Brief:

A lightweight, me hearties, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design.

Construction:

T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. As such, matey, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, me hearties, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, though I couldn't tell until t' package be open. Well, blow me down! T' kit featured a length o' 18mm tubing, a very unusual plastic nose cone, a very good mylar parachute, a laughably short shock cord, and a bit o' grainy, matey, flimsy balsa. Motor retention is simply friction fit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, with a paper motor block inside t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Hardly earth-shatterin' stuff here, ya bilge rat, but different enough t' be interesting.

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, one for assembly, matey, me bucko, and one set for flight. Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Regardless, t' instructions are logical, shiver me timbers, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Blimey! Arrr! T' fins, while grainy and a bit flimsy, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, shiver me timbers, and featured good, straight lines. And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, this one featured a loose nose cone. Well, blow me down! Arrr! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, me bucko, and lightweight, matey, but surprisingly durable. T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, yet so far they've held up. Blimey! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, me bucko, shiver me timbers, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Aye aye! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Arrr! As I mentioned earlier, t' body tube was crushed in t' center, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Well, blow me down! Arrr! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, had less o' a spiral, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, and thus, t' nose cone fit perfectly. I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, in triple t' rocket's length. Begad! Avast! T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, and works well in this case. Ahoy! Aye aye! But a word o' caution - make sure it doesn't stick out too far! Nay much room in thar for a parachute.

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, I just painted this one as-is. T' much higher quality ASP tube be already white, me bucko, matey, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, me bucko, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Ahoy! As a result, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, me bucko, me hearties, which was intentional. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Well, blow me down! Overall, me hearties, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, yet strong rocket that looks great. Avast! Unfortunately, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, and it won't fit anymore. Ya scallywag! Blimey! So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. Aye aye! No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, me hearties, ya bilge rat, don't try an "A" motor at all. Ahoy! In fact, arrr, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Blimey! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, me hearties, even with a cackle fruit aboard, me hearties, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and flights will be great. Ahoy! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but nay enough t' worry about. Begad! Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Well, blow me down! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, ya bilge rat, but it has happened before on another rocket. Ahoy! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, and will hang inside t' body tube. Aye aye! This rocket's so light that no damage will occur if you get a "streamer" or a "hung" parachute, me bucko, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Throw it away or into a parts bin, but do nay use it. Ahoy! Begad! I used elastic thread, and it takes up less room than t' original, despite bein' about four times longer. Arrr! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, don't ball it up. Roll it only once, me hearties, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Arrr! Blimey! It'll recover well, won't get damaged, matey, and will drift a good distance in any sort o' wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Custom came up with a great little egg lofter for a good price. Avast, me proud beauty! There are some things I'd change, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, me bucko, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Blimey! Aye aye! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, matey, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Aye aye! Still, arrr, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5