Brief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, arrr, dual stage, 24" rocket with streamer recovery usin' high quality components. An individual production number is included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. I own production kit #1 and #25. Ahoy! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Avast!

Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 17" Body Tube
• 2 2.75" Body Tubes
• 1 1" Stage Coupler
• 1 Engine Block
• 4 Centerin' Rings
• 12" Cotton Thread
• 24" Keelhaul®©™® Thread
• 36" Crepe Streamer
• 1 Medium Screw Eye
• 2 3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
• 1" Launch Lug
• 1 Tape Disk
• 1 Instruction Sheet
• 1 Fin Pattern Sheet
• 1 Decal Sheet

Also included was a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.

T' assembly instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. T' steps were easy t' follow, with many illustrations showin' placement, me hearties, ya bilge rat, dimensions, me bucko, etc. Care must be taken with this model, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Ya scallywag! Measure twice, cut once! A misplaced coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no extras. As per FlisKits standards, me hearties, t' fit o' all parts is exact. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! O' special mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the interior engine mount, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up to t' nose cone. Aye aye! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, so I asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. His answer was: "For such a large rocket, arrr, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root to tip length. Begad! My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20 years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the body comin' down fins first. Arrr! By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, matey, at the mid point, shiver me timbers, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess where me first launch landed! I built t' kit stock, matey, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™® works great, me hearties, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. Ahoy! One other small issue be that t' elastic shock cord, mentioned in step number 15, shiver me timbers, matey, arrr, was left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Blimey! Blimey! Jim Flis confirmed that this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Begad! Blimey! Like all FlisKits models, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a provided template. There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, if practice is needed. Begad! T' kit was easy t' build overall, ya bilge rat, and resulted in a sturdy model.

Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, fine balsa fin stock, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, real balsa nose cones, me hearties, shiver me timbers, etc. Avast! this kit was a joy t' finish. Avast! T' body tubes required no filling, shiver me timbers, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon. I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights. I was very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, arrr, arrr, although me personal preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! They gave little trouble, arrr, matey, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as the rest o' t' model. T' finished model looks quite attractive.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, matey, preparation for flight is a little more lengthy with an external mount. Arrr! Waddin' was added, arrr, and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Multi-stage models require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is required. I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, matey, and an A8-5 for t' upper stage, arrr, due t' t' small park I be launchin' in. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' launch was very straight, with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! It recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. Avast! Blimey! T' upper stage flew very high even on t' A motor, landin' well out o' t' park area. Be warned: Anything more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, me hearties, even with yellow paint and a large launch area! Blimey! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Aye aye!

Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, t' landin' be on a pavement street a block outside the park. Aye aye! Begad! One fin snapped at t' root, but was smartly repaired. Aye aye! Begad! There be no other problem, matey, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other surface.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. This is another high quality rocket kit from FlisKits, shiver me timbers, Inc. Begad! T' kit components are first rate, finish nicely and come together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Aye aye! For those modelers lookin' for a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, this will be a refreshing, attractive, sleek addition t' their fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5