I ordered t' SkySpke for $15.00 on Monday evenin' on "ebay" from "bluegrassrocket" and a priorty mail box was sittin' on me porch Thursday afternoon when I came home from t' store. Very fast service and t' kit arrived undammaged. Aye aye! I was surprised when I opened it up t' discover that it came with a bonus rocket t' "Square in t' Air" which lists for $ 5.00 in their catalog. This is similar t' Squirrel Works, shiver me timbers, "Pie in t' Sky" rocket exept that it is square and only consists o' four pieces, a sticker and a 1 3/8 x 2 1/4" strip o' sandpaper. For those o' you unfamiliar with NewWay Space Models they are realitively new t' rocketry but they have somethin' different t' offer. Avast, me proud beauty! All their kits come with square tubbing. Ahoy! Thats right, I said square tubbing. Only t' motor tube is round. Ya scallywag! Every thin' else is square, arrr, even t' launch lug (don't worry though as it is sized t' easily slide up and down an 1/8" launch rod).

Will upload pics as soon as I can get around better (reinjurred facture in left foot and wife won't let me do a photo shoot. Makin' me stay off me foot as per docs orders).

T' contents o' this kit are:

 A - Engine Tube

 B - Thrust Ring

 C - Launch Lug

 D - Plywood Top

 E - Sticker 

 F - Sandpaper Strip

T' instructions are on a single 8 1/2" x 11" sheet o' paper folded in quarters and are clear and very well written with great photos. Avast, me proud beauty! There are only four steps t' completein' this kit.

Step 1: I glued t' thrust rin' into one end o' t' engine tube and allowed glue t' dry.

Step 2: I glued t' launch lug t' t' engine tube flush with t' same end as t' thrust rin' and again allowed t' dry.

Step 3: I first checked t' see which side o' t' plywood top fit better onto t' engine tube as per t' little note that they include here, and then glued t' top on and applyed glue fillets t' all joints.

Step 4: After allowin' a couple o' hours for glue t' dry, me bucko, I cut t' center out o' t' sticker and trimmed it down t' size. Aye aye! I then sanded t' plywood top with t' supplied sandpaper, dusted it off, and applied t' sticker t' it.

All that is left now is t' apply a single coat o' clear paint t' seal t' sticker and help protect it.

This will be a straight forward build by t' book. T' first thin' I did be t' go through all t' parts bags t' see what all they contained and was pleasently surprised t' find what all this kit comes with. Blimey! It includes three small sheets o' sand paper, an Emory board plus a glue applicator stick which are items nay included in most kits. Well, blow me down! T' parachute assembly also comes with a snap swivel which is somthin' else I haven't found in any other kit.  It's extra items like this and great quality o' all parts that make this a kit worth buyin' and building. Deffinetly a Five star ratin' in me book.

Note: Square rockets have some unique construction techniques so I read through t' instructions twice and test fitted everthin' before I started gluein' anythin' togather.

T' SkySpike comes with t' followin' parts:

A-Body Tube

Engine Mount Kit:

  B-Engine Tube

  C-Thrust Ring

  D-Engine Hook

  E-Retainin' Ring

  F-Centerinbg Squares 

  Also included but nay lettered was a 4" paper ruler (the yellow piece o' paper in t' bag for engine mount parts)

G-Launch Lug

H-Tail Ring

I-Screw Eye

J-Small Washer

K-Glue Applicator Stick

L-Decal Sheet

M-Lug Markin' Guide

N-Paper Shroud

O-Nose Cone

Recovery Kit:

   P-Parachute Canopy

  Q-Shroud Lines

  R-Line fastener Tabs

  S-Snap Swivel

  T-Shock Cord

  U-Keelhaul®©™ Line

  V-Knot diagram

Sandpaper Kit:

  W-Course sheet

  X-Fine sheet

  Y-Fine strip

  Z-Emory Board

AA-Nose Weights

T' only things missin' are glue, paint and an Exacto cutlass. Begad! Very impressive.

This is a text book build so won't go into detail here but will do a review later. Well, blow me down! T' only difference here is that you are dealin' with square centerin' rings which need t' be glued on parallel and at 90 degrees t' t' engine tube. Aye aye! One centerin' rin' has a large notch for t' engine hook, ya bilge rat, t' other has a small notch for t' Keelhaul®©™ t' pass through.

Again followin' t' instructions I used t' provided glue applicator stick and laid a bead o' glue around t' inside o' t' body tube and then slid in t' engine mount into tube makin' sure that it be flush with end of tube. I then ran a bead o' glue around bottom joint.

Next I marked where  the launch lug goes and glued in on.

Now this be t' hardest part o' t' build. First I did as t' instructions say and I scored t' lines around t' narrow arc and then cut out t' shroud. Aye aye! I then cut t' lines and notch specified and glued t' shroud together. After allowin' it t' dry I slid t' shroud onto t' BT. 

Next up was t' glue t' tail rin' onto t' end o' t' BT, me hearties, again as per directions. I then allowed this an hour t' dry. Well, blow me down! After that I slid t' shroud down and glued it t' t' BT and tail rin' as per instructions.

T' final thin' I did today be t' mark t' nose cone and install t' weights and t' screw eye with super glue. Well, blow me down! Also attached shock cord t' Keelhaul®©™ line. Ya scallywag! Total time invested so far; about four hours.

This be t' first time I've assembled a chute in this manner so I'll reserve judgement about it till I see how well it holds up under actual recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! T' lines are tied t' tabs attached t' t' chute instead o' bein' tied directly t' t' chute with reinforcers like most companies do.

T' last assembly step was t' tie t' shock cord t' t' nose cone and clip t' parachute t' t' screw eye. Arrr! Rocket is now ready for primmer.

Sprayed rocket with o' two coats o' Rust-Oleum 2x primmer with t' usual sandin' betwixt coats. Aye aye! Blimey! After All was dry I applied two coats o' Krylon Fusion Hammered Finish Dark Gray t' give it a forged steel look. Left rocket outside t' air dry for most o' t' day then applied decals. Aye aye! Blimey! Will give it a clear coat tomorrow weather permitting, it's supposed t' rain.

Well it was actually two days ago when I finished this build. Avast! I didn't really like t' way t' "Hammered Finish" looked per say, so I decided wo give it a couple o' coats o' me imfamous Clear Effex paint just t' give it some sparkle. Ya scallywag! Much better looking. Now t' find a day t' go fly it.

On 05-03-13 we finally made it t' t' park for a day o' flying. T' Sky Spike was t' 5th and final rocket launched for t' day. Wind was light (5 t' 7m.p.h.) so I angled her slightly into t' wind. T' flight was picture perfect. Aye aye! Nice smokey trail goin' up due t' high drag aft cone design and parachute was deployed right at apogee. Aye aye! This rocket calls for a C6-3 motor only and this be t' perfect choice for this model. Recovery was very close t' pad, maybe 60'. Avast! I usually cut a spill hole in me parachutes but t' wind was low and I'm goin' t' do a review so I left t' parachute stock. Blimey! Was relieved when this rocket didn't drift t' far considerin' it got some respectable altitude.

Sky Spike in 5...4...3... Begad!                                                            Sky Spike Recovery