Brief:
A fairly well detailed scale model, though designed t' fly only as a single stage. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A good project for t' experienced builder (rated as a skill level 4 kit).

Construction:
Before hittin' t' parts list, me bucko, arrr, matey, I've got t' toss in a decent word about customer service. Avast! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I've heard mixed reviews by word o' mouth and on other forums about Empire Rockets aka Vin125 on eBay. Personally, I had trouble findin' a couple o' kits on t' website that I wanted, shiver me timbers, so I emailed for a quote request. Avast! Vin took a few weeks t' get back to me (due t' health problems) and I in turn took a couple o' months t' place the order. Begad! Begad! Once it was placed though, arrr, I got t' kits reasonably smartly and in fine shape. I then buried them in me build queue for about 2 months. Begad! Later, I discovered me wife's cat sleepin' in me box o' kits. Aye aye! After shooin' t' cat away (I figured insertin' a G80 into t' feline fanny wouldn't go over well) and installin' a door t' t' storage room, I found that both o' t' body tubes in this kit were crushed. I then dropped Vin a request for quote on replacement tubes plus another kit or two I was interested in. Begad! Bein' a cat lover, shiver me timbers, he offered t' replace t' tubes for free. T' replacement tubes promptly arrived with me order for more kits. Well, blow me down! I have had no problems with Empire Rockets whatsoever and would rate them well above t' cat in t' scheme o' things.

OK, now t' parts list (the kit didn't include one, but t' followin' are the main components):

• BT-70 lower body tube (white glassine)
• BT-55 upper body tube (white glassine)
• PNC55 (Estes style) nose cone
• 24mm motor tube/plywood centerin' rings
• Custom turned balsa transition^**
• Balsa fin stock
• 18" rugged plastic chute (made from t' stuff used for cheap tablecloths)
• 1/4" round elastic shock cord

^** - many o' t' eBay auctions boast o' usin' 600 grit sandpaper while on t' lathe so no sandin' is necessary. My transition be extremely rough and was tricky t' sand down with 240 grit. Well, blow me down! Aside from t' ugly finish, arrr, it was well turned and all other components were very good quality.

T' instructions are generally good for this kit, although they are clearly for t' experienced builder. Begad! With what few illustrations thar are, arrr, they are buried in t' back. Aye aye! There are also a couple o' minor typos in instructions. Still, I did nay have any trouble workin' through t' construction on this.

Motor tube assembly is basic: a 24mm tube, shiver me timbers, engine block (CR18-24 ring), arrr, arrr, arrr, and a couple o' plywood centerin' rings. Aye aye! Blimey! I was a bit surprised no hook was included in this kit but tape retention works fine too. Avast! Blimey! Generally, me hearties, me bucko, if usin' a fixed length motor (with an engine block), I prefer t' use a metal hook. Avast! Blimey! If I want to allow varyin' motor lengths (this kit is designed for Ds, but could probably handle Es with no problems), me hearties, I avoid t' block and t' hook.

The instructions are a bit vague in directin' one centerin' rin' glued 1" from "one end". This should be more specifically t' aft end, which is especially important since just prior t' this we are instructed t' glue in the motor block.

Next up is cuttin' fins from sheet stock. Begad! Blimey! Lots o' fins on this one and that means lots o' cuttin' and sanding. Begad! Blimey! There are 3 lower fins, shiver me timbers, 8 upper fins, matey, 4 fins that go on t' nose cone, arrr, me hearties, me hearties, and 3 fins custom fit t' t' transition section. There's also extra stock for cuttin' conduits and standoffs for t' launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Most fins get a beveled edge sanded on t' leadin' and trailin' edges. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I found t' template for t' custom fins mounted t' t' balsa transition were not very close t' fittin' me transition. Ya scallywag! Blimey! They were very oversized and I wound up drawin' a template by hand rather than sand down all t' excess. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' result was an excellent fit, which looks almost like a solid balsa transition, me hearties, shiver me timbers, carved from a block o' wood.

Booster assembly starts with insertion o' t' motor mount. Avast! T' instructions call for this t' be recessed by 1.65", shiver me timbers, although t' illustration in the back shows this t' be 1.0". I went with 1.0" for a flush mount. Avast, me proud beauty! I then tacked on t' fins and lugs with CA, me hearties, me hearties, followed up by glue fillets.

