Leadin' Edge came out o' t' shoots producin' a night-flyin' rocket called t' Night Skeeter which is new, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, unique and interesting. Arrr! Their theme is "Fly t' Edge". So, arrr, arrr, me bucko, although I was nay interested in a night rocket, I did want t' sample at least one o' their kits. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I purchased t' X-10 Express. T' X-10 is part o' their Sportser series o' rockets, arrr, for which thar are now five (5) and I'm told more t' come! Blimey!

T' X-10 claims t' have "Retro Style, Precision Detail, and Laser cut parts". Arrr! I agree. Blimey! T' fin shape (and apparently t' holes within t' fins) give t' rocket a "retro" look. Avast, me proud beauty! T' "detail" comes in t' instructions and t' laser cut parts... well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, are laser cut. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!

T' rocket included a 0.736" diameter body tube with a 13mm motor mount (includin' t' motor clip), ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a balsa nose cone and 3 (made from 6 parts) balsa fins. T' shock cord is Keelhaul®©™®-to-elastic which is attached t' t' motor mount and nose cone eye-screw. A streamer is attached t' t' shock cord for recovery. Aye aye!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed in a small booklet that is very profession and worthy o' notice (by comparison and stand-alone). Ahoy! There are 17 pages o' instructions in this form coverin' parts, me hearties, ya bilge rat, tools needed, me hearties, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, step-by-step directions and flyin' information includin' t' NARRRRR code. Begad! There are graphics illustrations that make t' buildin' directions easy to follow. Arrr! Ahoy! Here's a small sample:

Leadin' Edge calls this kit a Skill Level 1, ya bilge rat, but because o' t' 2-piece fin and t' Keelhaul®©™® shockcord mount t' t' motor tube (have t' cut t' centerin' rings), I think it may fall into t' Skill Level 2 when compared t' Estes or Quest. Regardless, it is nay too difficult t' build and with t' instructions it is a straightforward kit.

T' instructions say t' use wood glue. Begad! I followed that direction. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! T' kit even came with 3 toothpicks and calls out usin' them for glue placement (that's a first!)

T' motor mount is built first. Begad! Aye aye! It is a typical except that you must cut t' notches into t' paper centerin' rings usin' your hobby cutlass. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' first notch is cut on t' inside o' one rin' for t' motor hook. Avast, me proud beauty! T' second notch is on t' outside o' t' other rin' t' allow t' Keelhaul®©™® shock tether t' pass by into t' body tube.

T' body tube fin alignment markin' guide is cut out from a piece o' card stock and is wrapped around t' body tube. Ahoy! After this is done, shiver me timbers, t' fins are added. They are cut so precisely that as long as you align t' t' marks on the body tube, matey, they will look like one continuous fin.

My fins extended about 3/32" beyond t' top o' t' body tube when aligned t' t' aft o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Begad! I didn't like this, ya bilge rat, but left it.

T' launch lug is glued in place after t' fins are complete. Arrr! Avast! Then all t' joints get a fillet o' glue.

T' eye-screw is attached t' t' nose cone, arrr, t' elastic is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock tether and it is then tied t' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' plastic streamer is then taped t' t' elastic shock cord.

I finished t' rocket usin' me basic techniques with Plasti-Kote primer. I followed that with Krylon Gloss Red paint. My only complaint was, again, matey, that t' fins extended beyond t' top o' t' body tube and therefore created 3 spots that were "masked" while primin' and paintin' t' rocket. Aye aye! Begad! For t' last coat o' Red, arrr, I had t' nose cone stickin' out slightly t' cover those spots. Avast, me proud beauty! (I regret nay takin' a picture durin' this portion o' t' build for show-n-tell.)

There are no decals provided with this rocket kit.

NOTE: One more thin' on t' fin length... Blimey! Ya scallywag! if it was intentional, it did nay detract from t' looks o' the rocket and may have actually created a better lookin' transition into t' nose cone.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Some o' t' best instructions I've seen in a while make this a great build. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' provided parts are high quality and t' precision cut o' t' fins be impressive. Avast! Avast! I was a bit disappointed with t' length o' the fins, matey, but maybe I'm just bein' too picky and thar were no decals.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Leadin' Edge recommended t' 1/2A3-4T, me bucko, A3-4T, and A10-3T motors for t' X-10 Express.

I happened t' have a pack o' A10-3's and be ready t' put this rocket in t' air. Arrr! Blimey! I added about 3 squares of waddin' for t' rocket's first two flights.

T' first flight (pictured) was perfectly straight and stable. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Due t' t' rocket's weight, me hearties, it did nay go that high. Arrr! Blimey! I found this t' be an excellent feature o' this rocket! Blimey! A small rocket usin' 13mm motors that doesn't go out of site. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I would recommend this rocket for anyone that does demonstrations.

T' second flight was exactly as t' first. T' streamer is orange and can be seen easily.

T' third flight be also on an A10-3, however, it was in our front yard and unfortunately is was blown into the nearby trees and is now lost. Arrr! Blimey! Too bad!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. T' Keelhaul®©™® to elastic shock cord system is excellent along with t' streamer recovery. Ya scallywag! T' weight o' t' rocket allows it to perform well on 13mm motors. Begad! If built correctly t' rocket is stable. Blimey!

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. I would recommend this kit as a school yard flier or t' have as a demo rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! It has unique looks and doesn't fly out o' sight on 13mm motors. Avast! It is also priced in a range that makes sense (to me) comin' in at $12. I will look forward t' future Leadin' Edge rockets.