Brief:
A small, matey, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone.

Construction:
Actually, I built 2 Yankee kits; one t' replace t' initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, arrr, ya bilge rat, but t' second kit, while otherwise identical, had a plastic nose cone. Ya scallywag! Blimey! But both kits featured a paper body tube, die cut balsa fins, a short piece o' elastic, a streamer, and a decal. t' quality o' components be excellent, me hearties, me hearties, except for t' shock cord, me bucko, arrr, which was comically short on each kit.

T' plastic nose cone was a tight fit, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, matey, and needed considerable sandin' before it would fit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' balsa piece fit nicely but had quite a bit o' grain t' it. I prefer this t' plastic, however. At any rate, shiver me timbers, it is a straightforward build, and t' instructions seemed t' be somewhat better than normal Estes fare.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose needed considerable fillin' and sandin' t' be paintable. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' plastic piece was ready t' go right from t' box, ya bilge rat, once t' shoulder was sanded. Avast! I chose t' use automotive primer on t' original, shiver me timbers, applyin' thin coats and sandin' in betwixt applications t' get rid o' t' spiral and fin grain. Then I applied some black enamel, followed with a coat o' clear t' keep t' decals on. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, this one disappeared soon. Blimey! T' second kit was simply sanded and sprayed with red and black and be considered finished after t' decals were applied.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launchin' with an A8-3 produced a good, straight flight. Avast, me proud beauty! I followed this with 2 flights on a B6-6, ya bilge rat, and t' last one was never seen again. Begad! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' subsequent kit was flown on "A" motors only for a while, but I couldn't help tryin' a C6-7. Ahoy! We lost it too, but fortunately someone in our club found it and brought it t' t' RSO. Avast! Begad! It has since been modified for 13mm motors, me hearties, and does well enough on an A10-3T. Blimey! I've never had a recovery failure, but if it did, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, t' thin' is so light weight it would probably recover just fine.

Recovery:
T' supplied shock cord is just too small. Avast! After about 6 flights some wear can be seen on t' end o' t' body tube because o' t' shock cord whippin' it. Well, blow me down! A good thin' t' do would be t' double t' cord length, me hearties, at least. Arrr! Also, matey, matey, t' bottom o' t' fins are gettin' crisp, though nay quite burnt. Well, matey, blow me down! Overall, ya bilge rat, though, shiver me timbers, arrr, this is a great flier.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Personally, ya bilge rat, I prefer t' older balsa nose cone, but t' plastic one will suffice. Either way, matey, matey, me hearties, it's a great beginner kit that a kid will have no problem constructing, and will deliver many good flights, so long as you can find it again. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! But add some length t' t' shock cord!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5