T' upper body section gets 8 fins and 4 conduits (made from 1/16" x 17" strips of balsa sanded round lengthwise). Ahoy! Begad! Since t' deployment is intended t' go out the nose/upper body seam, t' upper and lower body tubes are each glued t' the balsa transition. Ahoy! It should be fairly obvious and thar's a nice bold warning in t' text, but it is still a good idea t' check t' alignment o' t' upper 4-fin lines versus t' lower 3-fin lines, makin' sure launch lugs are not blocked. Arrr! Also note that t' launch lug is 1/8", ya bilge rat, which is a bit optimistic for a 24mm motor. Avast! I'd suggest upgradin' t' 3/16" if you've got spares, even though I did nay happen t' personally experience any rod whip.

T' shock cord (round elastic) is anchored t' a screw eye at t' forward end o' t' transition and then runs all t' way up t' body tube. Using hindsight, shiver me timbers, one improvement I would definitely suggest is addin' a length o' 120 pound or heavier Keelhaul®©™® anchored t' t' transition, then attachin' t' elastic t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. I'm probably t' only one this happens to, matey, but I find t' ejection charges from a D occasionally carry more kick than t' motor itself and I'd feel better with Keelhaul®©™® down there.

As mentioned earlier, matey, t' PNC55 nose cone also gets 4 small fins bonded t' it. This is a bit challengin' for a couple o' reasons. Begad! First, ya bilge rat, it's hard t' mark an aft baseline t' align t' ends o' t' fins. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Second, t' cone has a slightly curved taper, and t' root edge o' t' fin is flat. Aye aye! I taped some sandpaper to the cone, arrr, and used it as a sandin' block t' put a small contour on t' fins, which provided a better fit.

Finishing:
T' instructions offer a couple o' suggested paint schemes, either all white or olive drab booster and white sustainer. Ya scallywag! T' header card (black and white) shows a colored booster and t' illustration at t' back o' t' instructions shows a colored booster with different trim (one has painted fins, me bucko, one has white). Avast! I googled for pics o' t' real thin' and found no less than 4 different color schemes. Avast, me proud beauty! I wound up choosin' one o' t' simplest schemes: olive drab base and white upper. Avast, me proud beauty! T' transition was also olive, as were t' booster fins. Arrr! This didn't quite match any o' t' illustrations or examples.

No decals were supplied with this kit although a basic "US Army" waterslide would make it more representative o' a scale rocket (and no doubt raise t' kit price).

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' D12 be t' only recommended motor, either a 3 or 5 second delay. Begad! For my first flight, I chose a 3 second delay on a nearly perfect day (3-5 mph winds in Ohio durin' winter be t' best I could expect).

T' rocket flew straight as an arrow but for some reason started t' spin a bit near t' top o' t' flight, arrr, which might indicate a loose transition fit. Arrr! I had used a 3 second delay, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which was a bit early as it be still coastin' up albeit pretty slowly. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey!

Recovery:
Very nice flight t' about 400-500 feet. Aye aye! I should definitely upgrade t' shock cord though. Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute was impressive--nearly ripstop nylon quality. Begad! Deployment was fine and t' bright red 18" chute was certainly easy t' pick up on the way down.

Upon retrieving, arrr, me hearties, I discovered a bizarre variation o' t' "balsa smile"--the whip back from t' shock cord caused t' nose cone t' hit the body tube. T' nose cone is plastic (makin' it fairly dent proof) and just happened t' hit at an angle, shiver me timbers, breakin' off one o' t' fins on t' nose cone. Ahoy! Arrr! The fin actually wedged itself in betwixt layers o' paper in t' upper body tube. It didn't damage t' tube and wound up bein' an easy repair. Arrr! Still, t' shock cord is definitely too short and I will be addin' at least 2-3 feet of extension before flyin' again.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, I found this t' be a pretty good kit for t' money. Avast! T' balsa transition and custom fit fins are very sharp (even though that rough finish was pretty nasty). Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! With a couple minor modifications, this could easily rate a 4.5 overall.

Biggest PROs: unusual kit as Nike-Ajax kits are pretty rare, good detailing.

Biggest CONs: shock cord, arrr, arrr, short 24mm tube, arrr, lack o' decal(s).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5