Brief:
Mid-power scale kit o' a USAF Missile with parachute recovery.

I bought this kit last year from Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack. Arrr! Blimey! It has sat in me build pile for a while and I decided to finally give it a try. It turned out t' be easier than I thought it would be.

Construction:
T' parts came packaged in a clear plastic bag suitable for hangin' in a store. It was nay fancy but I was nay really expectin' it t' be. Aye aye! T' components inside were first rate. Avast! They included:

• Instructions
• Preslotted airframe
• Laser cut basswood fins and centerin' rings
• Pre-weighted balsa nose cone with screw eye already in place
• Motor mount kit
• Parachute kit
• Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock cords
• Instruction and historical photos

Construction begins with t' motor mount. A slit is cut in t' motor tube to accommodate t' motor hook. Ahoy! Blimey! T' hook is then inserted and held in place by some maskin' tape.

T' kit provides 3 centerin' rings but 2 o' them are laminated together t' form a single stronger one. These are the rings that have holes pierced t' receive t' Keelhaul®©™® from t' shock cord. Ahoy! Blimey! T' two rings are glued together so that their grains lie at right angles t' each other.

When t' rings dry, ya bilge rat, matey, it is a simple matter t' slip t' single rin' in place over t' aft end o' t' motor mount and t' double rin' over t' forward end. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Then t' Keelhaul®©™® is threaded through t' provided holes, arrr, arrr, tied off and glued into place. A fillet o' yellow glue was used t' strengthen everything.

T' fins were easy, too. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! They practically fell out o' their sheets. Ahoy! Ahoy! I started with t' aft fins. Each one is removed and has a tab t' fit into a basswood plate, which itself has a notch. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Little or no sandin' was needed t' make it fit. Ya scallywag! I glued t' fins t' t' plates with yellow glue and used t' corner o' a steel ruler t' make sure o' t' right angles. Arrr! There is a subtle difference in shape betwixt t' forward end o' t' fin and t' aft which might provide a gotcha. Ahoy! Just make sure that t' narrower end is forward.

T' forward fins are quite a bit bigger than t' aft ones but are assembled in t' same same. Blimey! Each fin be glued to its plate with yellow glue and checked for straightness. These required just a touch o' shavin' t' make fit.

White t' fins were drying, shiver me timbers, I decided t' mount t' motor assembly. Well, blow me down! I test fitted and sanded as needed t' get a fit that was nay too tight. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! A swab be used t' run a rin' o' glue around t' interior near t' location o' t' forward centerin' rings. Avast! T' mount be then pushed part o' t' way in and t' swab was used t' place another rin' o' glue. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! The motor mount be then pushed t' rest o' t' way in. Begad! This must be done expeditiously so that you can get it all t' way in and get t' slots in t' rings lined up with t' slots in t' airframe. Well, blow me down! If you miss by a little, me hearties, it is nay a great tragedy since a file or razor knife can be used t' clean up any misalignment on t' rings.

I test fit t' fins into t' airframe and found that they fit well but t' tabs did not poke through t' base plates very much. T' add some strength, ya bilge rat, I perforated a line along where t' fins would lie to form glue rivets. I then used CA t' mount t' fins t' t' airframe startin' with t' aft ones first.

Finishing:
Finishin' be nay too difficult either. Well, blow me down! I sealed t' nose cone with Elmer's Wood Filler, let it dry, and sanded it down. I then primed with 2 coats o' Kilz. This helped t' fill in all o' t' rest o' t' minor imperfections. Ahoy! A round of wet sandin' and t' rocket be ready t' be sprayed with gloss white.

T' kit did nay provide any decals. Aye aye! Blimey! It did provide a metallic silver band with a peel and stick back t' it though. This band be t' be applied around t' circumference o' t' nosecone near its base. This was accomplished with little problem. Begad! Blimey!

T' instructions indicated that t' stripin' on t' rocket should be done with tape or with Monokote. Aye aye! Arrr! I was unfamiliar with both o' these methods. Avast! Eventually, I found myself in t' local hobby shop where they explained that Monokote was applied with a special iron. Ya scallywag! Nay wantin' t' purchase t' iron, I fell back on wide sheets with sticky backs. Begad! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I be assured that that would adhere after peelin' off t' sticky back.

I sliced t' sheets into t' requisite 3/8" strips and began t' apply them. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! They did adhere fairly well and were forgivin' in t' matter o' liftin' and repositioning. Goin' around corners though was tough.

T' final step was t' install t' rail guides. Avast, me proud beauty! They instructions for this said t' cut an "X" in each of the desired locations with a razor knife and then put a drop o' think CA on t' spot. Well, blow me down! T' guides were then screwed into position.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' E9-4 be t' only recommended motor. I loaded it up and set in on t' rail. Avast, me proud beauty! This was t' be me first rail launched rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! It looked kind o' small thar on t' 6 foot rail, but I be rarin' t' go.

It went.

It went very well indeed. T' rocket took off straight and was a sight t' behold as it kept climbin' up, up and away. Avast! T' parachute had nay even deployed yet and I be ready t' fly it again.

Then it reached apogee. I could barely hear t' pop or see t' separation...and then things got screwier. The chute opened but it and t' NC kept gettin' farther and farther from t' body. Avast, me proud beauty! Come t' think o' it, t' body be coming down pretty fast. T' shock cord had separated for some reason.

T' body crashed t' ground with only minor damage. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! A fin will have t' be re-glued. Ahoy! T' NC, on t' other hand, continued t' drift away and was last seen headin' SW in SE Bexar Country.

A look into t' body tube and I could come up with no reason why it separated. Ya scallywag! It was like t' Keelhaul®©™® was never there.

Recovery:
This one gets a 5 for flight but half a point taken off for t' recovery. Ya scallywag! O' course, that is nay t' manufacturer's fault, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but I am kind o' bummed out right now.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great rocket and an easy build. Avast! Blimey! It would make a nice intro t' scale mid-power.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5