Brief:
Rocket in a Box has a unique concept. They indicate that most rockets sustain more damage transportin' t' rocket to and from t' field than actually flyin' t' rocket. Aye aye! O' course, matey, me hearties, this has t' exclude any rocket eatin' trees! Their rockets have a 3" tube that then transitions t' a 2" tube half way up. Blimey! You separate t' rocket and slide the 2" section into t' 3" section. Ya scallywag! But what about t' fins? These are removable t' allow packin' into t' box.

T' Viper 28 is over 5' tall and is powered by dual E9 motors. T' company offers t' sell spare fins, nose cones, and for a fee, me bucko, matey, will actually build t' rocket for you! Blimey! But that just ruins t' fun for us.

Construction:
T' kit includes t' followin' components:

• 3" body tube with fin slots
• 2" body tube
• 2 24mm motor tubes
• a 3" section o' slotted tube t' make a transition section
• a unique clear plastic nose cone
• a clear plastic 2" t' 3" transition piece
• a short 2" tube insert
• a plywood and a basswood centerin' ring
• basswood fins
• plywood bulkhead
• Keelhaul®©™® cord
• shock cord
• 45" nylon parachute
• dowel
• rubber band
• launch lug
• decals
• nails
• glue stick

T' instructions are about 9 pages long with various pictures t' help show t' construction steps. Aye aye! T' instructions are clear and well organized. First t' 2" tube insert is glued into one end o' t' 2" tube. Blimey! This will be used t' secure the nose cone. Ahoy! T' transition section requires you t' build t' coupler portion. Arrr! They provide a section o' t' 3" tube with a pre-cut slit along t' length. Well, blow me down! You need t' glue this slit together t' make t' smaller diameter tube t' slide into t' 3" tube. Blimey! Apply t' glue and tape t' tube together. Allow this t' dry overnight. I found I needed t' do a little sandin' o' t' joint so it would slide properly into t' 3" tube. Aye aye! You then glue t' plywood bulkhead t' the this coupler tube. Well, blow me down! There is then a second, me hearties, 2" plywood disk that glued t' t' first disk. Ahoy! And finally a short dowel is glued t' t' center. Ahoy! After this is dry, ya bilge rat, matey, t' 2" disk is glued into t' bottom o' t' 2" tube. Blimey! You then have to drill four 1/16" holes through t' tube into t' disk. Small nails are used t' reinforce this joint. While the instructions calls out for only white glue, which is what I did, you could probably use epoxy and skip t' nails. Avast! The plastic transition piece is then slid down over t' couplin' tube. Ya scallywag! You fillet t' top and bottom with white glue to hold this plastic piece in place. Arrr! You need t' handle t' plastic piece carefully or it will crack (as be t' case with mine), however, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' crack was small and did nay affect t' transition.

T' fins are two pieces with a slot halfway through, one from t' top and t' other from t' bottom. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! This then allows you t' slide t' 2 fins together t' create an X shape. Avast, me proud beauty! Support t' 2 engine tubes with some wood blocks covered with wax paper and place t' X part o' t' fins betwixt t' tubes. Slide t' plywood engine mountin' rin' (the thicker one) over t' tubes t' 4 3/4". Begad! Blimey! Apply glue around t' top o' t' tubes t' secure them t' t' ring. Blimey! There is a hole in t' engine rin' t' insert t' Keelhaul®©™® cord through this hole from t' top and tie a knot 1" from t' end. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Turn t' tubes and fins over and apply glue to again secure t' tubes t' t' ring. Avast! You also glue t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' ring. Ya scallywag! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Be careful nay t' glue t' fins t' t' rin' or t' get glue on t' rin' where t' fins sit! Let all this dry. Test fit t' ring/motor tube/fin section into t' 3" tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins will just slide up t' slots. Ahoy! Check the bottom engine rin' will slide onto t' tubes and fit inside t' 3" tube. Ahoy! Push this assembly back out. Slip the Keelhaul®©™® cord back through one o' t' motor tubes t' keep it out o' t' way. Aye aye! Arrr! Then usin' t' supplied glue stick, me hearties, apply glue inside t' 3" tube, put a large bead o' glue around t' top edge o' t' engine ring. Avast! Ya scallywag! Insert t' rin' with t' fins goin' into t' fin slots--these help position t' rin' t' t' correct depth. Aye aye! Slide t' bottom rin' on (DO NOT GLUE) and use t' rubber band around t' outside o' t' 3" tube against t' bottom o' t' fins t' keep the motor mount and fins in t' correct position. Well, arrr, blow me down! They suggest swirlin' t' tube around t' spread t' large bead on the top. Begad! Again, drill 4 holes and insert nails t' stiffen t' top engine rin' mount t' t' tube. Begad! You can stiffen t' bottom of t' tube with glue or CA (remove t' bottom rin' & fins first please).

Now, how do t' fins stay in for flight? You put t' fins back in along with t' bottom ring. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! You'll need t' make 2 marks 180 degrees apart and in a line t' pass betwixt t' motor tubes. Avast! Begad! Drill two 1/4" holes. A dowel will pass through these holes t' secure t' bottom rin' and fins. Arrr! T' supplied rubber band will wrap around t' outside o' the 3" tube t' hold t' dowel in.

