Brief:
This is a beautiful HPR saucer that wows t' crowd with great boosts and long aerobrake recoveries.

Construction:
This kit comes essentially as three kits. There are t' saucer itself and two motor mount kits: one for 54mm motors and one for 38mm motors. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' saucer is a single central body tube, a launch lug that mounts inside t' body tube, three foam sheets, and some fiberglass. Ya scallywag! T' motor mounts are basically built as simple small rockets. Aye aye! You mark t' motor tube with t' provided template, matey, matey, arrr, cut out t' six motor mount basswood fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, glue them in place, and glue on the thrust rin' t' finish t' motor mounts. Avast! T' motor mounts come bagged separately with their own instructions and templates. Well, arrr, blow me down! I liked this as I could set them aside as I worked on t' saucer and nay worry about losin' any pieces. Aye aye!

I found t' instructions easy t' follow and quite logical. I never scratched my head for more than about 5 seconds (and then realized any error be mine). There are numerous illustrations and pictures that make t' buildin' process really easy and clear.

T' saucer comes with all t' lines marked and t' motor mounts have their own templates so everythin' is very easy t' do. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' top and bottom pieces each require 52 grooves be cut t' form t' cone shape with t' provided jig. Blimey! Art has included a nice little razor jig and blade that cuts t' t' correct angle so all you have t' do is line up a straight edge with t' marks and run t' jig down it. Arrr! Begad! Easy but time consuming.

T' center board is a product called Gatorboard. I found that me fine toothed jeweler's saw gave t' best results cuttin' this stuff. I did several tests with X-Actos, me hearties, utility knives, and t' saw. Avast! I found t' saw left t' best edge by far and cuttin' went faster.

Once t' top and bottom are formed and t' center is cut, you can start assemblin' t' pieces. Aye aye! T' central tube is glued t' t' top. Begad! Well, blow me down! I made a really tight fit and then glued it on top o' waxed paper so thar would nay be any problems with any leaks. Begad! While this joint dried, I dry fit t' center tube in place t' assure alignment and a heavy bowl on top t' keep t' center down and hold t' shape o' t' saucer. I then removed t' center tube and epoxied the inside. Well, matey, blow me down! This is a place t' be careful as too much epoxy just adds unnecessary weight. Blimey! Arrr! When epoxyin' t' bottom on, me hearties, do nay forget t' first epoxy t' central tube t' t' center first! If you forget t' do this, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, you will have a shred! This is t' main attachment point o' t' center foamboard supports t' entire saucer. Once t' bottom is on and t' epoxy is set you are ready for fiberglassing.

T' kit comes with what appears t' be 1.5-2oz fiberglass and is easy to apply. Ahoy! Arrr! Just start in t' middle and work outward. Avast! I think I used about 2oz of epoxy t' do t' job. T' last step is t' trim t' fiberglass t' finish the saucer.

T' motor mounts are just as easy t' build. Arrr! Mark them with t' provided template, matey, cut t' fins, and glue them together. Arrr! T' thrust rin' is a 1/2" piece o' body tube and I used it t' determine when I had a good fit. I had to sand t' edge o' each fin 125 strokes t' get t' mount t' fit in t' body tube on t' 54mm mount and 45 strokes on t' 38mm mount. Ya scallywag! T' thrust rin' is then glued onto t' back end o' each one and you are done.

Finishing:
I flew mine built and unfinished with t' exception o' sandin' t' fiberglass edges and seam. Avast! Well, blow me down! I did this because I liked t' white saucer and think it looks good as is. Begad! Well, blow me down! You could paint it anyway you want though. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I have considered buildin' another one and epoxyin' a picture o' me family under t' top fiberglass so we could all go for a flyin' saucer ride. Well, blow me down! We will see about that, but t' possibilities are endless.

No decals are provided.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended 54mm motors: Ellis Mountain L330P, shiver me timbers, Pro54 2- and 3-grain motors, Aerotech J90W, J180T, J275W, matey, J135W, arrr, matey, J315R, and K185W.

Recommended 38mm motors: Ellis Mountain I130, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, J228, me bucko, J270, Pro38 4-, shiver me timbers, 5-, and 6-grain motors, me hearties, Aerotech I154J, arrr, arrr, I161W, arrr, I195J, I211W, I218R, shiver me timbers, I284W, I285R, I300T, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, arrr, I355R, ya bilge rat, and J350W.

I have 6 flights on this rocket: AT J90W, me bucko, J135W, J180T, me hearties, K185W, H123W, and H148R. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! I used friction fit with maskin' tape t' retain all motor cases and had no problem with this method. Avast! Blimey!

Every boost was straight with a little weathercocking. T' smoke trails are fantastic.

T' J90 was me favorite as it maintains t' lines o' t' saucer and flies forever. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' crowd applauded this one and t' K185. Arrr! T' K185 is awesome, me bucko, also flys forever, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and would be me favorite, but it sticks out t' top about a foot. T' J180T maintains t' saucer's simple lines, but overpowers t' saucer and caused it t' wobble durin' flight. Avast! You will notice that neither o' t' H motors I flew is on t' recommended motor list and they should nay be used. Arrr! They put the weight too far back in t' ship and cause it t' recover poorly. Arrr! (Read more about this in recovery.)

Recovery:
Recover is aerobrake and I never walked more than about 100 feet from t' pads. On t' H motors that I flew, t' first one recovered by aerobrakin' in reverse with a nice soft landing. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I though cool, lets do it again and then broke the saucer. Aye aye! T' second H powered flight (on t' H123W), arrr, tumbled on recovery and never stabilized. Aye aye! It landed edge down and cracked t' center Gatorboard.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a cool ship. Avast! T' last time I flew it (on a K185W), ya bilge rat, I got a lot of applause and cheers from t' audience, who were yellin' for me t' fly it again. T' rocket flown just before t' saucer was on a N2000. It got a lot o' wows but no applause or cheers. Avast, me proud beauty! Get one and you will probably have t' biggest saucer at your launch and have t' most questions asked.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5