Brief:

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

Construction:

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

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, matey, me bucko, arrr, one for assembly, and one set for flight. Begad! Begad! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, arrr, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Avast! Regardless, ya bilge rat, t' instructions are logical, shiver me timbers, matey, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Avast! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, shiver me timbers, this one featured a loose nose cone. Ahoy! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, flexible, ya bilge rat, and lightweight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but surprisingly durable. Well, blow me down! T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, me bucko, yet so far they've held up. Blimey! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, me hearties, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Ahoy! Begad! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Blimey! As I mentioned earlier, shiver me timbers, matey, t' body tube be crushed in t' center, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Aye aye! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, had less o' a spiral, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, and thus, ya bilge rat, matey, t' nose cone fit perfectly. Well, blow me down! I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Blimey! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, arrr, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, matey, in triple t' rocket's length. T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, me bucko, and works well in this case. Avast! 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. Begad! T' much higher quality ASP tube be already white, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, me hearties, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Begad! As a result, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, which be intentional. Avast, me proud beauty! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Overall, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, me hearties, yet strong rocket that looks great. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Unfortunately, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, arrr, and it won't fit anymore. So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. Ya scallywag! No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, don't try an "A" motor at all. Begad! In fact, matey, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, even with a cackle fruit aboard, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, and flights will be great. Arrr! T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, shiver me timbers, but nay enough t' worry about. Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, but it has happened before on another rocket. Begad! Begad! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. Avast! It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, matey, 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, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Aye aye! Throw it away or into a parts bin, ya bilge rat, but do nay use it. I used elastic thread, me bucko, me bucko, and it takes up less room than t' original, me hearties, despite bein' about four times longer. Ahoy! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, don't ball it up. Well, blow me down! Roll it only once, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Ahoy! It'll recover well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, won't get damaged, 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. There are some things I'd change, shiver me timbers, matey, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, matey, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, since I fill and sand mine anyway. Aye aye! I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Begad! Begad! Still, arrr, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5