Make a line along t' length o' t' 3" tube betwixt 2 fin slots. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! There are 2 spacers that you glue on this line and then you glue t' launch lugs t' t' spacers. T' spacers are needed t' allow space for t' rubber band.

T' rocket comes with a nice 45" nylon parachute. Take t' chute lines and loop them through a small supplied ring, arrr, then pass t' chute through t' loops. Tie t' stretch cord t' t' rin' a little over a foot from the one end. Tie this end t' t' screw eye. Avast! Drill a small pilot hole in t' plywood disk o' t' transition section, insert a drop o' glue, and screw in t' screw eye. Aye aye! Arrr! Tie t' loose end o' t' stretch cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord that was secured t' t' motor ring.

Lastly, ya bilge rat, thar be another piece o' cord. Glue this t' t' inside o' t' nose cone (at least 1" above t' end) and t' other end uses a standard Estes style tri-fold paper mount. Begad! Begad! Since t' rocket separates at t' transition, me hearties, this cord and mount are just t' help keep t' nose cone from fallin' off and gettin' lost. Begad! Avast! It is nay glued on since it needs to be removed t' allow packing.

One item that is missin' from t' kit is any type o' motor retention--not even a thrust ring. Ya scallywag! T' instruction tell you t' rely on a friction fit only.

Finishing:
T' tube does nay have spiral grooves. Avast! Instead, t' way t' tube is constructed thar be an overlap o' t' material causin' a bump instead o' a groove. Avast! Begad! I did nay want t' risk sandin' this bump and wreckin' t' tube so I just decided to leave it as is. Aye aye! T' nose cone is unique in that it is a clear plastic. Avast, me proud beauty! It almost looks like one o' those cheap plastic fluted champagne glasses with t' bottom base removed. Begad! I decided nay t' paint t' nose cone thinkin' I could install some LEDs later. Blimey! Ahoy! I did some light sandin' on t' fins and primed it with Krylon. Avast! I decided t' paint t' fins and transition silver, t' 3" tube black, matey, and t' 2" tube blue. Bein' a basic 4FNC rocket, t' paintin' be very simple. Arrr! It did come with a decal, matey, but I decided nay t' use it.

Overall, shiver me timbers, t' construction is fairly simple with a few special considerations t' allow for t' dissassembly and packing. I didn't give t' kit a full 5 due t' t' lack o' any motor retention or thrust ring.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
With t' fins off and laid flat, t' 2" tube slid into t' 3" tube, and everythin' back into t' original shippin' carton, me bucko, off I go t' t' NEPRA launch site. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I got thar and t' weather started t' turn iffy, me hearties, so I quickly prepped t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Begad! Make t' fins into an X, arrr, slide in, slide on t' bulkhead, dowel, me hearties, and rubber band t' secure that end. Aye aye! Nose cone onto t' 2", ya bilge rat, some wadding, matey, and t' parachute. Install t' two E9-4 motors and Estes igniters and off t' t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Due t' t' cluster and t' fact t' rocket won't be stable if only one motor ignites, they called for a heads up flight. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Countdown and both motors ignite. Blimey! It has a fairly slow take off but goes up nice and straight. Well, blow me down! At apogee, t' ejection charge goes off and t' chute comes out. But one o' t' 8 leads t' t' chute came undone. Aye aye! T' rocket came down a bit fast but escaped unharmed. Begad! T' weather then turn sour so I was unable t' launch it again.

My next launch be at NERRF 3. Blimey! I double checked t' chute ties rememberin' me first flight. Arrr! Aye aye! Unfortunately, me hearties, I lost the rubber band. I decided t' secure t' dowel into t' tube with a couple o' wraps o' maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! As it launched, arrr, it weathercocked into t' wind. Begad! Arrr! T' ejection charge went off and t' rocket separated. T' parachute hung up in t' tube and did nay come out. Ahoy! As t' rocket fell, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I kept hopin' t' parachute would pull out. Avast! It went down behind some trees so I don't know what happened. I went searchin' for it and finally find it about 25' up in a tree. Worse, t' tree is on the edge o' a river that is about 20' wide. Well, blow me down! T' branch it be hung up on is right over t' middle o' t' river! I borrowed a pole they had and tried t' work from t' bank, but t' angle t' reach out over t' river made handlin' the pole very difficult. Begad! After a half hour o' tryin' plus puttin' a strain on a bad back, me bucko, I decided t' give up. Ya scallywag! Avast! I figured even if I did knock it loose, ya bilge rat, it would just fall into t' river and get ruined anyway. Blimey! I plan t' try some o' their other kits t' replace this one. Avast, me proud beauty!

I ended up 0-for-2 on completely safe returns. Arrr! I should have checked t' chute for t' ties for t' first one, and while I don't know exactly what happened on t' second flight, I will take t' blame for t' chute hangin' up (maybe it was t' way I packed it). Ya scallywag! T' mixture o' t' Keelhaul®©™® and shock cord and t' nose parachute, I will score t' flight/recover as t' 5.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket has some interestin' build techniques (I had never used nails at least before in a low power rocket). Bein' over 5' tall it looks impressive and has a nice, slow launch. Well, blow me down! I would prefer some motor retention, at least a thrust ring. Arrr! And while t' concept t' disassemble is interesting, I have definitely lost or damaged many more rockets when flyin' than when transporting.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5