Brief:
I won this kit in t' DesconX contest and decided t' try somethin' that I hadn't done since '67, me bucko, shiver me timbers, buildin' a kit per t' instructions, exactly per the instructions, no changes or improvements at all. Aye aye! I normally wouldn't consider a rash act like this, but while trial fittin' t' parts, I was very surprised to find that all t' parts fit on t' first try, no sandin' or other modifications were goin' t' be needed. Begad! It was also obvious that this was nay a thin Estes tube that needed reinforcin' or extra support for 18 mm D engines. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! The "Tuff Tube" trademark is serious. Begad! Aye aye! T' BT 50 equivalent had a wall thickness o' .031, almost twice t' thickness o' an Estes tube and .006 thicker than a LOC 24mm Motor Tube. Begad! Well, blow me down! I was very impressed t' find a tube that thick with a spiral that I couldn't feel with a fingernail. Begad! Begad! I thought briefly about buildin' it for a 24 mm mount t' try out some o' t' new C11's, me bucko, but t' ID of the tube is just a bit too tight for Estes and Aerotech 24 mm motors, so it was back t' buildin' it absolutely stock.

Construction:
T' kit comes with a heavy duty BT-50 and a standard BT-20 motor mount. The motor mount is centered by two wound cardboard rings. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It has another wound cardboard rin' for an engine block, but no clip for motor retention, instead it goes back t' t' old way o' friction fittin' t' motor with tape. Begad! It uses a 24 inch long piece o' 1/8 inch sewin' elastic for a shock cord, mounted usin' a tri-fold piece o' card stock. T' nose cone is a beautiful piece o' 7-inch long balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! You cut t' fins and t' launch lug stand offs out o' a piece of pre-marked balsa, t' launch lugs are standard 1/8 inch mylar. Arrr! Well, blow me down! For recovery, there is a very nice little pre-assembled 10-inch nylon parasheet with a snap swivel.

This was a really nice kit t' build, shiver me timbers, matey, t' instructions were great, pretty much followin' t' normal small model buildin' sequence. Ahoy! Blimey! Build t' motor mount, add t' fins, arrr, me bucko, then t' launch lugs. Begad! Blimey! Glue up t' shock cord and mount, place it as far down t' BT as you can reach. Add a card stock engine nozzle and some optional card stock spin motors. Attach t' parachute usin' a screw eye (haven't used one o' those since '67 either) and swivel clip and go paint it. Actual buildin' time was a bit less than two hours, me hearties, usin' strictly DAP Carpenters Glue (Yellow Glue), no epoxy or power tools were needed and I didn't have t' go out t' t' hardware store lookin' for any extra parts. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' only required tool be an Exacto Knife, I chose t' use a Razor Saw since all the cuts for t' fins are straight lines. Arrr! Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! T' most difficult step in t' assembly is gettin' t' two launch lugs and their stand offs straight. Avast! Blimey! I be very tempted t' use a couple o' drops o' CA, but resisted.

T' only part that I wasn't completely satisfied with be t' motor mount. It looks like t' same blue/green tube that Estes uses, and I feel that it should be a much stronger tube t' live up t' t' potential o' t' "Tuff Tube" used for t' BT.

I also did nay add t' optional spin motors, I just didn't have t' time to get them right and I liked t' shape o' t' nose cone without them.

Finishing:
I used Elmers Fill and Finish (FNF) thinned down t' milky consistency and painted two coats o' that on all t' balsa surfaces. Ahoy! After sandin' it down, I remembered why I was so happy when t' first plastic nose cones came out. Avast, me proud beauty! That beautiful 7-inch balsa nose cone needed three more coats before it showed a smooth surface. Begad! Ya scallywag! I then put on a single coat o' Kilz Spray Primer. I be right about t' lack o' spiral lines, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, one coat o' Kilz completely covered what little line thar be on t' BT.

I painted mine completely with two coats o' White Krylon, choosin' nay to mask off for a Black fin. Avast, me proud beauty! I then added t' water slide decals and a cover coat of Clear Krylon. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! T' decals went on easily and look great.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight had t' wait almost four months, because o' t' open fire ban in Colorado, no rockets anywhere in t' state all summer.

With a finished weight o' only 1 3/4 ounces (50 grams) it should be a good flyer on any engine from an A8-3 for a schoolyard safe 180 feet, me bucko, t' a C6-5 for 840 feet. For those that really want t' see it move, t' D13, matey, arrr, D21 and D24 with 7 second delays all check in at about 1400 feet, me bucko, arrr, and t' D3-5 looks good for about 1900 feet after a 6 second motor burn.

I tried it first on an Estes A8-3 and had me first ever CATO o' an A8-3. T' motor burn was great, arrr, t' rocket went almost straight up, just a very slight rotation t' keep it straight, matey, good trackin' smoke, then instead o' a nice POP at ejection, thar was just a HISS that lasted about two seconds. The ejection charge had just fizzled, toastin' t' waddin' and meltin' t' nylon chute and shock cord. Avast! T' only good part be that t' nose cone was pushed off just enough t' prevent a lawn dart. Avast! When I went t' pick up t' model, I expected t' see burns and blisters thru t' body tube, since I had seen smoke pourin' out both ends on t' way down. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I be very surprised t' find that other than one snapped fin, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' only damage was t' melted chute and t' shock cord had been burned thru in several places. Aye aye! T' Tuff Tube had come thru with no damage at all, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me hearties, fantastic considerin' t' chute and waddin' had blocked the tube, containin' all t' ejection heat and pressure inside.

T' model be easily repaired, t' fin went right back on with Yellow Glue and a bit o' FNF t' fill t' crack, then touched up with a brush dipped in some White Krylon. Aye aye! T' shock cord was a bit harder, ya bilge rat, I had t' soak t' paper tri-fold shock cord mount with water until t' glue softened enough t' peel out t' old mount, me hearties, and then replace it with a new mount and shock cord. T' chute was a complete loss, but easily replaced with one o' me own 10 inch nylon chutes.

T' model has flown since on A8-3, arrr, B6-4 and C6-5 with great results, matey, always straight up, no weather cockin' at all, just a slow rotation on t' way up and ejection right at apogee. Arrr!

Recovery:
T' 10 inch nylon chute is perfect, me hearties, it packs easily, brings t' model down quickly, but with no damage even on our hard field. Ahoy! T' only damage since the first flite CATO was when t' model came back down right on our club's aluminum beam launch rack, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, t' sharp edges o' t' aluminum rack dinged up t' nose cone and two fins, ya bilge rat, requirin' more FNF and White Krylon.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Excellent, arrr, a well designed kit with above average parts, it gets many comments from fliers askin' where I found a vintage Estes kit. Ya scallywag! All are surprised when I tell them that it's nay t' Estes original, but that it's much better. Begad! Blimey! It should be a great choice for a second or third kit for a new flyer. Blimey! Avast! It is built of much heavier materials than most kits o' this size and should be able to stand up very well t' rough handling. You could add an engine hook, but then it won't look right and it won't stand up by itself.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5