Brief:
Single staged conical rocket that flies on 29mm motors and recovers by a combination o' tumble recovery and shock cord. Blimey! Blimey! T' light weight o' t' rocket makes a streamer or parachute unnecessary.

Construction:
T' kit comes in a sealed plastic envelope with two body tubes, namely, a 5 inch length o' 29mm motor tubin' and 5 inches o' BT55 motor mount tubing. Well, me hearties, blow me down! The rocket has no fins. Ahoy! There are two plates which are rather like centerin' rings, which t' builder cuts from foam backed board stock. Aye aye! These round plates will hold t' engine mount tubings and center t' assembly inside t' conical shell, which is cut from card stock. Aye aye! There is additional card stock used t' cut a smaller internal nose cone reinforcement, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which reinforces t' pointed conical shape and also holds a small amount o' epoxy that serves both as ballast and as tip reinforcement. Ya scallywag! There is 36 inches o' 1/16 inch thick round elastic shock cord provided for recovery with t' attachment bein' a paper folded attachment arrangement like those seen in Estes rockets.

T' instructions come with t' components in t' plastic envelope and are neatly typed out with page numbers and greyscale photographs on every page. Ahoy! Blimey! The components requirin' cuttin' are clearly marked on t' foam board and card stock. Begad! Blimey! T' order is clear and logical and t' pictures help visual people like myself t' imagine beforehand what t' project will look like. T' this last end, I provided you with a color photograph o' t' finished product next t' t' 24mm cone also flown, but shown on its side t' show its motor mount. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There is also a 12-inch standard ruler in t' photo t' provide scale.

T' only difficult part o' t' assembly be fittin' t' internal nose cone assembly into t' outer conical shell, ya bilge rat, and makin' all t' launch rod holes line up. Blimey! Blimey! T' assemblies are made by rollin' and gluin' card stocks and clampin' them together until t' glue dries. Well, blow me down! Keepin' them aligned was tricky. I found that I had t' enlarge t' launch rod holes slightly on t' inner assembly t' match the outer shell. Begad! I discovered another slight fit issue with t' motor mount ring that fits aftward into t' conical shell. Aye aye! It seems t' fit too loosely. Avast! This may be because I cut too much from t' rin' t' bevel it and fit it neatly into the cone.

Also, me bucko, t' smaller 24mm cone has tube gaskets that hold t' motor mount inside t' slightly larger BT55 inner body tube. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This 29mm version does not. While t' rocket will nay come apart durin' flight due t' aerodynamic forces, some RSO's may nay like t' inspect rockets that cannot hold together when picked up by t' top.

However, after assembly, t' rocket came out sturdy and attractive. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I chose antimatter orange, arrr, me bucko, me favorite color. It helps with visibility, matey, ya bilge rat, which, matey, ya bilge rat, as you will read later, arrr, mattered a lot!!

Tools needed t' finish t' project are: a new, me bucko, sharp #11 Exacto cutlass. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! New is best because foam board distorts and displays attitudes when cut with a blade t' least bit dull. Blimey! Blimey! Also, matey, white glue, scissors, me hearties, me hearties, and 5 minute epoxy. These can all be had in local hobby stores and even grocery stores.

Finishing:
T' rocket requires no painting, matey, me bucko, as t' card stock arrives with a colored outer side o' t' buyer's choice from several options. Decals were nay used, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, but on solid colors like mine could look striking. Avast, me proud beauty! I did paint t' bottom o' the rocket orange t' match t' shell just for t' sake o' art. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' foam board from which t' motor mount plate at t' bottom be made is white. Begad! Avast! T' paint also helps, in me opinion, if thar are any imperfections in t' cuttin' o' t' foam board, like nicks and burrs.

