Brief:
Stylish 3FNC (3 fin and nose cone) rocket from Canadian manufacturers Sunward Model Aerospace.

Construction:
T' Kit comes in a transparent plastic bag, arrr, me hearties, sportin' a VERY colorful face card.

T' kit contains:

• 1 45cm BT56 Body Tube
• 1 Plastic Nose cone (the same cone used in all Sunward kits, it seems)
• 2 Engine Centerin' Rings
• 1 Engine Block
• 1 18mm Engine Tube
• 1 Parachute (unassembled)
• 1 Engine Hook
• 1 Rubber Shock Cord
• 1 Fin Reinforcement Tabs
• 1 Launch Lug
• 1 Sheet o' Laser Cut Fins
• 1 Decal Sheet

T' usual paraphernalia (glue, knife, ya bilge rat, sandpaper, paint, shiver me timbers, etc.) is also required.

T' rocket comes with instructions written in both English & French. They are very clear and anybody who's built an Estes level 1 kit (e.g. Begad! Big Bertha) would have no problem in assemblin' this kit. Arrr! Ahoy! T' components are all of exceptional quality but nay t' usual "run o' t' mill" components found in most kits nowadays. Blimey! T' Engine Centerin' Rings are much bulkier than usual. T' Engine Hook is a threaded L-shaped piece o' metal rather like a simple domestic picture hook. T' Nose cone is made o' High Density Polyethylene and t' parachute is made o' a much higher quality plastic than the usual "Happy Shopper carrier bag" plastic chutes.

I had three main concerns with t' components. Firstly I was a little worried about t' loose fit o' t' Engine Centerin' Rings, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, inside t' main body tube. Lookin' on Sunward's website, I found that t' Centerin' Rings are designed to soak up some o' t' glue and expand. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This they did so this fear be unfounded. T' second worry I had was t' Rubber material used for t' shock cord. Well, blow me down! Blimey! As I was determined t' build t' model stock, shiver me timbers, I used t' supplied cord but took the precaution o' installin' a Nomex® heat shield t' compliment t' recovery wadding.

T' final issue I have with this kit, me bucko, be t' balsa fins. Ya scallywag! Although t' balsa used is o' tip-top quality, t' design o' t' fins makes them far too fragile. Perhaps makin' them out o' a light ply, ya bilge rat, arrr, would have been a better idea. If I was to build this kit again, me hearties, I would definitely reinforce t' fins.

One technique used in this kit which I have nay come across before be t' use o' card tabs t' reinforce t' fin/body joint (as opposed to glue fillets). Nay sure I like this method but as I've only built one kit utilizin' this method, ya bilge rat, I'm reservin' judgment. Arrr! They do seem t' be doin' their job.

T' Engine Centerin' Rings come with pre-drilled holes for insertin' the Engine Hook. Avast, me proud beauty! Again, arrr, I was determined t' build t' kit stock but t' unused hole in t' fore rin' be just too tempting! I Quest-ified t' rocket by threadin' a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® cord through t' hole, me bucko, and securin' it t' t' back o' t' rin' with a small blob o' 5min epoxy. I then tied t' main shock cord t' this instead of attachin' it t' t' inside o' t' body tube usin' t' 3-fold method described in t' instructions. Ahoy!

Finishing:
Paintin' this bird was a doddle. Ya scallywag! T' balsa and tube spirals needed almost no filling. Avast, me proud beauty! There is a HUGE gotcha with paintin' this rocket and that's t' nose cone. Aye aye! You MUST give it a thorough sandin' with fine sandpaper before priming/paintin' or t' paint stands a very good chance o' peelin' off. This is not in t' instructions and it really needs t' be thar t' save somebody from ruinin' a paint job. Arrr! I gave mine a good sandin' and have had no trouble at all with paint peeling.

T' face card artwork suggests paintin' t' rocket pink and black. Ya scallywag! I'm not the worlds greatest fan o' pink so I went for orange instead.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a B6-4 on a day with a very light breeze. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' rocket went a lot lower than I expected but looked really cool. I like low, slow rockets This one is a beauty. Aye aye! Avast! T' chute is a bit excessive and t' rocket drifted into t' next field. Begad! Blimey! It does need that chute with those fragile fins though.

Second flight I angled it more into t' wind and t' bird touched down about 10 meters away from t' pad after another majestic flight. Begad! No damage or wear t' be found in either t' fins or shock cord.

A week later I went out t' try it on C6-5s but brought along a box o' B6-4s again by mistake! I decided t' launch anyway. Avast! T' first flight o' t' day was essentially a repeat o' t' second flight in t' previous session. I decided to launch just once more so I could see how t' shock cord will hold up. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I had been impressed by how t' thin' was holdin' out--no wear at all whereas a 'usual' cord is normally showin' t' first signs o' wear after about 3 or 4 launches.

At ejection on t' fourth flight, matey, t' nose cone/parachute separated from the shock cord/body. Avast, me proud beauty! T' main body hit t' ground with a thump and t' nose cone/chute drifted off. Avast, me proud beauty! Luckily, t' nose cone was heavy enough t' brin' the chute down within t' field so that was retrieved. Blimey! Aye aye! T' fin on which t' main body landed, broke cleanly along t' grain and I was able t' effect a repair on the spot usin' CYA. Blimey! Well, blow me down! It turns out that t' shock cord managed t' untie itself from it's attachment point on t' nose cone.

Later, I noticed that t' damaged fin be slightly wobbly. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' main glue joint betwixt t' fin and t' tube must have broken but t' fin tabs were keepin' t' fin in place. A little CYA should put this right.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good kit and considerin' it only costs £11, it is exceptional value for money. Aye aye! T' bat stylin' is very cool and should appeal to Gothic-types and people lookin' for somethin' different. It would be perfect for a Halloween launch, ya bilge rat, natch.

T' kit is easy enough for a beginner with a little experience t' build: the unusual components and t' possibilities o' improvin' t' kit (such as glassin' t' fins) makes this an interestin' kit for a more experienced builder.

T' reservations I had over t' shock cord have turned out t' be unfounded. In fact, matey, this shock cord seems t' be superior t' usual. Ya scallywag! T' recovery failure was down t' t' cord comin' untied, nay snappin' or burnin' through.

On t' strength o' this kit, I'm certainly goin' t' try other models by Sunward.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5