Brief:
This is a easy 18mm, me bucko, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, tumble recovery oddroc. Art Applewhite is known for makin' odd rockets. Aye aye! His hour glasses are no exception t' this. A variation on a spool rocket, t' hourglass looks odd but flies well and uses a minimalist approach to make somethin' unusual and fun.

Construction:
T' kit comes with a piece o' printed cardstock (mine be yellow), ya bilge rat, a piece o' foamboard, arrr, a motor tube, shiver me timbers, me bucko, shiver me timbers, an engine hook and t' instructions. Begad! Begad! Other than that, shiver me timbers, matey, ya bilge rat, you need white glue and an exacto cutlass. Scissors helped out as well.

Construction was supposed t' begin with t' cones but I had t' sheet turned over, arrr, me bucko, saw t' motor mount and got t' work figurin' its some kind o' law that you always begin with t' motor mount. Arrr! I should have known better.

I cut a slit a 1/4" from one end o' t' motor tube and slipped in t' hook. Ahoy! Blimey! I then cut out t' motor tube wrap, shiver me timbers, applied some white glue on t' back and wrapped it around t' center o' t' motor tube, arrr, makin' sure t' keep the dashed lines aligned on either side o' t' hook. I used a little bit o' cellophane t' hold it down tight as it dried.

It was at this point I realized that I had nay begun at t' beginnin' and flipped the instructions over. Aye aye! I then learned that I should have started by cuttin' out t' cones. It seemed that no harm had been done so I cut them out usin' scissors except for t' launch lug holes, matey, where I used an Exacto. I put a little glue on t' tab and formed t' cone. A few moments later, I did t' second one.

T' next step involved cuttin' out t' card stock rectangle containin' t' two bulkheads. When t' rectangle was cut out, shiver me timbers, some glue was applied t' t' back and t' card stock be pressed flat on the foamboard. Ya scallywag! Avast! This be allowed t' dry.

T' next step is what took time. Ahoy! Blimey! After t' glue was dry from t' previous step and Xacto blade be used t' cut out the inner cavities from t' bulkheads and then cut t' bulkheads themselves out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is best done in small steps and changin' t' blade along t' way is recommended. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Eventually, ya bilge rat, I had somethin' approximately right and used sandpaper to even up t' edges.

T' rest o' t' assembly is pretty straightfoward. Well, blow me down! T' motor tube is glued on flush and perpendicular t' t' after bulkhead, shiver me timbers, one o' t' cones is slipped on and filleted into place, the second cone is likewise put on and then t' forward bulkhead is glued into place. Begad! Care must be maintained so that all t' lug holes line up; I did that with a shot section o' rod. Then everythin' was filleted and constructions was complete.

Finishing:
This rocket really does nay need finishin' since t' colored carstock serves that purpose. Begad! Blimey! Never-the-less, arrr, shiver me timbers, thar are instructions for painting. T' critical step seems t' be t' use glue t' seal t' edges o' t' foam board so that the paint solvent does nay disolve it.

If I were t' request one change in this kit, ya bilge rat, it would be for a second piece of cardstock t' glue on t' opposite side. Well, blow me down! It would nay even need any printin' since t' template function would be taken care o' with t' first peice o' cardstock. Well, blow me down! All that bein' said, ya bilge rat, I decided t' paint t' rocket. Avast! I used white glue, shiver me timbers, as per t' instructions, t' seal t' edges o' t' foam board. After 2 coats o' glue had dried, I gave it a light mist of yellow. Aye aye! I wanted t' put on several light coats that would be almost dry by t' time they touched t' rocket figuring that, ya bilge rat, eventually, t' dried paint itself would build up a protective barrier t' protect t' foam from further paint solvents.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I am loathe t' use any o' me hoard o' booster motors unless I must. So I didn't use a sigle one o' t' recommended motors.

First up, me bucko, I tried an A6-4. Ahoy! Preppin' was easy. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! install t' igniter in t' motor and stuff t' motor in t' rocket. Hook up wires and push t' button. Begad! It took off well enough, me bucko, did nay go very high but started doin' a crazy spinning about all axes as soon as t' thrust ended. Begad! T' instruction warned that this be normal and t' rocket still kept movin' upwards until gravity won out and it started down. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!

T' second flight be on a B6-4. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Except for goin' significantly higher, t' flight profile was t' same as with the first flight. Ahoy! Blimey! T' same cannot be said o' t' third flight.

T' third was on a C6-5. Avast! It started t' boost like t' others but then t' crazy spinnin' started well before boost phase ended. Well, blow me down! This led t' a rather eratic flight but at least it stayed in t' air.

PROs: it is odd and will nay be too easily lost
CONs: t' eratic spinnin' was expected but nay durin' boost.

Recovery:
Recovery is simple. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Gravity has its way and t' rocket tumbles down without any fuss. No prepping, no un-tangling.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I'm glad t' have built this one but it will never be one o' me favorites. I will keep it around for t' odd factor, though.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5