Brief:
Part o' Sunward Model Aerospace's Canadian invasion, me bucko, this sharp-lookin' fighter plane is a nice addition t' your fleet. Requires good modelin' skills; accurately rated a skill level 3 kit.

Construction:
In addition t' t' basic body tube, shiver me timbers, plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, laser-cut balsa fins (wings) and motor mount, arrr, ya bilge rat, thar's a pattern sheet printed on cardstock for a few of t' details. Aye aye! Also included is an 18" plastic chute and peel & stick decals. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is very cool with t' cockpit cast right into t' mold.

Beginnin' with t' motor mount assembly, I noticed a rather unusual approach to motor retention. Rather than t' typical motor clip, Sunward has adopted an L-shaped arm that screws into one o' t' centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, and t' L can be turned "open" or "closed" for motor installation and retention. Arrr! Avast! I found this approach interesting, and will be curious t' see how it holds up over time.

T' rest o' t' motor mount assembly is fairly standard, with an 18mm tube, a couple o' centerin' rings, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and internal engine block.

Tube markin' is a little trickier than your typical 3 or 4 fin rocket. Aye aye! Arrr! This is due t' t' fact that thar's an intake assembly that covers about half the tube that must be carefully aligned for proper flight. This assembly is made by cuttin' t' pattern from t' cardstock sheet, carefully foldin' and gluin' the edges, ya bilge rat, then gluin' it t' t' body tube. If you want t' get crisp, sharp fold lines, try usin' t' back (dull) side o' your utility knife t' lightly score the fold lines. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Score t' "inside" edge (the side that won't be seen). Avast, me proud beauty! This makes t' fold a lot easier, and avoids t' sloppiness o' a not-quite-straight edge. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! White glue works best for t' paper bonds, me bucko, and I used yellow glue t' attach t' intakes t' t' body tube.

Once t' intakes have dried, it's time t' bond t' aft wings t' the fuselage (body tube). T' instructions call for bondin' t' aft wings, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, followed by t' forward wings. Well, blow me down! Since they adjoin, shiver me timbers, I decided t' bond me aft and forward wings together before bondin' t' t' fuselage. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! This allowed me t' get a perfect fit. Ya scallywag! I also achieved good alignment by stackin' a couple o' books on them while they dried t' keep them absolutely flat.

Rather than fillet t' wings, t' instructions call for using reinforcements cut from t' cardstock sheet. I went ahead per t' instructions, and still found a bit o' wiggle, so added a thin yellow glue fillet for added strength. Begad! This was especially necessary for t' upper twin rudder/tail fins. Aye aye! Blimey!

While t' assembly and alignment o' fins seemed fairly obvious from the illustrations, thar were some inconsistencies in t' instructions and pattern sheets betwixt "top" and "bottom". Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I'll be t' first to admit that me head sometimes winds up in excessively close proximity t' my colon, me hearties, but if you pay close attention t' t' illustrations and nay worry about the labels, you'll be fine.

Followin' up on t' trimming, ya bilge rat, thar are a pair o' reinforcing "plates" from cardstock that bolster t' intakes. Begad! I'm nay sure if this be cosmetic, as t' intakes seemed fairly strong on their own, arrr, but this was a very tricky fit, and I had t' trim t' pattern down a bit with a sharp X-Acto knife when mountin' these.

Recovery is through an 18" plastic chute, matey, with t' typical modroc paper tri-fold and elastic shock cord routine. I upgraded mine t' a Keelhaul®©™® line attached t' t' motor mount assembly, ya bilge rat, though t' elastic would probably hold up fine for several flights. Avast, me proud beauty! T' plastic chute seemed sturdier than the typical commercial chutes, and includes a nice Sunward logo.

Finishing:
T' color illustration on t' bag liner shows a very cool camouflage blend of light and dark blues. Arrr! Blimey! Since I didn't happen t' have any colors close t' that, matey, I opted for more o' a desert camo theme usin' tans, olive drabs, shiver me timbers, and various earth tones. Aye aye! Blimey! This lead t' what looks more like Sunward's Desert Fox kit than the Ice Storm, ya bilge rat, and me version is definitely nay goin' t' sneak up on anyone in the frozen Arctic region. Arrr! Blimey! However, if I had another shot at it, I'd find a couple o' decent blues and try t' match t' illustration.

There are plenty o' decals, enablin' t' modeler t' choose from a variety of themes, me bucko, includin' US and Canadian air forces.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight for t' Ice Storm was naturally, just after a very heavy snowfall and single-digit temperatures. Avast! With hardly a trace o' wind though, ya bilge rat, I couldn't pass up t' opportunity t' fly this.

I loaded an Estes C6-5, though t' delay sure seemed more like a 7 as I counted it off. Avast! After leavin' t' rod and reachin' a little over 100 feet, this arched a little bit and headed out across t' field. Begad! In heavier winds, I'd be very worried about t' weathercockin' potential o' this one.

At ejection, matey, t' chute popped out but seemed a little too bashful t' expose itself in t' freezin' weather so t' model tumbled back t' t' ground rather quickly. Fortunately, t' snow provided a nice cushion and thar was no damage to t' kit.

Recovery:
Recovery seems durable enough, though I was clearly jinxed a bit today. Aye aye! Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
Very cool-lookin' design, although it might be too risky for windy days. Ahoy! Begad! I'll also try switchin' t' a 48" rod t' see if this helps future flights.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5