Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. Ya scallywag! A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
T' kit, arrr, which was packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, shiver me timbers, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, arrr, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard centerin' rings, arrr, three motor retention hooks, arrr, one PVC nose cone, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, arrr, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, arrr, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, arrr, arrr, and an eye bolt and nut. Begad! Begad! T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, as be t' parachute.

T' kit instructions, matey, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. Ya scallywag! T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, arrr, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. T' unit be then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. T' shock cord mount be different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Avast! Begad! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. T' t' remainin' material, arrr, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Blimey! Arrr! Here's where I got a bit skittish. I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but I strengthened this setup. I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, one that I had nay used before. Begad! And frankly, I don't know that I'd use again. Begad! T' method be really very simple, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Blimey! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, leading, matey, tip chord, arrr, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. OK, OK, shiver me timbers, maybe it's just me... T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, shiver me timbers, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Blimey! Also, arrr, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. Avast! So, arrr, ya bilge rat, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, matey, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Avast, me proud beauty! That combined with t' white body tube, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Arrr! Ahoy! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! As one would expect, t' liftoff was slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. But it did, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Well, blow me down! Blimey! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, smooth, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, arrr, ya bilge rat, anyway) altitude. Ahoy! Blimey! Again, deployment was right at apogee. Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage be t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. Aye aye! Begad! However, shiver me timbers, me bucko, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Given t' size o' this model, arrr, matey, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, arrr, arrr, no Junior, you're missin' t' point. T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, me bucko, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, me hearties, matey, but I have t' admit, arrr, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Ya scallywag! T' tubes, arrr, nose cone, me hearties, motor mount tubes, ya bilge rat, and hooks are all first rate quality, me bucko, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Avast! And yes, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Aye aye! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5