Picture courtesy o' Binder Design

Brief:
A tall 3FNC single-stager with a large payload section, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a 38mm motor mount, arrr, and a 36-inch parachute. Avast!

Construction:
T' kit comes with two tubes, a main body tube and a payload section. Aye aye! Blimey! The payload section is what differentiates t' kit from t' standard Excel. Aye aye! Blimey! The Excel Plus comes with 3 pre-cut fins, two centerin' rings, and two eyebolts --one for t' payload section and one for attachin' t' recovery harness.

T' biggest "pro" for this kit are t' instructions. As opposed to the one-pagers you get from LOC or PML, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' Binder instructions are several pages long and document every step o' construction with pictures. Arrr! Arrr! T' assembly is logical and very easy t' follow for a first-timer. This is a great kit for a first-time HPR flyer. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!

Fit be very good. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' only "gotcha" is that you need t' cut your own fin-slots. Begad! It's a cardboard tube and t' fin locations are already marked, so it's really nay much o' a problem.

At first I be worried o' t' construction o' t' ACE "bleach bottle" nose cone, shiver me timbers, but after over 30 flights, me hearties, me worries have ceased. It's been more than tough enough t' handle any motor I've thrown at it. Aye aye!

Two parts that need t' be added are a motor retainer and a parachute protector, but these seem t' be left out o' most kits. Begad! Aye aye! I'm a big fan o' Giant Leap Rocketry's MotorHolder motor clip. Avast! Aye aye! It only costs about $6, and it works as well as anythin' I've seen out there. Blimey! Aye aye! You can't add it later, arrr, so make sure you install it durin' construction o' your kit. Well, blow me down! Avast! As for chute protectors, shiver me timbers, t' Pratt protector works wonderfully. Begad! After dozens o' flights, me pink chute hasn't even gotten cooked once.

Finishing:
Nothin' special t' know about finishing. It's a standard cardboard tube with a plastic cone and plywood fins, me bucko, matey, ya bilge rat, so it's really no different t' finish from any other kit. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' only thin' I would've changed about buildin' mine would be to have added a rin' o' sheet aluminum or two more layers o' cardboard t' the inside o' t' aft-end o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! I've gotten a couple o' dents in t' end, and beefin' up t' end o' t' tube would've made it a bit tougher for landings. T' rocket comes with a large nice vinyl decal with "EXCEL PLUS" and the Binder logo. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I didn't use it, as I'd rather decorate 'em up t' way I want. I painted me rocket black and bright pink, shiver me timbers, arrr, which makes t' guys at t' launch roll their eyes.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flyin' be t' best part o' this rocket. Arrr! It's super-stable, and it's flown beautifully on every motor I've used (and I've flown this thin' over 30 times). T' fins aren't too big, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, so it flies straight even on windy days. Arrr! My preferred motors are blackjacks, arrr, matey, because I love t' see that plume o' black smoke. Blimey! Begad! My current favorites are t' Aerotech I154 and t' Kosdon I255. It flies very nicely on both motors (quite a bit higher on t' Kosdon).

Motor retention is important, matey, as this rocket doesn't have a thrust ring. Begad! As I mentioned before, ya bilge rat, I've got a Giant Leap MotorHolder on it, matey, me hearties, so motor retention is quite simple. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I just slide in t' motor, tighten two bolts, me hearties, and t' motor is as secure as can be. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Kosdon 38mm casin' doesn't have an aft closure, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so I used a hose-clamp on t' aft end. Arrr! Avast! It's worked just fine for a half-dozen flights, so I just leave t' clamp in place.

For wadding, I use t' Pratt protector. Begad! Ahoy! It's a large piece o' Nomex® (about 12" diameter), me hearties, which works well for t' 4" rocket. Arrr! I just bundle up my chute, place t' protector over t' tube, matey, makin' a little "cup" to hold t' chute, and tuck t' whole thin' down into t' tube. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' diameter of the rocket is big enough that things don't have t' be packed tightly. Begad! I've never had a problem with a cooked chute or a tangled chute usin' this method.

Recovery:
T' shock-cord is about 12 feet o' elastic. It's nice and long, so even if the ejection charge is late it doesn't hurt anything. Begad! Aye aye! T' chute is a standard octagon o' pink rip-stop with nylon shroud lines. It's fairly lightweight and light-duty, but t' rocket's nay very heavy for its size, matey, so t' descent rate is just fine. Ya scallywag!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Main pro: Flying! This be t' best flyer in me collection, and one that I never fail t' brin' out at a launch. I've flown it dozens o' times. Blimey! It's stable as all get-out, shiver me timbers, and it just makes t' whole thin' look easy. Avast! Aye aye! Other pros are the instructions. Ahoy! Blimey! Cons: You've gotta cut your own fin-slots. Well, blow me down! I wish they'd at least give some tips on beefin' up t' aft end. Rockets do tend t' get dinged when they land, but thar are plenty o' ways t' get around that.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5