Brief:
Layne Pemberton contacted me, matey, matey, after a recommendation from Don Magness of Squirrel Works Model Rockets, t' beta test his "Bucky" rocket. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Well, what could I say but, "Heck yeah!" This be t' first release o' three very nice lookin' rockets upcomin' in t' growin' fleet o' rockets available from PemTech. If you're lookin' for somethin' a little different, forget it. This kit, me hearties, like all o' t' kits from Pemberton Technologies, is a lot different! Layne has done a superb job o' capturin' t' magic o' Sci-Fi in this 3" diameter 29mm rocket, and it is provided at a very reasonable price.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• 3" LOC kraft angle-cut tube
• 8 18mm exhaust tubes
• 3 1/8" ply TTW pre-cut fins
• 2 1/8" basswood "probes"
• 2 3" t' 1.1" ply centerin' rings
• 7.5" 29mm motor mount tube
• wire motor retainer
• 11" LOC nose cone
• 10 nose ballast weights (105 grams total)
• 8' 9/16" nylon/Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 1/4" kraft launch lug

As noted when you visit Layne's website, ya bilge rat, you should be prepared to "build" your rocket. While that's true, t' main fins and body tube are cut for you, so thar isn't anythin' I would consider extremely difficult - tedious, maybe, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but nay really that difficult. Avast, me proud beauty! Regardless o' t' "no frills" nature o' t' kit, I was impressed, ya bilge rat, overall, with parts quality. Most o' all, though, me bucko, I was impressed with how all t' parts came together creatin' a beautiful rocket.

T' kit arrived with t' parts packed in t' shippin' box. Begad! Again, ya bilge rat, no frills here, however, t' included CD was a nice touch. Besides t' printed instructions, t' CD has t' instructions in both pdf and Word files, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, the RockSim file with a link t' Apogee's site t' download t' trial version, plus a lot more. Ya scallywag! T' CD is useful for a couple o' very practical reasons. Ya scallywag! First, if you get a little wild with t' CA and glue a couple pages together, you can reprint t' particular page. Ya scallywag! Second, after buildin' me rocket I weighed it and measured out t' CG, ya bilge rat, then modified t' RockSim file t' include t' specifics of my build t' get a better idea o' how me rocket would perform. Begad! Now that's nice!

T' instructions are well laid out with numbered "destructions" (Layne's well-practiced humor is interlaced here and throughout the instructions) and fully illustrated, arrr, so you get lots o' help when doin' things like "creating" a cockpit from a block o' balsa. Aye aye! Begad! T' instructions for shapin' t' cockpit are very detailed. Begad! Begad! Followin' them, shiver me timbers, I was able t' get somethin' close t' what's pictured, but it still displayed me own individuality. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Pretty cool, really.

T' most difficult step for me was cuttin' out t' tiny forward "probes" from a small slab o' 1/8" basswood. Cuttin' t' curves on somethin' that small takes some patience. I cut them a little larger than marked and then used 100-grit sandpaper t' brin' it in t' t' mark. T' exhaust tubes also had t' be cut from longer tubes. There wasn't any leftover tube, so mark t' exhaust tube cuts first before actually cuttin' them out. T' wire hanger used for motor retention blends well into t' exhaust tubes and is a nice solution for positive motor retention in this unique design.

A Dremel is a nice tool t' use for cuttin' t' fin slots in t' tube. Avast! Begad! If you don't have one, they're a worthwhile investment for this step plus a lot of other rocket-buildin' activities. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Installation o' t' motor mount, me hearties, fins and forward centerin' rin' is pretty standard, except rather than fillin' t' fin cavity with expandin' foam, shiver me timbers, as suggested, me bucko, matey, I borrowed a technique from Don Magness and cut six 1/4" dowels just shy o' t' length o' t' fin tabs and tacked them in with CA on either side o' each tab against t' tube wall and then filleted t' fins, motor mount and forward centerin' ring. Begad! Avast!

After installin' t' aft centerin' rin' and exhaust tubes, ya bilge rat, I made two other modifications t' t' kit. Well, blow me down! I installed an eyebolt in t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, and rather than usin' t' provided Keelhaul®©™® for t' shock cord attachment, me bucko, I used a heavier grade for an extra safety measure. T' shock cord was long and sturdy 9/16" tubular nylon/Keelhaul®©™®. Very nice!

I cut t' kraft launch lug in half and used J-B Weld t' anchor them. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! The side-by-side arrangement o' t' lugs creates t' illusion o' a couple of cannons underneath t' cockpit, another very nice design feature. Avast, me proud beauty!

A bright yellow 30" nylon parachute with nylon shrouds is provided to brin' Bucky safely back t' t' ground. Blimey! T' lines were epoxied t' t' nylon and lightly tacked in, arrr, me hearties, so I had a friend sew over them again for extra security. Avast! To protect t' fins on recovery, arrr, a length o' Keelhaul®©™® is also attached through a small hole in t' dorsal fin and attached t' a loop in t' shock cord t' brin' t' rocket down flat.

