Brief:
24mm aft ejection fighter jet

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• Pre-cut balsa fins
• Pre-assembled and pre-weighted nose cone
• Nylon chute
• 24mm mount
• Decals/stickers
• Plywood centerin' rings
• Rear ejection recovery parts
• Polystyrene engine pods

Fat Cat Rockets are known for their unique designs. Begad! T' P.T.S. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Shaman is no exception. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' most unique aspect o' this kit be t' bizarre nose cone. It comes pre-assembled and pre-weighted so thar be nothin' for t' builder t' do but admire it. Begad! I think I spent more time figurin' out how they made it then I did assemblin' t' kit.

T' aft ejection assembly went well. A Keelhaul®©™® cord in secured t' a bulkhead. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! This in turn is tied t' ½" flat elastic. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' elastic is tied t' t' MMT and t' t' chute. T' whole assembly is placed betwixt t' two centerin' rings on t' MMT. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' elastic be t' weak link and should be checked often and replaced when it shows signs o' damage. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The simple but rugged design should hold up t' years o' service.

The fins went together quickly. Avast! Just a small amount o' sandin' readied them for assembly. T' fins are surface mount so some hefty fillets are in order. Avast! Ya scallywag!

T' directions say t' glue t' engines on with plastic cement. Begad! Blimey! I used epoxy paste on t' engines after sandin' t' joint area. Arrr! I did this nay because I disagreed with usin' plastic cement but because it's what I had.

Finishing:
I directions show it painted a Navy blue with a yellow underbelly. Ya scallywag! I had neither o' these colors so I went with metallic silver. T' stickers looked pretty good on t' silver paint.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a D12-3. Avast, me proud beauty! It did a slow roll as it ascended into the sky. It went much higher than I expected. Ahoy! Deployment came just after apogee but ejection charge sounded a bit louder than usual. Begad!

Recovery:
Right away I noticed that t' motor mount and parachute was out but t' rocket was still comin' in. It never slowed down. Ya scallywag! I reached terminal velocity quickly and shortly thereafter, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, took an ice core sample. Arrr! Right away I figured I must have done somethin' wrong. Ahoy! Begad! When I picked up all t' pieces scattered over the frozen tundra, it be evident that t' shock cord broke. Avast, me proud beauty! It just tore apart.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
With its fighter looks, t' unique nose cone, me hearties, and aft ejection, ya bilge rat, this kit will be one o' me favorites t' launch with t' kids.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5