Brief:
Aerotech's 4", G-powered, matey, ya bilge rat, parachute recovered rocket usin' their proprietary LABYRINTH ejection baffle system.

Construction:
Pros: Big (for Aerotech) Easy t' build, me bucko, me hearties, very nice flyer
Cons: Limited recommended motor range. Blimey! Very thin fins. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Pricy.

Bein' me first 4" kit, shiver me timbers, me first impression was WOW! There's somethin' very nice about bein' able t' get your hands into t' airframe t' work. Avast! All t' parts listed in t' instructions were present, even an extra centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Everythin' fit nicely with t' possible exception o' a very tight tube couple. A little sandin' brought that little annoyance into line.

A few basics about t' kit: It has two 4" tubes. Avast! T' tubes are fairly sturdy and t' spirals are pretty shallow. Arrr! T' coupler fit nicely (if nay a little too snug). Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is an old plastic ACE nose cone. Aye aye! It has two standard Aerotech 3/16" square plastic lugs. Well, blow me down! 1/4" lugs would have been nice and probably should be upgraded. Aye aye! Nay really sure what t' centerin' rings are made from. Ahoy! Aerotech has their own name for t' material, shiver me timbers, matey, but they feel like a partial/slate composite. They are very sturdy. Blimey! Avast! T' elastic shock cord is about 12' long. Blimey! Ahoy! I was a little concerned about it bein' elastic, but it worked without a hitch. Begad! T' shock cord attaches t' t' top o' t' Labyrinth baffle like all t' other Aerotech kits and t' other end attaches t' an eye hook in t' bulkhead in t' upper section.

T' instruction were clear and concise for t' most part. Aye aye! (although a couple o' times I had t' re-read a step t' make sure I understood what they were talkin' about. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! They had clear illustrations for most t' steps that made it very clear from a visual stand point. Ahoy! I didn't use any new construction techniques with this rocket that I haven't done before with t' exception o' only usin' epoxy. I didn't bother usin' CA in areas that they said t' use it. System 3 epoxy worked fantastic.

As designed, on G motors, shiver me timbers, flights were a lot o' fun! Slow take off and low altitude are a lot o' fun for me so flyin' this rocket on G's be a blast. Begad! I realized very early on that I didn't want t' limit this bird t' only G motors. I decided that this was also goin' t' be me cert rocketry t' qualify level 1. Blimey! Modifications were goin' t' have t' be made. I used t' "bonus" centerin' rin' t' add Kaplow Klips and left out t' motor clip and motor block. Ya scallywag! I used only System3 epoxy t' glue everythin' (quite liberally I might add). Aye aye! I will also glass t' pathetically thin fins for t' H and above flights.

Finishing:
Mine is nay finished yet, ya bilge rat, arrr, but I wanted a unique look, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so I am nay goin' t' go with t' recommended paint and decal scheme. T' decals are t' usual self adhesive decals that AT uses on all their kits.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Built stock, me bucko, it flies only on G's, but it fly's as designed on them rather well. Aye aye! Begad! I have only flown mine on G64-4's so far and have nay had a single problem. Ya scallywag! It be very stable, matey, me hearties, even in high winds (20mph). No weather-cockin' at all, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, no conin' or spiraling, matey, ya bilge rat, no problems at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! In fact, shiver me timbers, in t' 20mph+ winds, shiver me timbers, matey, it didn't cock into t' wind at all. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wind actually gently pushed it. Arrr! Arrr! On t' video tape, t' only effect o' wind you see be t' smoke from t' motor goin' smartly down range. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' rocket didn't even seem t' notice it at all.

5/00 Update:I successfully used t' G-Force in this review (with some modifications) t' get me Level 1 certification. Aye aye! Avast! It be fairly heavy when I was done modifyin' it (4lbs fully loaded), but flew perfectly on an H128. T' Cannonball Works RRc2 told me it hit 666 feet on a gusty and pretty windy day.

Recovery:
AT used their ever-popular "boin' cord" shock cord. It worked well even though I was concerned. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! I will modify it even further by addin' bunched up tubular nylon around t' elastic for insurance. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' 36" parachute brought it down rather slowly. Ahoy! Blimey! In t' high winds, I had about a 3/4 mile walk t' retrieve it.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
When built stock, this is a really fun bird t' build and fly. It has one really bilge-suckin' drawback that kept it's overall ratin' down in me eyes. It's price. If t' cash doesn't matter t' you, me hearties, me bucko, then this is a great rocket t' have in your collection, ya bilge rat, but keep in mind that it's nay "the only fish in t' sea".

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5