I was awarded this kit as a DESCON 7 prize. Avast, me proud beauty! T' owner o' USR was on vacation, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but promised it would ship the week he came back. It arrived on me doorstep packed well and with all t' part contained in closed bag. Aye aye! I first checked t' make sure everythin' was present and then read over t' instructions. Ahoy! T' instructions were several pages and contained diagrams. They were very nice except that thar be no step 4 and 5 and several o' t' steps were mixed up (IE - There were two steps 8 and 9). But with a little searchin' t' directions are sufficient for this 2.25” diameter and 43” tall kit. 

I started construction by sandin' airfoils into t' 3 ply balsa fins. Arrr! This might sound like weak fins, shiver me timbers, but t' balsa ply is much sturdier than a single sheet o' balsa o' t' same thickness. Begad! I roughed out t' airfoils on a grinder and then made them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Avast! T' instructions detail makin' t' fins through t' wall and slottin' t' booster tube. Aye aye! However, me hearties, since this was a lightweight kit that I did nay intend t' fly on high impulse motors, I opted t' just surface mount them. Avast! Ahoy! Since, I didn’t connect mine t' the motor tube I could attach them before installin' t' mount. Ahoy! I used a little 5min epoxy t' tack them t' t' tube and then I went back and added fillets. Arrr! The motor mount consists o' 2 centerin' rings and a 29mm motor tube. T' rings were epoxied on t' end and t' mount be secured in t' tube with 15min epoxy. Ahoy! Aye aye! Now I moved onto t' payload section. Begad! I epoxied t' wooden bulkhead into t' bottom of t' payload tube and inserted a screw eye. Begad! T' payload bay is very large and I’m considerin' retro-fittin' it for dual deployment. Avast, me proud beauty! A nice surprise was that t' nosecone in t' kit is balsa. Arrr! This is nay often seen with kits this size. Avast, me proud beauty! I sealed it with Bondo and sanded it smooth. Arrr! T' kit also comes with and adapter for 24mm motors. 

I primed t' whole rocket with cheap flat gray that be on sale at the hardware store. I worked just fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I painted t' nosecone and booster section a navy blue and t' payload section was painted with gloss yellow. I then applied one o' t' included decals t' t' payload section. 

I had this rocket ready t' fly for quite a while, ya bilge rat, but t' weather just wouldn’t cooperate. Finally, one Saturday, I lugged t' rocket and a pack off D12’s over t' t' local high school. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I substituted a PML 12 foot streamer in place o' t' 12” chute. T' chute wasn’t great quality. Ya scallywag! I secured t' D12 and t' motor adapter into t' 29mm tube with t' help of maskin' tape. Begad! I flew it off a 3/16” rod in me Estes Porta-Pad however the lugs are 1/4”. Avast! It fit be fine and at zero t' rocket lifted off slowly and majestically and lofted it’s way t' about 350’. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' 5 second delay allowed t' rocket t' arch over just as t' streamer deployed. Arrr! Avast! T' rocket was rather impressive comin' down. Arrr! It was recovered without damage. Ya scallywag! I was havin' way too much fun t' give up now. Begad! I launched again on a D12 with t' same great results. Well, blow me down! I loaded her up for a third time and on liftoff she weathercocked slightly, me bucko, but still recovered perfectly. Ahoy! Avast! T' next weekend I took the Banshee t' a larger site and this time flew her on a F20 Econojet. Begad! She roared off t' pad and deployed at apogee. Arrr! However, t' ejection charge was rather powerful for t' light-weight rocket and t' elastic shock cord mount snapped. Aye aye! T' payload came home safely on t' streamer but t' booster landed on it’s side and snapped off one o' me surface mounted fins. It will be repaired without trouble. 

Overall, this is a decent kit that’s fun t' fly on smaller fields and really rips on larger motors. However, for what you get, matey, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' $35 price tag seems a bit steep in my opinion.