Brief:
Rocket in a Box has a unique concept. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! They indicate that most rockets sustain more damage transportin' t' rocket to and from t' field than actually flyin' t' rocket. Begad! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! You separate t' rocket and slide the 2" section into t' 3" section. Begad! Arrr! 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. Begad! T' company offers t' sell spare fins, shiver me timbers, nose cones, and for a fee, will actually build t' rocket for you! 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. T' instructions are clear and well organized. Ahoy! First t' 2" tube insert is glued into one end o' t' 2" tube. Avast! This will be used t' secure the nose cone. Aye aye! T' transition section requires you t' build t' coupler portion. They provide a section o' t' 3" tube with a pre-cut slit along t' length. Arrr! Ya scallywag! You need t' glue this slit together t' make t' smaller diameter tube t' slide into t' 3" tube. Arrr! Ya scallywag! 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. You then glue t' plywood bulkhead t' the this coupler tube. Aye aye! Blimey! There is then a second, me hearties, me bucko, 2" plywood disk that glued t' t' first disk. And finally a short dowel is glued t' t' center. After this is dry, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' 2" disk is glued into t' bottom o' t' 2" tube. Ahoy! You then have to drill four 1/16" holes through t' tube into t' disk. Small nails are used t' reinforce this joint. Well, blow me down! While the instructions calls out for only white glue, me bucko, matey, which is what I did, me hearties, you could probably use epoxy and skip t' nails. Arrr! Aye aye! The plastic transition piece is then slid down over t' couplin' tube. You fillet t' top and bottom with white glue to hold this plastic piece in place. Begad! You need t' handle t' plastic piece carefully or it will crack (as was t' case with mine), however, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! This then allows you t' slide t' 2 fins together t' create an X shape. Aye aye! Ahoy! Support t' 2 engine tubes with some wood blocks covered with wax paper and place t' X part o' t' fins betwixt t' tubes. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Slide t' plywood engine mountin' rin' (the thicker one) over t' tubes t' 4 3/4". 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. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Turn t' tubes and fins over and apply glue to again secure t' tubes t' t' ring. Arrr! Well, blow me down! You also glue t' Keelhaul®©™® cord t' t' ring. Avast! Be careful nay t' glue t' fins t' t' rin' or t' get glue on t' rin' where t' fins sit! Blimey! Let all this dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Test fit t' ring/motor tube/fin section into t' 3" tube. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' fins will just slide up t' slots. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Check the bottom engine rin' will slide onto t' tubes and fit inside t' 3" tube. Blimey! Blimey! Push this assembly back out. Avast! Slip the Keelhaul®©™® cord back through one o' t' motor tubes t' keep it out o' t' way. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then usin' t' supplied glue stick, ya bilge rat, apply glue inside t' 3" tube, put a large bead o' glue around t' top edge o' t' engine ring. Arrr! Blimey! Insert t' rin' with t' fins goin' into t' fin slots--these help position t' rin' t' t' correct depth. 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. They suggest swirlin' t' tube around t' spread t' large bead on the top. Arrr! Blimey! Again, me hearties, shiver me timbers, drill 4 holes and insert nails t' stiffen t' top engine rin' mount t' t' tube. Avast! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You'll need t' make 2 marks 180 degrees apart and in a line t' pass betwixt t' motor tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Drill two 1/4" holes. Ahoy! Blimey! A dowel will pass through these holes t' secure t' bottom rin' and fins. Avast! Blimey! 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! There are 2 spacers that you glue on this line and then you glue t' launch lugs t' t' spacers. Avast! T' spacers are needed t' allow space for t' rubber band.

T' rocket comes with a nice 45" nylon parachute. Avast! Take t' chute lines and loop them through a small supplied ring, then pass t' chute through t' loops. Tie t' stretch cord t' t' rin' a little over a foot from the one end. Blimey! Tie this end t' t' screw eye. Well, blow me down! Drill a small pilot hole in t' plywood disk o' t' transition section, insert a drop o' glue, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and screw in t' screw eye. Ahoy! Tie t' loose end o' t' stretch cord t' t' Keelhaul®©™® cord that be secured t' t' motor ring.

Lastly, thar be another piece o' cord. Begad! 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. Since t' rocket separates at t' transition, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this cord and mount are just t' help keep t' nose cone from fallin' off and gettin' lost. Aye aye! 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. Begad! T' instruction tell you t' rely on a friction fit only.

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

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

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

I ended up 0-for-2 on completely safe returns. Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, me hearties, I will take t' blame for t' chute hangin' up (maybe it was t' way I packed it). Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' mixture o' t' Keelhaul®©™® and shock cord and t' nose parachute, me bucko, me bucko, 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, slow launch. Avast! Arrr! I would prefer some motor retention, arrr, at least a thrust ring. 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