Brief:
T' Squirrel Works Mega Baron is a truly glorious 24mm-powered upscale o' Squirrel Works's famed Red Baron boost-glider and is surely one o' t' biggest boost-gliders on t' market. Begad! Made from top quality components, me bucko, this glider is a must-have for any serious boost-glider fan and looks just as good on display as it does when flying.

Construction:
T' Mega Baron's components consist of:

• 1 balsa nose cone
• 1 body tube
• 1 24mm motor tube
• 2 fiber centerin' rings
• 1 motor block
• 1 3/16" launch lug
• 1 pat o' clay weight
• 1 sheet o' 'Iron Cross' waterslide decals
• 1 wraparound wing-markin' template
• 5 sheets o' 7/32" balsa containin' laser-cut wings, rudders, me hearties, lower spar and motor mount bulkhead

T' Mega Baron proved t' be a surprisingly easy build as t' upper and lower wings/rudders/spar are laser-tabbed and slotted so that t' parts fit together like a big yet easy jigsaw puzzle. Begad! Arrr! T' instructions were detailed, ya bilge rat, matey, logical, and easy t' understand with basic but clear pictorial diagrams t' aid in construction.

Great Planes Pro yellow wood glue was used throughout construction.

T' motor mount was constructed like any conventional rocket with t' two centerin' rings glued t' t' front and rear o' t' motor tube flush with each end. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' motor block is then glued into t' front o' t' motor tube and a bulkhead glued t' t' front o' t' completed motor mount. T' motor mount is then glued into place in t' body tube with t' aft centerin' rin' flush with t' aft end o' t' body tube.

After gently roughenin' t' body tube with 240 grit sandpaper t' enable better glue and paint adhesion, I marked the center win' lines with t' help o' t' supplied wing-markin' template and a door jam for drawin' t' lines. Aye aye! Aye aye! Prior to workin' with t' wings/rudders/spar, I gently rounded t' indicated edges as per t' instructions with 180 grit sandpaper for better aerodynamics. Blimey! I then glued t' center wings t' t' body tube usin' t' double-glue joint method, ensurin' that each win' be parallel with one another and glued t' launch lug into place. Blimey!

From that point onwards, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, it was a simple case o' attachin' t' remainin' wings, ya bilge rat, rudders, and spar as per the instructions with t' laser-tabbin' and slottin' enablin' t' parts t' fit together beautifully. Ya scallywag! Once that was done, me bucko, I added sound glue fillets t' all indicated areas. Aye aye! I did nay glue t' nose cone into place at this time as I preferred to paint it before installation.

Finishing:
I sealed t' nose cone with three applications o' thin CA and t' wings/rudders/spar with two applications of Aeroflyte Dope and light sandin' in betwixt after which both t' nose cone and body were primed with a single light application o' Tamiya Fine White spray primer. Ahoy! After further light sanding, arrr, t' body was painted with a single light application o' Tamiya Italian Red Gloss spray lacquer and t' nose cone with Tamiya Black Gloss. Ya scallywag! Once t' paint was dry, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, I glued t' nose cone into place.

After allowin' t' paint t' dry for 24 hours, shiver me timbers, t' waterslide decals were then carefully applied. Well, blow me down! T' decals themselves were o' very good quality, easy t' apply, and look fabulous on t' Mega Baron.

I used most o' t' supplied clay weight t' trim and balance t' Mega Baron. Ahoy! Blimey! It is so large and heavy though that t' rocket simply fell like a brick t' t' ground when I conducted hand-glide tests with it. I spent a considerable amount o' time tryin' t' get t' rocket t' glide and in t' end, I simply gave up and decided to take me chances with t' rocket as is.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' maiden flight, me hearties, I gently friction-taped an Estes D12-3 into place and set up t' rocket on me trusty NCR Modular launch pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Weather conditions were sunny and pleasant although winds were startin' t' pick up.

Upon hittin' t' launch button, arrr, t' Mega Baron boosted arrow straight into t' sunny skies at a nice leisurely pace t' around 275-300ft. Avast, me proud beauty! Upon motor burnout, arrr, t' D12-3 decided t' behave like a D12-5 (or 7) and t' rocket had almost hit t' ground nose-first when t' ejection charge (finally) decided t' eject t' motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Upon ejection, t' sudden CG change helped immediately pull t' Mega Baron into a fast level glide with a slight turnin' t' t' left for a good 100ft--the rocket was glidin' so low it be actually skimmin' t' top o' t' grass. Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! As t' Mega Baron lost speed, the nose cone dipped and touched t' ground causin' t' rocket t' cartwheel end over end along t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Upon retrieval, the rocket had some minor body tube compression damage which was easily fixable with thin CA and a light application of paint over t' affected area.

T' second (and final) flight was essentially a repeat o' t' first due t' another misbehavin' D12-3 although this time t' Mega Baron be about 15ft from t' ground when ejection occurred. Begad! T' rocket glided at a slow leisurely pace t' t' ground and looked set for a nice easy landin' until a sudden strong gust o' wind blew t' Mega Baron hard into t' ground. Upon impact, me hearties, t' body tube burst apart along t' previously damaged area, matey, t' upper win' tore off from the rudders, matey, and both rudders themselves split in half. Ahoy! Due t' t' extensive damage, shiver me timbers, I decided it was nay worth me time to repair t' Mega Baron.

Recovery:
When it was gliding, me bucko, t' Mega Baron was awesome t' watch. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Its slow, ya bilge rat, lumbering, ya bilge rat, me hearties, yet unlaboured glide was truly a sight to behold!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Mega Baron is a truly exceptional product from Squirrel Works. I can't really think o' any CONs (bar its reluctance t' glide durin' trim testing) as t' Mega Baron is worth every cent o' its $36.95 price tag. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' customer service from Squirrel Works's proprietor, Don Magness, arrr, shiver me timbers, is also excellent and, shiver me timbers, me bucko, funds permitting, me bucko, I'll be hittin' up Don for a replacement Mega Baron sometime in t' future.

Next time around, I think I'll be usin' t' Aerotech SU E15-4 and takin' me chances with that choice o' motor!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5