Brief:
This kit be released in October 2008 at NEMROC and is in tribute t' Geln Avalear, a longtime friend o' Jim Flis who passed away in July 2008. Avast, me proud beauty! It's a 2-fin plane-like design, simple t' build, and clearly aimed at t' beginning rocketeer, shiver me timbers, me hearties, 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, matey, with 31 steps over seven 8.5" x 11" pages and every step backed up with an illustration or two. Begad! 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. Aye aye! This is clearly a beginner's kit.

T' motor mount is pretty typical, me hearties, consistin' o' an 18mm tube, shiver me timbers, block in one end, matey, metal hook, and a pair of centerin' rings. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! There's a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord anchored t' t' forward centerin' ring, 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. Avast! There are 2 main fins and 4 trim fins which are mounted perpendicular t' t' main fins. Blimey! Alignment o' t' trim fins is aided by a guide on t' main fin pattern sheet.

Mountin' o' fins is a little unusual. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! You do nay need t' mark t' tube (other than for t' launch lug), arrr, me hearties, as there's a fixture provided. T' "fixture" consists o' a stuffer tube which you glue t' a pattern sheet. When the motor assembly is glued inside t' body tube, then slipped over t' stuffer tube, you can use t' pattern sheet to mount and align t' fins. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, matey, me bucko, and t' nose cone gets a standard screw eye. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! 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, me bucko, 12 and 16" chute patterns. Arrr! For this kit, you'll go with t' medium/12" pattern.

Finishing:
There are no decals with this, so I went with a couple contrastin' colors tryin' t' imitate t' cover art. I filled grains and spirals with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, then hit everythin' with two coats o' white primer (Krylon, me hearties, new formula). Blimey! I then hit t' model with a soft blue base. Aye aye! After allowin' that t' cure for a couple days, me hearties, I masked off the main fins, ya bilge rat, a rin' around t' top o' t' body tube, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and thin stripes from t' fins t' t' top o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Begad! I then finished off with a Krylon dark cherry red (old formula), 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, I went low on t' power curve with an A8-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' winds were puffin' around 8 mph. T' boost was straight up, with about 2 rotations on a barrel roll durin' t' coast. Begad! T' motor delay was buggy, goin' at about 1 second, me bucko, nay 3, me bucko, 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. Had I gone with a B or C, shiver me timbers, I'd have lost it for sure. Begad! Aye aye! There was no damage at all as t' landin' was pretty soft.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a decent rocket, flies well, me bucko, and good introductory kit for teachin' basic rocket-buildin' skills. Well, blow me down!

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5