Brief:
T' Bat is a very stable flyin' model and is designed for 29mm motors. Well, matey, blow me down! A great small field performer! T' Bat was designed for t' beginner or sport flyer in High Power Rocketry.

Construction:
T' followin' was included in t' kit, which came packed in a plastic bag with all t' parts in their own plastic bags.

• 1 — 4" Ogive Nosecone 16 1/4" long
• 1 — 4"x24" Body Tube
• 1 — 29mm Motor Tube
• 3 — 3/16" Plywood Fins
• 2 — 4" Centerin' Rings
• 1 — Nylon Shock Cord Strap
• 1 — 1"x12' Tubular Nylon Shock Cord
• 1 — Quick Link
• 1 — Eye Bolt/Nut/Washer Assembly
• 1 — 1/2" Launch Lug
• 1 — Set o' Decals
• 1 — Fin Alignment Guide

T' instruction were easy t' follow and included pictures. Begad! They also included tips on how t' make things go a bit easier durin' construction. Ahoy! T' instructions included 20 steps, they went from checkin' t' make sure everythin' was in t' kit t' step 20 tellin' you how t' pack t' parachute.

You do have t' drill a 1/4" hole in one centerin' rin' t' attach t' eye bolt through. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! You start by assemblin' t' motor tube and centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Now here I didn’t follow t' instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! Instead o' gluin' both centerin' rings on I just glued t' top centerin' rin' into place.

T' next step was cuttin' t' fin slots in t' body tube, here t' instructions where wrong; they have you cut only a 6" slot t' match t' fin root when t' fin root measured 8 1/4" long. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Other than that it was easy t' cut t' slots with a sharp hobby knife and t' fact that t' lines were marked on t' body tube helps.

After I had t' slots cut, me bucko, then it be time t' insert t' motor mount into t' rocket but before I did this I scrapped t' Nylon shock cord strap and instead used a 1/8" steel cable like t' NCR kits used. Begad! After attachin' t' cable I inserted t' motor tube so t' top centerin' rin' be flush with t' top o' t' fin slots. Avast, me proud beauty! I then slid on t' back centerin' ring, turned t' rocket over, and glued t' top centerin' rin' in. Aye aye! Blimey! After t' glue be set I removed t' aft centerin' rin' so I would be able t' add internal fillets t' t' fins.

Now it be time t' put t' fins on. Well, blow me down! I didn’t use t' included fin jig which is just a piece o' paper with t' fin layout printed on it, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but instead I used a homemade fin jig from a pattern I found on t' Rocket Team Vatsaas site (http://www.vatsaas.org/rtv/construction/finjig.aspx).

Now with t' jig in place I glued t' fins into place. Avast, me proud beauty! After they set up I then glued t' aft centerin' rin' into place.

T' final step be t' glue on t' launch lug.

Finishing:
I gave t' rocket 3 coats o' Krylon Primer then painted it with Krylon bronze Hamm-R paint.

Now t' kit came with a Silver Bat decal and also 6 silver decals t' put on t' fins, me hearties, but t' only decal I used be t' BAT name. I made some o' me own decals with pictures o' bats and applied those t' t' rocket.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Now preppin' for flight be made easier because I installed a Keelhaul®©™® ’chute protector so thar be no need for wadding.

T' first flight be with a G80-7T in light winds, it be a nice straight flight with good recovery.

T' second flight was usin' a G75-6, it took off t' pad but then I had a problem; t' delay burnt up through t' top and t' rocket was in flames. Blimey! Inside o' rocket was toast and t' shock cord burnt. Avast! I’ll have t' replace t' shock cord, do a bit o' clean up, ya bilge rat, and it will be ready t' fly again.

Recovery:
I used a 1/8" steel cable from t' top centerin' rin' t' t' top o' t' body tube. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Then attached t' 12' tubular nylon shock cord t' that. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! I also installed a Keelhaul®©™® ’chute protector so no waddin' would be needed.

T' one good flight it had everythin' worked great!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Over all I think it is a good kit with decent instructions however they should change t' instructions t' get t' correct measurements on everything.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5