Brief Description:
1/100 scale, single stage, matey, parachute recovery, me hearties, model o' t' Gemini Titan. Avast! Blimey! It has a clear fin assembly attachable for flight and a nozzle assembly attachable for display. Ahoy! Blimey! This kit is a good addition t' t' fleet o' 1/100 scale NASA vehicles provided by various manufacturers. It is a little pricy for the materials provided, arrr, matey, but you are payin' for t' scale model as much as you are payin' for a rocket kit, and should expect t' pay a little more. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Construction:
T' packagin' is a zip-loc bag with black and white cardstock cover, shiver me timbers, and a one-sheet, two-sided instruction sheet with diagrams and brief instructions. All parts were included, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and in good shape. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I especially liked t' thick body tube, matey, which is definitely sturdier than I am used t' with Estes kits. Arrr! Begad! T' nose cone is made from a heavy resin, instead o' balsa or plastic. This eliminates the need t' put any weight in t' nose cone for stability later. It feels nice and solid! T' parachute material is "slicker" than t' Estes-type plastic, which initially appears t' be a plus, me bucko, me hearties, me bucko, but did create a problem which I will get into in a bit. Ya scallywag! T' instructions were too brief for an inexperienced person, and assume some knowledge o' construction techniques. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' first decision t' make before startin' is whether t' trust tapin' t' engine for engine retention. Begad! Ahoy! I chose nay t' and added an engine hook t' t' motor mount in step 1. Arrr! If you wish t' use a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mounted t' t' engine mount, you might consider that before step 1 as well, matey, me bucko, and addin' it t' t' engine mount. In step 2, thar be a typo that has you puttin' t' motor mount into t' 2mm body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! They mean t' 29mm body tube. Aye aye! Blimey! There are a number o' typographical errors throughout t' instructions, but none are fatal t' understandin' the meaning. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' resin nose cone does nay come close t' fittin' in t' thicker body tube, ya bilge rat, and must be sanded t' fit. Arrr! Blimey! This is preferable t' bein' too loose. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Do this before step 4 when you paint t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, and install t' screw-eye. Postpone step 5 (attachin' t' shock cord t' t' nose cone) until after t' body wrap decal has been installed in step 8.

Now for t' parachute assembly: T' tape disks are inadequate in that they do nay stick t' t' parachute material. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shrouds tear t' parachute material, and do nay give any kind o' security that they will hold under t' G forces o' ejection and recovery. I used an Estes plastic 12" chute for recovery, arrr, and it worked fine. Blimey! I would still like t' use these better feeling parachutes provided in t' kit, but need t' find a better way o' attachin' the shrouds. Avast! In step 7, me bucko, arrr, thar be no mention o' a swivel hook for attachin' the parachute shrouds t' t' nose cone screw-eye. Avast, me proud beauty! I seem t' remember from me BAR days that Estes instruction used t' include them; I certainly wouldn't have thought o' it on me own when I be 12, so they must have. Begad! Usin' a swivel hook sure seems t' reduce shroud line twistin' as t' rocket comes down. Arrr! T' down side o' a swivel hook is if it fails (i.e. Begad! breaks) under G force, me bucko, although it has nay happened t' me yet.

In step 8, t' body wrap decal is slightly bigger than t' external circumference o' t' body tube, so I would recommend accurately measurin' the circumference with a strin' t' reduce some o' t' overlap, prior t' cuttin' out the decal. Avast!

Step 9 and 10 builds t' detachable fin assembly. Begad! Aye aye! Do nay use 5 minute epoxy that t' instructions call for. Arrr! Begad! Engine heat durin' boost melted t' epoxy causin' failure o' t' fin assembly. Aye aye! Arrr! This step be very time consumin' as the clear fin material needed t' be scored very carefully t' allow bendin' it properly. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' instructions do nay tell you how t' score t' plastic, matey, or on which side t' do it for which bends. Begad! Begad! It would be a good idea t' poke holes in the fin material for epoxy rivets, just as in step 11 for t' launch lug. Ahoy! If you use an engine hook, you need t' cut out a little slot on t' inside o' the 18-24mm rin' so it can slide on over t' engine hook. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Be careful o' where you put t' slot, as t' launch lug needs t' be clear o' t' fins when on t' pad and on a launch rod. Avast!

