Brief:
This kit was released in October 2008 at NEMROC and is in tribute t' Geln Avalear, me bucko, a longtime friend o' Jim Flis who passed away in July 2008. Begad! It's a 2-fin plane-like design, ya bilge rat, simple t' build, and clearly aimed at t' beginning rocketeer, shiver me timbers, even potentially as a first kit.

Construction:
Your $12 retail gets you a bag o' typically high quality Flis parts and includes:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-50 body tube 9"
• 18mm motor tube
• 20/13 motor block
• 50/20 centerin' rings
• Balsa fin stock (cut 'em yourself)
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• Plastic parachute (9" t' 16" patterns)

T' instructions are well written, ya bilge rat, with 31 steps over seven 8.5" x 11" pages and every step backed up with an illustration or two. Avast, me proud beauty! Departin' just a bit from typical Flis instructions, this kit includes a Kilgore-like cartoon character peepin' down over t' points in construction that require critical attention and a number o' "thing-a-ma-facts" that are intended t' introduce basic rocketry concepts. Well, blow me down! This is clearly a beginner's kit.

T' motor mount is pretty typical, matey, shiver me timbers, consistin' o' an 18mm tube, block in one end, ya bilge rat, metal hook, and a pair of centerin' rings. Avast! There's a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchored t' t' forward centerin' ring, arrr, teachin' newbies a very good habit compared t' t' more common but weaker tri-fold paper mount.

Fins are old school, cut by hand from balsa stock usin' pre-printed patterns. There are 2 main fins and 4 trim fins which are mounted perpendicular t' t' main fins. Blimey! Blimey! Alignment o' t' trim fins is aided by a guide on t' main fin pattern sheet.

Mountin' o' fins is a little unusual. You do nay need t' mark t' tube (other than for t' launch lug), as there's a fixture provided. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' "fixture" consists o' a stuffer tube which you glue t' a pattern sheet. When the motor assembly is glued inside t' body tube, me hearties, then slipped over t' stuffer tube, me hearties, you can use t' pattern sheet to mount and align t' fins. Begad! Blimey! Since it was somewhat flimsy cardstock, I didn't quite trust it even on a solid surface, so I went ahead and marked me tube anyway for vertical alignment and used t' template/fixture t' make sure t' fins were in line with each other.

T' launch lug gets tacked on mid-body, and t' nose cone gets a standard screw eye. Avast! T' last aspect of construction is in cuttin' and assemblin' t' parachute. Begad! This includes t' standard Flis plastic parachute which is pre-printed with 9, 12 and 16" chute patterns. Well, blow me down! For this kit, you'll go with t' medium/12" pattern.

Finishing:
There are no decals with this, me bucko, so I went with a couple contrastin' colors tryin' t' imitate t' cover art. Ya scallywag! I filled grains and spirals with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, then hit everythin' with two coats o' white primer (Krylon, arrr, new formula). Arrr! Ahoy! I then hit t' model with a soft blue base. Begad! After allowin' that t' cure for a couple days, shiver me timbers, I masked off the main fins, a rin' around t' top o' t' body tube, and thin stripes from t' fins t' t' top o' t' body tube. I then finished off with a Krylon dark cherry red (old formula), shiver me timbers, which didn't seem t' like t' primer and blue (new formula), resultin' in a slightly crazed and crinkled finished.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, I went low on t' power curve with an A8-3. T' winds were puffin' around 8 mph. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' boost was straight up, with about 2 rotations on a barrel roll durin' t' coast. T' motor delay was buggy, ya bilge rat, goin' at about 1 second, nay 3, me bucko, shiver me timbers, resultin' in an early deployment.

Recovery:
I'd think about goin' down t' t' smallest chute configuration on this, as I drifted about 500 yards on t' A8 with a 12" chute. Avast! Blimey! Had I gone with a B or C, I'd have lost it for sure. Aye aye! There be no damage at all as t' landin' was pretty soft.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a decent rocket, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, flies well, and good introductory kit for teachin' basic rocket-buildin' skills. Aye aye! Ahoy!

T' only con I'd offer up is overly conservative chute recommendation. Avast! Ahoy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5