Brief:
A very basic 3FNC rocket that doesn't quite perform as advertised. Supposedly the rocket will feature helicopter recovery at motor ejection, shiver me timbers, but doesn't.

Construction:
T' basic kit consists o' a short piece o' 18mm body tube, a real balsa nose cone, a sheet if pre-cut balsa fins, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a launch lug, ya bilge rat, decal, matey, shiver me timbers, and 3 wooden dowels. T' kit is very similar t' t' Rogue Gnat, arrr, but larger and with wooden dowels.

T' instructions were about as simple as they could get, me bucko, and were pretty easy t' follow if I had chosen t' do so. Aye aye! This kit is so simple instructions are not required. Well, blow me down! Everythin' fit perfectly, arrr, me hearties, t' balsa was a better grade than I've ever seen from Custom, and t' assembly steps were in a somewhat logical order. Most basic model buildin' tools would suffice; however, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, you could get by with nothin' more than a piece o' sandpaper and some Elmer's wood glue. Aye aye!

There are only a couple o' CON's: T' body tube seems a little thin when compared t' other kits, and t' instructions mentioned nothin' about why the rocket was supposed t' spin on recovery. Arrr! I would have t' deduct points for the fact that this rocket will nay spin, shiver me timbers, twist, matey, or tumble if it is built per the instructions. Begad! Ya scallywag! And since t' instructions never give any indication o' why it is supposed to, it could be confusin' for a beginner. Aye aye! This thin' simply lawn darts. Aye aye! T' alleviate t' lawn dartin' tendencies, matey, I sanded each fin into an asymmetrical airfoil, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, in hopes that it would induce spin. Begad! I figured that the rocket would be travellin' too fast on t' way up for t' airfoil t' induce any spin, matey, me bucko, since t' airfoil would stall, arrr, but on t' way down, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, it should be going slow enough for t' airfoil t' induce a low pressure region that would induce "lift", thereby spinnin' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! At least it was good in theory.

Finishing:
Finishin' this rocket in t' suggested paint scheme o' black looked a little drab t' me, so I went back and coated t' upper half and one fin o' t' rocket with Elmer's Squeeze Creations we had layin' around t' house. Aye aye! Basically, this stuff is colored glue with glitter in it, ya bilge rat, and goes on like glue. So, matey, after coatin' t' upper with red and t' lower with gold, I now have a highly visible rocket that sparkles in t' sun. Begad! Ahoy! T' glue also added a little more strength.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Custom recommends a really low powered 18mm motor. However, I prefer t' use a 13mm A motor with an adaptor, me bucko, matey, since they are a little cheaper and come in a pack o' 4 instead o' 3, so thar's a little bit o' savings there. Ya scallywag! OK, so I'm cheap. Ahoy! Begad!

Preparation for flight couldn't be easier: Just pop in a motor, matey, add the ignitor and launch. Aye aye! Aye aye! Motor retention is friction fit, with t' nose cone acting as t' motor block. Blimey! Begad! T' motor is supposed t' eject, arrr, arrr, and by some mythical process, arrr, t' rocket is supposed t' spin comin' down, though Custom never addresses t' issue. Expect straight, rapid flights on a low powered A sized motor. Well, blow me down! I wouldn't launch it on anythin' larger than a B6-6, or you'll never see it again, even if covered in glitter. Well, blow me down! But t' thin' needs t' be built as sturdy, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, because it'll lawn dart every time. Ya scallywag! My little airfoil experiment is a mixed bag o' success and failure; it'll induce some spin, arrr, me bucko, but t' fins are too small and thin t' produce anythin' like what Custom describes on t' package. My suggestion is t' cant t' fins a few degrees off center, me bucko, inducin' spin. Well, blow me down! Begad! The recovery will make for a "heads-up" launch every time, ya bilge rat, and is why I rated flight so low. If it weren't for t' lawn dart, me bucko, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, but an object can only stand t' fall from so high up a finite number o' times, shiver me timbers, and even fewer if it burrows into t' ground each time. So, expect a short lifespan.

Recovery:
There are no PROs t' flight recovery on this rocket, other than t' fact it needs no wadding. Well, blow me down! It preps quickly, flies quickly, and crashes quickly. Aye aye! Arrr!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
In me opinion, this kit needed more R&D before Custom released it t' the public. Avast, me proud beauty! It flies great, shiver me timbers, matey, on t' way up. Well, blow me down! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, it flies great on t' way down too. Begad! It is reminiscent o' t' old Estes Scout, shiver me timbers, which was a dynamite little rocket, but loses a lot in t' recovery system. Arrr! I would definitely recommend this rocket t' anyone lookin' t' buy a kid their first or second rocket, but would add that t' fins need t' be attached off center t' aid in recovery. Ya scallywag! all in all, t' Custom Twister is an exercise best summed up as Caveat Emptor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5