Brief:
A minimum diameter, piston ejection, ya bilge rat, streamer duration competition rocket.

Construction:
T' kit is a 3FNC that utilizes piston ejection for streamer recovery. Arrr! T' ELM in t' name stands for Extremely Low Mass. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Heavenly Hobbies states that they use thin, shiver me timbers, but high quality, shiver me timbers, competition grade balsa for their fin material. The piston is a NB-20 style nose block with a tiny hole drilled through t' slide onto t' shock cord. Arrr! T' shock cord is a Quest style arrangement that uses Keelhaul®©™® around motor block that is then tied t' an elastic shock cord. T' nose cone is finely turned with a hole drilled into the base for t' elastic cord t' be stuffed and epoxied into. Motor retention is a friction fit. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! T' body tube is white with a light glassine coatin' and very fine spiral grooves. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! T' steamer provided is orange crepe paper. Ya scallywag! I be able to put this together in just a couple o' hours. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I used yellow wood glue throughout t' construction, CA glue on the Keelhaul®©™® knots, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and 20 min epoxy t' secure t' shock cord t' t' nose cone. Begad! Blimey! Heavenly Hobbies recommends leavin' t' rocket unfinished if you intend t' fly it in competition, just sand down t' fins and nose with 400 and then 600 grit sandpaper. I elected t' coat t' nose with thin CA followed by thinned Elmer's Wood Filler just t' cut down on the dents and dings. Ya scallywag! They also recommend and can supply a tower launch pad for flyin' this rocket. Begad! Avast! I am nay a competitive flyer so I just used t' launch lug provided in t' kit. Blimey! T' instructions were eight laser printed pages that included color photos o' each step. On t' last page o' t' instructions were t' fin template and a circle-and-line drawin' for determinin' fin placement.

PRO: Construction was smooth and logical. Ahoy! T' longest part o' t' construction was waitin' for t' glue t' dry.

CON: Are elastic and Keelhaul®©™® shock cords ever long enough?

Finishing:
I did nay finish this rocket at all because I wanted t' build it just for this review. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! T' only deviations I made were t' ones I did t' t' nose cone.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For its maiden flight I used an A8-5. Well, blow me down! Preparation is simple. Install an igniter in a motor and install t' motor in the rocket. Ahoy! With t' piston ejection it requires no wadding. Aye aye! I secured t' motor by usin' a strip o' maskin' tape across t' bottom o' t' motor and up t' side o' t' body tube. Arrr! Fins offset from t' base would have helped here.

It took off like a scalded cat! It flew arrow straight and blew t' nose cone off while still goin' up. As this is supposed t' a streamer duration rocket I timed t' flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Lift off t' landin' was just under 25 seconds.

T' ejection charge had t' have been hot because a good portion o' t' bottom o' t' piston was burned away. Begad! Ya scallywag! I can't say if I had t' piston bottomed out or nay and I don't know if it would have made a difference. Avast, me proud beauty! Perhaps a coatin' o' epoxy or JB Weld could have done some good here. Blimey! After t' flight t' piston fit a bit tighter in t' body tube. Arrr! Ahoy! Launch conditions were a bit cool and damp and that may have had somethin' t' do with it. I will need t' replace t' piston before it flies again.

Recovery:
Again, I think t' overall shock cord combination length is too short. Ahoy! I discovered an "Estes dent" in the nose cone's shoulder. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' instructions say t' have t' 1" betwixt t' end o' t' body tube and t' end o' the piston. Havin' t' piston at t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord work be better. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Longer elastic may help too.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a fun and easy build. I would nay recommend it as a first kit as t' engine block has t' be set with an expended motor a new flyer may nay have.

Also, arrr, increasin' t' shock cord length and protectin' t' bottom o' t' piston would aid in extendin' t' life of the rocket. Well, blow me down! Offsettin' t' fins from t' base o' t' body tube would make securin' t' motor easier,

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5