Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, shiver me timbers, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Ahoy! Begad! Once t' rocket was complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. Well, blow me down! When t' sandin' was complete, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Well, blow me down! T' top portion be then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section was sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step be t' paint both tube fin sections. Blimey! T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, me hearties, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, arrr, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Arrr! Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, me bucko, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! When I was satisfied with t' coverage, arrr, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, I glued t' caps into place. Begad! When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, removed t' maskin' tape strip, matey, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, t' SSA is a decent performer, me bucko, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. Arrr! Begad! This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! It has flown twice thus far, arrr, shiver me timbers, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. Aye aye! T' two flights, in similar conditions, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, me bucko, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Avast! Aye aye! As expected, me bucko, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, matey, makin' for a nice, short recovery walk. After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. It was later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, arrr, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight was noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. Aye aye! This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, ya bilge rat, then drifted further into t' veggies. Begad! Ahoy! A longer recovery walk, arrr, but a much cooler flight. Blimey! Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. Arrr! I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Avast! Well, blow me down! Cool decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Begad! Blimey! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5