In step 11 for t' launch lug, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' instructions do nay specify that the holes are put in t' side o' t' launch lug that will attach t' t' body. Aye aye! the reason is so that little epoxy rivets will form on t' inside o' t' launch lug formin' a more secure bond. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch lug is clear as t' nay detract from the appearance o' t' decal from a distance. Begad! It is a good idea. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Note that even though t' launch lug is sized for a 3/16" launch rod, once t' epoxy rivets are inside t' lug, matey, it will be too snug for a 3/16" rod. Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
T' only note I would add t' finishing, shiver me timbers, is that it would have been nice t' have a few decals for t' capsule. Avast! Havin' a detailed body wrap makes t' body appear very detailed, ya bilge rat, but then you have t' painted but otherwise naked o' detail nose cone. It is shaped very well, but t' windows are nay obvious from a distance and thar be nay even a flag or hatch outline. T' appearance o' t' top o' the rocket is incongruous with t' bottom.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If you use an engine hook, you need t' install t' engine before t' fin assembly, me bucko, as t' fin assembly locks down t' engine hook. Aye aye! I used a B6-4 for the maiden flight as recommended by t' cover card. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket be launched in about a 15 kt. Ahoy! variable breeze, and flew well without much wind cock. The rocket flew t' about 250 feet (+- 50ft) on this engine. Blimey! It would have been nice for t' manufacturer t' provide an estimate o' t' expected height on t' two recommended engines (B6-4 and C6-7). Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' four second delay on t' B engine was about right for ejection near apogee. Begad! I have nay done a C engine yet as t' fin assembly failed on t' maiden flight. Ya scallywag! T' 5 minute epoxy recommended by the instructions couldn't stand t' heat transmitted from t' engine casin' clay into t' fin assembly cardboard ring. Two o' t' three fins came off near the end o' t' flight and were lost durin' recovery. Arrr! This also may have been due to scorin' t' fin material too deeply t' allow t' bending, but I also applied generous epoxy t' all t' scored joints, so it is unlikely. Ahoy! Since t' pieces were lost, a complete failure mode effect analysis (FEMA) is impossible. The remainin' fin did show evidence o' melted epoxy at t' joints on t' cardboard ring.

Recovery:
T' 12" chute would be too small for a hard surface landing. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It came down a little fast for me taste. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is OK for a sod field, ya bilge rat, however. Begad! Blimey! A bigger chute would fit in this body tube, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, so a less breezy day would call for a bigger chute. Well, blow me down! Blimey! No other damage was evident from t' flight or ejection force. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I would consider a Keelhaul®©™® cord if you plan on flyin' this a lot. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I don't think that is a good idea with t' flimsy fin assembly. Avast! Other than t' fins, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this is a very sturdy rocket.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

SUMMARY:
PRO's: sturdy body tube, matey, sturdy and detailed nose cone, full body wrap decal, and inclusion o' engine bells for static display.
CON's: fin assembly construction and material as well as poor instructions on use o' 5 minute epoxy, ya bilge rat, parachute shroud attachment, ya bilge rat, arrr, lack o' engine hook, ya bilge rat, and lack o' decals for t' capsule.

Some aspects o' this kit are very sturdy, shiver me timbers, well thought out, and above standard, me bucko, matey, while others are weaker. Well, blow me down! Because it is 1/100 scale, it is a good addition t' a fleet o' 1/100 scale models, shiver me timbers, and a good comparison of relative sizes when all o' t' fleet are together. Begad! Ya scallywag!

UPDATE 7/99 - As an addendum t' me review, me bucko, I communicated t' problem with t' fin assembly t' t' vendor, me hearties, Discount Rocketry, ya bilge rat, and they quickly provided replacement parts, as well as a personal note from Jim Neubauer that he had nay scored t' fin material t' enable bendin' into t' proper shape. He has flown t' rocket over 20 times with no indication o' t' problem I had. Begad! Blimey! The jury is still out, me bucko, so I would recommend nay scoring, arrr, but use a hardier epoxy anyway. I did see evidence o' epoxy meltin' other than in t' scored and bent joints, so it may have been an exceptionally 'hot' motor, me bucko, or even more unlikely the heat from t' exhaust transferrin' through t' non-kit engine hook.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Begad! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use t' two links above.

"T' model features a Gemini capsule nose cone molded in solid plastic, and a sturdy thick-walled body tube."
"T' kit comes with a self-adhesive full body wrap decal . Arrr! Arrr! . Begad! ." 
"For display t' kit has removable nozzles molded from solid plastic."
"For flight clear plastic fins are added."
"T' assembly instructions for t' kit consist o' two pages o' simple drawings and text, ya bilge rat, which is about right for this easy-to-build rocket."
"T' instructions include an addendum on parachute construction (which is good, arrr, shiver me timbers, since t' similar parachute in their 1/100 scale Mercury Redstone gave me problems)."
"T' parachute material is a slick white plastic which opens reliably without 'chute powder'"
"T' only recommended engine for t' model be t' C6-7 . Aye aye! . Blimey! . Arrr! I tested with a B6-4."
"T' flight was good (with ejection slightly before apogee) and the parachute deployed fine."
" . Avast, me proud beauty! . . is a wonderful kit for anyone who loves models o' manned space boosters."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is a nice kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler.