Brief:
A six-finned, mid-body rocket with a 28" diameter parachute.

Construction:
T' packagin' was in a bag (standard), me bucko, all o' t' parts were included, no broken or missin' pieces. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' kit included body tubes made from heavy cardboard, shiver me timbers, a plastic nose cone, and six high quality plywood fins. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' body tube be pre marked and easy t' slot with a sharp hobby knife. Arrr! Blimey! It was very easy to assemble with 2 ton epoxy. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey!

T' only complaint be that t' fins were nay long enough t' reach the engine tube from t' body tube. Begad! I thought (for an instant) about alterin' the fins t' allow them t' reach t' engine tube but, shiver me timbers, matey, I didn't. T' epoxy was strong enough t' hold all six fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' six fins were t' main reason that I chose the Peacock. Avast!

T' recovery system has a steel cable that is attached t' t' plywood centerin' rin' and goes up t' near t' top o' t' lower section o' t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Then, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. Avast! Ya scallywag! If I were to do it again, me bucko, I would have done somethin' t' secure t' loose end o' t' cable (near t' loop at t' end) because it sometimes catches t' nylon parachute. Arrr! In my opinion, a great kit!!

Finishing:
I did wash and sand t' plastic nose cone prior t' sprayin' t' primer. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I also brushed on some sandin' sealer (a few times) and rounded t' leadin' edge of the fins. Aye aye! When done, I ended up with nice, smooth fins. Avast, me proud beauty! There were no decals included, matey, so I looked t' t' Internet for a picture o' a peacock that seemed appropriate. It took just a few minutes until I found t' perfect decal image on t' Internet. Blimey! Then, matey, with some decal paper, shiver me timbers, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Two cans o' sun yellow paint and then I applied decals (should have made them a little smaller) and t' "Screamin' Peacock" was complete

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors recommended are F25-6, F50-6, arrr, F80-5, arrr, G25-5, G40-7, G80-7, H55-10, H120-10. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! I flew it once (so far) usin' a North Coast Dark Star F62-4. Avast! I tried to get a picture with t' digital camera but, I took off too fast. I mean it really lifted off t' pad. Well, blow me down! I wish it had a piston ejection system, shiver me timbers, barring that, I sewed some Nomex® cloth together and tied it t' t' shock cord. Ahoy! I should have tied it a little better though, me hearties, shiver me timbers, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. Ya scallywag! It protected t' parachute just fine though. Arrr! T' flight was flawless, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). Ahoy! I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification.

April 2000:, matey, I flew it with an F-40 at a club launch. T' Peacock has a slow descent rate so, I shortened t' parachute cords somewhat with some tape and let her fly. T' flight seemed perfect, I received complements from some o' t' other flyers after I retrieved it. But, as I mentioned before, ya bilge rat, t' TTW fins didn't quite reach t' motor tube. Blimey! That fact, coupled with t' somewhat faster descent, cracked t' epoxy joint on one of t' fins. Well, blow me down! So, I figured it was time t' kill two birds at once. Arrr! I used a dremel t' cut t' aft centerin' rin' off t' reveal the underlyin' fins. Ahoy! Begad! As you can see in t' picture, me bucko, thar be close t' 1/8" gap betwixt t' root edge and t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I bought some system three epoxy and filled t' gaps, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and filleted t' internal joints between t' airframe and t' fins. Aye aye! Now, t' connections are strong. Then, me bucko, before I glued a new centerin' rin' back in, I added two 4-40 blind tee nuts. Ya scallywag! I don't know if t' short fins were an oversight by Rocket R&D or nay but, if anyone else runs into t' same problem, definitely fix it before installin' t' aft centerin' ring. (Rocket Dog is in t' launch picture and I assure everyone that t' dog loves launches and has never been harmed).

Recovery:
T' 28" parachute worked perfectly, me hearties, and brought it down easy for a safe recovery (in t' middle o' some high grass) .

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is easily me favorite one. Well, blow me down! T' excellent construction materials along with t' ease o' assembly makes this kit stand above any other ones that I have constructed. Avast! If this kit is characteristic o' other Rocket R&D kits, I would recommend any o' them t' rocketeers interested in a quality product. Arrr! Begad!

This kit would have merited 5 out o' 5 overall if t' fins reached the engine tube and if t' frayed end o' t' cable had been secured so that it did not snag on t' parachute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5