Brief:
In t' early days o' rocketry if you wanted a rocket that looked like a jet, matey, it be a Centuri kit for you. Thrustline's F-19 Night Fighter is a futuristic fighter aircraft styled rocket that once again delivers t' kind of feel that could be found with these kits. T' F-19 boosts on a single 24mm motor and recovers by parachute.

Construction:
All o' t' component o' t' kit were well packaged in a poly bag when I received me F-19 kit. Begad! Ahoy! T' kit was well packaged with several others in a sturdy mailin' carton and arrived without damage despite t' best efforts o' t' post office t' inflict it.

Included in t' kit are:

• 1 BT-55 Body tube
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cord kit
• 1 18" Mylar parachute
• 1 Steel screw eye
• 1 1/8" Launch lug
• 1 1/4" BT-50 Thrust ring
• 2 Black fiberboard centerin' rings
• 1 BT-50 Engine tube
• 1 24mm Engine hook
• 1 1/8" Wooden dowel stock
• 1 Balsa nose cone
• 3 3/16" Balsa sheets (for canopy)
• 2 1/8" x 16" Balsa sheets
• 1 Instructions and fin templates

T' instructions for Thrustline's kits are great. Begad! Arrr! T' order o' assembly is well thought out and logical. T' F-19 set is no exception. T' eight pages o' instructions with photos t' illustrate t' steps are easy to follow. There are several pages o' fin templates printed on light cardstock.

This kit is definitely nay for t' inexperienced builder. Ahoy! There are several things that would have been considered "normal" in t' early days o' rocketry that put this kit into t' classification o' a "builder's kit" today. Well, blow me down! If you are lookin' for a kit that will let you slap its laser-cut fins on and launch it t' same day, arrr, matey, this is nay it. Ya scallywag!

T' builder first assembles and installs t' motor mount and Keelhaul®©™® recovery harness. Aye aye! T' main body tube gets marked with t' included body wrap. Next comes t' first challenge. Ya scallywag! T' fins are marked by t' builder onto t' sheets o' balsa and cut by hand. Blimey! T' builder must be conscious o' the direction o' t' grain. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' suggested direction is marked on t' templates. Ya scallywag! Some o' t' fins are fairly small for the thickness o' t' sheets and can be challengin' t' cut cleanly. Avast, me proud beauty! If t' builder doesn't follow t' suggested cutting pattern they could be left short if fin stock. Ahoy! Several o' t' small pieces are joined together t' for t' wings and tail o' t' model. Well, blow me down! It is done this way t' allow t' grain t' be aligned as t' give maximum strength t' t' finished part. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' win' and tail assemblies are completed and sanded, they are attached t' t' airframe.

It was at this point I got an idea about how I'd like t' make t' F-19 more t' me tastes. In t' stock kit, shiver me timbers, the pilot's canopy is attached t' t' main airframe but this looks weird t' me. Arrr! Blimey! After a couple o' quick emails to Thrustline t' confirm that it wasn't a terrible idea, matey, I decided t' attach t' canopy t' t' nose. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit comes with 3 sheets o' balsa t' be laminated together and carved by hand t' form t' canopy. Blimey! I suspected (and later it proved t' be correct) that by mountin' t' canopy on t' nose cone I would need additional layers because o' mountin' t' t' pointed cone instead o' t' t' straight tube. I cut t' canopy pattern out as close t' t' edge o' t' supplied balsa as possible t' save t' excess for extra layers. Arrr! Blimey! I laminated t' extras on top o' t' canopy after I had it cut. Lots of carvin' and sandin' ensued, matey, includin' on t' bottom o' t' canopy t' match t' curve o' t' cone. I reversed the teardrop shape so that t' pointy end be in t' front instead o' t' back t' match t' taper o' t' cone. Begad! T' finished canopy mated up t' t' cone nicely but had required a thickness equal t' about five sheets instead o' just three.

