Brief:
Military Style Sport Rocket with 3x24mm cluster.

Construction:
T' kit comes with 2 sections o' high quality, shiver me timbers, glassine coated BT-80 paper tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! T' two body tube sections are held together with a standard modroc tube coupler and centerin' rin' which serves as t' mountin' point for t' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord. Arrr! T' motor mount is a 3 x 24mm arrangement usin' high quality paper tubes and laser cut light ply centerin' rings. All o' t' fins are balsa and are cut from sheets o' 1/8" thick balsa usin' t' supplied templates. Avast! T' nose cone is also a high quality balsa piece. T' parachute that came with me beta test kit is a very nice 24" dia. Avast! piece made from rip-stop nylon. Begad! (T' production kits will come with a similar chute except in 30" diameter.)

T' illustrated instructions made construction a breeze. Arrr! Aye aye! Cardstock templates are included for tracin' t' fins onto t' balsa fin stock. Begad! A body tube marking guide is also included. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! This is a large model rocket, so be prepared for a lot of sanding. There are a 12 fins on this one, ya bilge rat, but it goes together nicely if you take your time. Blimey! I had no problems at all durin' t' construction. Ya scallywag! T' quality of t' included parts are very nice. I used TiteBond yellow carpenter's glue for most o' t' build. Be sure t' sand off t' glassine coatin' before you attach t' fins. Begad! Blimey! This will provide a better glue joint and help keep t' lower fins attached when it lands on recovery.

The one thin' that may be a bit different is that t' instructions recommend coatin' t' fins with thin CA glue. Begad! This improves t' strength o' t' balsa, plus saves a bit o' fillin' when it's time t' finish it. Arrr! I followed the recommended procedure and it turned out great. Avast! Just be careful with t' CA fumes when you do this.

Finishing:
T' only special technique on fillin' was t' use o' thin CA as mentioned above. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I then used two coats o' Kilz spray primer, shiver me timbers, matey, sandin' in betwixt coats to fill t' rest o' t' balsa and body tube spirals. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! You're on your own for pickin' a paint scheme as no decals are included. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Since this one has a military look t' it, matey, I decided t' give mine a camo scheme. Krylon flat spray paints and a lot o' blue painter's tape were used for t' winter splinter camo pattern on my MIKE IX.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are C11-5's and D12-5's. Begad! T' motors are friction fit usin' maskin' tape. Arrr! Begad! I used "dog barf" waddin' t' protect t' chute. This is a BT-80 sized bird so it does take quite a bit. T' supplied chute is very nice. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It folds up neatly and thar be no problem fittin' it into t' large body tube. Avast! Avast! Plenty o' space in this one.

T' maiden flight was at NSL 2004 in Hearne, Texas. She flew beautifully on three C11-5's. Begad! It be me first flight that morning. Arrr! There be a slight breeze out o' t' south. Ya scallywag! It leapt off t' pad and climbed straight up t' approx. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down! 700 feet. Arrr! Ejection was right after apogee and t' chute came out perfectly. Begad! A textbook flight. Begad! Begad! T' flame, arrr, matey, matey, smoke and noise from three 24mm black powder motors is impressive.

Recovery:
All o' t' materials in t' recovery system are first rate. Ahoy! Arrr! T' shock cord consists o' a heavy Keelhaul®©™® thread attached t' a centerin' rin' mounted midway up t' length o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' centerin' rin' acts as a 'sort-of' baffle, arrr, plus it keeps helps keep the parachute toward t' top o' t' rocket durin' flight. Avast! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™® thread is attached t' a very long piece o' elastic which is tied t' a screw eye in t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' chute comes pre-assembled with a snap-swivel, matey, ya bilge rat, and is made of rip-stop nylon and Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines.

T' beta kit that I built came with a 24" dia. chute. Begad! Arrr! Durin' me test flights, arrr, I estimated descent at 15 ft/sec, maybe a bit more. Begad! Well, blow me down! It seemed t' come down a little too quickly, and t' manufacturer has decided t' supply the production kits with a 30" chute instead, me hearties, a good move in me book. Ahoy! My second flight on D12-5's and t' 24" chute landed on a gravel road and resulted in a cracked fin, shiver me timbers, however that was easily repaired. Begad! Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
In typical ThrustAero tradition, this is a "builder's" kit. The quality o' materials is first rate, but you must be prepared t' cut your own fins and have a little imagination when it comes t' finishing. Avast! T' end result is a very handsome rocket that commands attention at t' flight line. I love cluster rockets and this is a tough lookin' rocket. Avast! Arrr! It absolutely roars off the pad on three D12's. Begad! It has a large profile in flight and is very stable as it goes up. I can't think o' any CONs t' this kit...

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5