I added a few things o' me own, shiver me timbers, but for t' beta test, me bucko, I flew it unmodified first, arrr, me bucko, then with me additions. Aye aye! My changes are: T' afore mentioned tube gaskets. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! A small, me hearties, 12 inch parachute. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! And t' shock cord mounted nay with the paper mount provided, but by a glued knot held in place by t' two foam board tube rings. Blimey! T' 29mm version needs a bulkhead inside t' BT55 tube. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I will explain later. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Finally, neither cone has actual launch lugs. While lugs might not be necessary, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I provided them t' protect t' card stock from gougin' by the rods.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first unmodified flights, I brought along t' 24mm version as well. Avast! I flew that one on a C11-3. Ahoy! Avast! T' delay o' 3 was just about right. I half expected a lateral flight like pyramidal rockets fly, me bucko, matey, but this cone went straight up and only lateraled slightly. Ya scallywag! T' rocket separated undamaged at apogee and came down about t' right speed, but I later added an 8 inch parachute because we fly here on hard desert soils. Aye aye! Mistake!!! I chased t' rocket in a thermal on the second flight with a D12-3. Avast! Blimey! Holy heatstroke, Batman! But I got it back undamaged. Blimey! Blimey! I highly recommend flyin' it as t' manufacturer says, arrr, me bucko, when he says to use a 6-inch standoff. If you don't, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' underside o' t' rocket would burn. and foam and card stock couldn't stand that. Begad! Begad! After these two flights, me hearties, I added the launch rod and t' added weight didn't hamper performance.

Now, arrr, t' t' 29mm cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Don't do as I did. Arrr! I flew it in a park, me hearties, ya bilge rat, thinking that a cone couldn't gain enough altitude t' drift away. Ya scallywag! Wrong!!! On a G35-4, the rocket took off with a bang. Avast, me proud beauty! My liftoff photo was only smoke. And the rocket went out o' sight. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I had t' rely on a kid with better eyesight t' tell me that t' rocket ended up in a neighbor's yard clean out o' that park. Arrr! That was embarrassin' havin' t' ask t' get it back. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I couldn't just sneak over and get it. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I had t' ask for it back because all t' plots thar are concreted off by high fences. Begad! Avast! But it was undamaged, matey, so t' delay o' 4 was adequate. Arrr! 7 might work as well. Avast! T' manufacturer recommends takin' out 2/3 o' t' ejection charge for t' flight because thar's too much provided and it could damage the rocket. Ahoy! T' black powder motors used with t' 24mm version don't have that problem. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Anyway, shiver me timbers, some RSO's do nay want a modified motor flown, so on my modified flights, ya bilge rat, I added an epoxied wooden bulkhead t' protect t' internal top o' t' rocket durin' deployment. Well, blow me down! Begad! I also added a supplemental length of another 36 inches o' elastic shock cord t' allow more stress distribution after usin' t' full provided ejection charge. Arrr! I added t' afore mentioned tube gaskets t' hold t' rocket together for inspections. A launch lug was also added within t' launch rod holes. Begad! However, arrr, in me infinite wisdom, matey, I added a 12 inch parachute t' make t' rocket descend more slowly and visibly. Avast! When it comes t' heat stroke, me hearties, matey, I'll never learn...on a G25-5, me hearties, matey, t' rocket went out of sight and drifted over half a mile. Again, though, that delay be fine. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! But with a G40, I found that 7 worked without damage. I'm leanin' towards usin' a 7 delay because many with a 4 second delay seem way shorter than 4.

Recovery:
I pretty much covered this in t' previous sections.

However, if I had t' change somethin' beyond what I already did, I'd suggest a streamer.

And don't do this when it's 115 degrees out, like I did. Brains fry at that temperature! However, me hearties, I had a lot o' fun. Aye aye!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
These kits are fun and easy. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A child or adult alike would like it. Ahoy! Blimey! They're bright and unusual. Begad! Blimey! However, arrr, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I don't recommend flyin' in a park for and with greater than a D motor. Aye aye! Blimey! They go higher than you'd think.

I think a streamer is a good addition, ya bilge rat, myself. A parachute may be too much, considerin' t' light weight and potential for catchin' thermals.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5