I hit one "gotcha" with this kit, which came up with t' win' assembly. T' supplied 1/8" dowel that is used t' reinforce t' win' tips and add projections t' t' ends o' t' tail fins was too short. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I was holdin' a runnin' email dialog with John from Thrustline at t' time. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I'm sure I could have asked him for a replacement piece of dowel, but I had enough in me parts bin t' keep on buildin' without t' delay o' havin' a small piece o' dowel sent cross country. Thrustline's customer service is great, so I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem if I had need to have it sent though.

Finishing:
There is a lot o' sandin' and fillin' required for all t' balsa in this kit. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' balsa for t' kit is top notch (firm and tightly grained), but thar be lots o' it!

I used me standard procedure for finishing. Begad! One light coat o' Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish on t' balsa and t' tube spirals. T' tubes barely had any spirals, me hearties, so they were a breeze t' finish. Ahoy! After sanding, me hearties, t' whole kit got a good heavy coat o' Kilz primer and got another round o' sandin' t' get it ready for paint.

This kit reminds me o' t' US Navy's F-18 Hornet so I set about lookin' for an interestin' paint scheme on one. It seems t' Hornet only comes in two paint schemes: Blue Angels and blah grey. Blimey! After a bit o' searching, me hearties, I decided upon a camouflage scheme similar t' t' one used on t' Russian SU-34/35. I started with an undercoat o' white and freehanded t' colors t' t' top o' t' aircraft afterwards. Ya scallywag! Lastly, t' canopy was carefully masked and painted.

There are no decals for this kit. Ya scallywag! It might have been nice t' have some but with me paint scheme, they would be a bit superfluous.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I decided t' go with t' larger o' t' two recommended motors, a D12-5. T' weather was nice and calm--perfect flying conditions! T' motor clicked in solidly with t' stock engine hook. A quick handful o' "dog barf" wadding and a fold o' t' chute finished t' prep o' t' model for flight. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' model leaped off t' pad and boosted perfectly straight, rollin' slowly on t' way up. T' ejection went off perfectly at apogee and t' rocket landed quite close to the pad. T' slight breeze pulled t' chute o' t' F-19 and it fell onto its top on landing. Blimey! T' top o' one o' the vertical stabilizers broke off cleanly.

After a touch o' super glue, t' Nightfighter was ready t' fly again. Ya scallywag! T' prep was just as simple for t' second flight. Avast! Aye aye! This time, arrr, t' model weathercocked slightly, rollin' again on boost. Avast! T' wind had come up a bit since t' first flight, ya bilge rat, arrr, causin' it t' drift a bit on t' semi-large chute. Aye aye! It landed just outside t' border o' t' flyin' field, matey, shiver me timbers, right at t' edge o' t' water. Blimey! This time it landed right side up without damage.

Recovery:
T' shock cord on this kit is Keelhaul®©™® and elastic that is attached t' t' motor mount. Avast! T' parachute kit came with a snap swivel. I was a little leery o' the elastic cord as it be somewhat thinner than I am used t' using, but it seems t' be durable enough for t' model. Ahoy!

T' chute may be a little large for t' model on a small field, but it does come down nice and gently, which is good with t' large wings. After two flights t' recovery system is showin' only normal, expected wear and tear. Aye aye! Blimey! After readin' reviews o' previous Thrustline kits, shiver me timbers, I added a couple o' wraps o' maskin' tape t' t' Keelhaul®©™® even with t' end o' t' body tube t' prevent zippering. This be t' simplest answer that I have heard o' with this style o' recovery harness, and it seems t' work well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a somewhat challengin' kit t' build, but t' end result is very rewarding. Arrr! T' kit requires craftsmanship that reminds me o' how kits used t' be 30 years ago. Avast! Arrr! It be nice t' take a trip back t' t' days before t' "major manufacturers" dumbed down t' rocketry experience t' t' lowest common denominator. Blimey! Begad! I enjoyed t' conversation that I had with John from Thrustline and t' encouragement that he gave me t' customize t' kit t' me tastes. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Great customer service in a day and age where one gets used t' receivin' very little help from an outsourced, overseas customer help line.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5