Brief:
For anyone lookin' for a break from t' 3FNC standards, shiver me timbers, try movin' up t' this 5 finned beauty. Begad! Ahoy! With its futuristic style, shiver me timbers, matey, colorful decals, ya bilge rat, and funky fins, it qualifies as a fun kit t' build and fly.

Construction:
Parts are o' above average quality, and include:

• 1 BT-55 upper body tube
• 1 BT-50 lower body tube
• 1 BT-20 motor tube (with metal hook)
• 1 Balsa nose cone/screw eye
• 5 Laser cut balsa fins
• 2 Centerin' rings
• 1 1/8" launch lug
• 1 15" mylar chute
• 1 Elastic shock cord
• Waterslide decals

T' tubes are glassine white with very light spirals and t' laser cutting on t' balsa fins was excellent quality: clean with little or no burn marks.

OK, while this is nay a 3FNC rocket, it basically builds like one. Construction starts with a motor mount assembly--the standard 2.75" tube, hook, shiver me timbers, centerin' rings approach. Next use t' wraparound tube markin' guide to establish lines for t' 5 fins and launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! You will want t' sand t' gloss off t' tube before marking, matey, as this will establish a better bondin' surface than t' glassine finish. Next comes bondin' o' t' 5 fins, along with separate extension pieces. Begad! Ya scallywag! This is all fairly straightforward, ya bilge rat, just tackin' them on with CA and then filletin' usin' yellow glue.

One very unusual aspect o' this design is that t' forward/upper body tube is a larger diameter than t' lower tube. T' construction is nay that tough, it is just the opposite o' what you'd normally expect--mount a couple o' centerin' rings to t' forward end o' t' lower tube with them buttin' up against t' fin extensions, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then slip and glue t' upper tube over t' rings. Arrr! Well, matey, blow me down! Everythin' fit just fine on me kit and no adjustments or trimmin' were needed.

Construction wraps up with t' installation o' t' shock cord and nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! This be t' standard paper tri-fold mounted into t' body tube. Ahoy! Arrr! I'd prefer t' see a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic combination anchored t' t' lower body tube or at t' very least a longer shock cord (1.5-2 times t' body length).

Finishing:
In a hurry t' take advantage o' a promisin' weather forecast, shiver me timbers, I skipped over my usual grain fillin' and went straight t' primer on this job. Begad! Begad! Two coats of Krylon white primer, me bucko, sanded down with wet 600-grit paper established a decent foundation for t' topcoats. Aye aye! Begad! I went with t' color scheme on t' header card, which be a simple silver paint job. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I used a Rustoleum silver metallic finish (the new stuff, me hearties, shiver me timbers, nay t' old solid-colored cans) and two very light, ya bilge rat, thin coats resulted in a very nice finish.

After allowin' t' paint t' cure out for a full 24 hours (I normally recommend 48 but was in a rush), I then applied t' waterslide decals. The decals for this kit make for a very cool look and a silver base is an excellent match for t' red/black decals.

I don't know if this would be a flaw, or just a minor peeve from an anal-retentive guy, but t' decals for t' upper body tube look like they weren't designed with symmetry in mind. There's pair o' decals usin' a red streak that has a hatch at one end, and t' "Astrid" name on the other. Begad! Blimey! Placin' them on opposite sides o' t' body tube, me bucko, I'd want the "Astrid" t' appear at t' forward end o' each, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and t' hatch to appear at t' aft end o' each. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Since t' decals are copies, me hearties, nay opposites of each other, it looks like one side is mounted backwards.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For its first flight, I went straight t' t' C6-5 power. Its flight was absolutely straight and despite havin' 5 fins (and 5 opportunities for me to blow t' alignment/mounting), matey, it didn't spin at all. Begad! Ejection was nose down at apogee and t' bright red 15" chute popped right out.

Recovery was fine, me hearties, me hearties, although I think t' 15" chute is a little overkill. Begad! A 12" would work fine instead, arrr, assumin' you're nay flyin' over concrete. T' pointy fins are fragile and need a soft landing.

My flight was cursed by a rough snapback from t' fairly short shock cord. It knocked loose a cockpit decal and put a big smile in t' very soft balsa nosecone. This will be smartly and easily repaired and this rocket is goin' t' become one of my more frequent flyers.

I added 2 more feet o' elastic, matey, arrr, flew it two more times, and am now 3 for 3 on dents. At least these are easy t' fill and repaint.

Recovery:
PROs: very stable flight, ya bilge rat, great (though oversized) mylar chute.

CONs: t' shock cord is a bit short, could also use Keelhaul®©™® anchor

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is just a great model rocket. Blimey! Ahoy! Cheap, easy t' build, me hearties, flies fine, and has a very unusual design. You really can't ask for much more than that.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5