Finishing:
Finishin' t' rocket be a lot easier considerin' t' quality o' t' main tube. It is really nice. So nice, I didn't even attempt t' fill t' lines. Begad! Begad! You have to get really close t' see them. Well, blow me down! After filletin' t' fins with epoxy and sandin' everythin' with 220-grit, arrr, I completed final sandin' with 400-grit. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Then sprayed on an undercoat o' Kilz t' seal off t' epoxy and sanded with 320-grit. Sprayed on a coat o' Krylon primer and then spot sanded, sprayed another coat of Krylon primer and then sanded with 400-grit. Masked off t' fins and body and painted t' exhaust tubes and motor tube with DupliColor millennium silver. After t' back end dried, me bucko, I covered it with tin foil and applied t' first coat of Rustoleum gold t' t' rest o' t' rocket. Blimey! After that dried, matey, I sanded with 600-grit and then applied t' final coat o' gold. Ahoy! Arrr! There are no decals t' apply, so next I applied a couple o' coats o' Future floor wax t' protect t' finish and improve t' shine. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Tada!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
After what seemed an eternity, finally, matey, t' day for Bucky t' fly arrived. Begad! He would be flyin' from t' DARS Windom field, a huge plowed field that often sports flights t' 16,000 feet or more. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Skies were partly cloudy but t' ceiling was well above Bucky's intended altitude. Begad! Ahoy! Unfortunately, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' wind be blowing between 15-20mph with occasional let-up t' maybe 7-12mph. Begad! Nay t' best conditions for a flight, arrr, considerin' Bucky's large fins. Begad! Arrr! However, t' ground was soft, shiver me timbers, matey, which was great for landin' in high winds. This also provided an advantage due t' t' horizontal recovery method Layne engineered for Bucky. Aye aye! Ahoy!

A buddy o' mine was plannin' t' come with me t' watch over t' assembly of my first reload motor, but he had t' work. Avast, me proud beauty! So, rather than use t' reload motors I had, I went down t' Bob Korman's area t' pick up a couple o' his single use Roadrunner motors. Begad! His F60 motor looked like a good choice, but the only available delays were 4 and 7 seconds. Aye aye! Two o' t' recommended motors were the Aerotech F52-5 and G64-7. Begad! Hmm. Begad! What t' use? Considerin' t' wind, I opted to use t' 4-second delay. Arrr! Begad! T' lip on t' back o' t' motor fit t' motor retainer perfectly, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but for extra security I taped t' motor retainer t' the motor tube. Blimey! After preppin' (PemTech included plenty o' cellulose wadding), Bucky and I headed t' t' launch pad.

Slidin' Bucky over t' ¼" launch rod, me hearties, I noticed I needed something to hold Bucky up further from t' bottom o' t' pad. So, me hearties, I found a corn stalk that was used t' prop t' rocket up about eight inches above t' pad. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Great! Igniter was hooked up (Roadrunner motors come with a very nice igniter), shiver me timbers, pad was tested and armed, and Bucky be ready for flight.

Naturally, shiver me timbers, Bucky had gained everyone's attention so most everyone was waitin' for t' launch. Bucky is holdin' firmly t' t' launch rod and ready to go. Avast! Begad! He looks confident, me hearties, majestic and very cool. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Launch was truly spectacular and really wowed t' crowd. Despite t' wind, Bucky jumped off t' pad with authority and climbed arrow-straight into t' air. With no twists or even the slightest turn, it was a beautiful flight. Avast! I could hear t' oohs and aahs of the crowd as t' rocket began t' coast upwards.

Recovery:
T' chute popped just before t' top, but it had slowed down enough that the chute deployed without problem. Arrr! Begad! Gracefully, Bucky returned t' Earth in horizontal fashion. Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute is perfect for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! With t' parachute leadin' t' rocket, arrr, matey, it landed on t' rounded edge o' t' fins and then dipped the front o' t' body tube into t' ground. Avast! Arrr! I had strengthened t' front o' the tube with CA, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so no problem with that, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and with t' firm grip on t' dirt the parachute couldn't drag t' rocket (several others had problems with that durin' t' day because o' t' high winds). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Recoverin' in perfect shape I had planned t' fly Bucky again t' next day, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but it rained. Well, blow me down! Great flight, though, with a great rocket! Stay tuned for t' further adventures o' Bucky Jones - Space Cadet!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This was me first time t' build a rocket t' fly on anythin' bigger than an Aerotech E-motor. Avast! I found t' instructions very easy t' follow and logically arranged. Aye aye! Bucky is a nice rocket t' build if you want t' make t' transition from model rockets t' mid-power with some flair. Blimey! It's a very cool rocket!

Pros:

Great design, quality parts, excellent instructions, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and a nice long shock cord

Cons:

NC/Shock cord attachment - I like this t' be solid. T' recovery o' your rocket is dependent upon that holdin' together.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5