfect flight for t' demo.

T' second flight was in a wide open field with 10 mph winds, again with a B6-0. Again t' flight be straight up with no wobble and little drift. Blimey! Blimey! The model flipped over after boost and float safely t' earth, matey, again with no wobble and little drift.

Recovery:
Flight recovery was very easy after both flights. Avast! T' saucer hadn't drifted far from t' pad after either flight. T' saucer's decent be slow and gentle both times without damage. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Art Applewhite 18mm Delta Saucer is a simple high-quality kit that assembles smartly with no nasty gotchas. Aye aye! It performs well on t' field and is great for demos in smaller flight areas. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' Spaceship Earth version looks spectacular. Ahoy! It is a solid, rugged design and t' printed graphics stand up to handling... Ahoy! Begad! a great rocket for handin' around in classrooms. Aye aye! Flight and recovery are smooth, matey, stable, me bucko, me bucko, arrr, and entertaining.

T' only con I can suggest regardin' me own model is that t' joint between the top cone and t' foam board is kinda rough resisted attempts at smoothing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5