Brief:
A clone o' t' Estes Astron Birdie rocket assisted shuttlecock.

Construction:
So thar I be snoopin' around on Rocketry Forum and somehow I ended up on eBay. This o' course, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, accordin' t' me wife, is all too regular an occurrence. Lo and behold I find a clone o' t' first rocket I ever owned, t' K-44 Astron Birdie. Somehow it just seems necessary t' write a review. T' manufacturer, West Wayne Rockets, does nay sell directly, me hearties, however, shiver me timbers, they do sell through Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack on eBay. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They are available in at least blue and red. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Mine was blue. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! So what do we get for our money?

• 1 13mm motor tube
• 1 laser cut centerin' ring
• 1 1/8" launch lug
• Set o' instructions
• 1 Ziploc freezer bag
• 1 shuttle cock

Let's get this out o' t' way now. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! We are talkin' about gluin' a motor mount in a shuttlecock. Begad! Blimey! It's kind o' hard t' mess this one up. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' instructions were clearly written with most every contingency covered. Absolutely nothin' goes to waste as t' donut hole in t' center o' t' rin' is used as an engine block. In fact this kit is so frugal I used t' back o' t' instruction sheet t' mix the glue and t' Ziploc bag t' store some small parts in. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I prepped t' engine mount as shown, arrr, ya bilge rat, and epoxied it in place. Well, blow me down! Blimey! That's it! Blimey! Epoxy t' mount in, add t' launch lug, and presto, instant rocket.

While this is a skill level 1 kit, I do want t' emphasize that I actually consider it a skill level 1.002. Ahoy! I did have t' fuss with t' launch lug and actually have t' use a clamp t' hold it in place while t' 30 min epoxy dried.

I did one slight modification t' appease t' safety people. Blimey! I drilled a tiny hole in t' end o' t' MMT and epoxied in a 1' length o' 60# Keelhaul®©™®. I will use this t' retain motors that have functional ejection charges.

Finishing:
It's already finished and comes molded in your choice o' blue or red (at the time o' ordering).

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Ok, this one was easy. Begad! Blimey! I went in me back yard and stuffed in a A10-PT (the motor for t' Blurzz® rocket powered car) hooked it up and let her rip. Strangely every birdie I've seen in t' past has been a bit squirrelly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This little one popped almost perfectly straight and almost impaled itself on the launch rod comin' back. Blimey! Blimey! T' same results came as I burned thru t' complete pack. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Next up was t' A10-3T usin' me modified motor mount. Begad! Blimey! Up she went and the pop. T' motor on t' end o' a strin' caused an unstable kind o' tumbling landing.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Come on folks, matey, matey, I glued a motor mount in a shuttlecock. Begad! How can it go wrong? Still a neat remembrance and I'll probably fly it a bunch just for grins.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5