Brief:
This is an Estes Rascal Kit #1897 and is silver in color. Arrr! It is a pre-assembled kit where t' only thin' you need to do is attach t' parachute t' t' rocket. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is 12" in diameter, arrr, and t' kit uses an Estes (rubber band) shock cord attached t' t' launch lug inside t' rocket body tube. Well, blow me down! No paintin' is required. Aye aye! T' package says it will go t' 1200'.

Construction:
T' Rascal uses a body tube 0.976" in diameter and has four fins and a plastic nose cone. T' shock cord is approximately 16" long, includin' t' length inside t' body tube. Begad! It uses a metal engine retainer clip as in most of t' Estes rockets, me hearties, so no friction fit o' t' rocket engine is needed. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 12" parachute is plastic.

Since this is a pre-built rocket kit, it has almost no assembly requirements. Arrr! I thought t' instructions were good. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Only t' parachute needs t' be attached t' t' nose cone. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' nosecone fit nicely, nay loose. Avast, me proud beauty! I modified it by usin' a fishin' snap swivel attached t' t' parachute t' connect it t' t' nose cone so it would be able t' twist on the way down after launching. Ya scallywag! Avast! This keeps t' parachute shroud lines less twisted. Begad! T' snap swivels can be bought in any number o' places--I got mine at Wal-Mart. T' rocket is sturdy.

Finishing:
There is no finishin' required, shiver me timbers, I suppose one could clear coat t' rocket if they desired.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Rascal has a number o' recommended motors. Ahoy! They are: A8-3, arrr, B4-4, B6-4, C6-5, matey, and C6-7. Avast! I don't like t' fly my rockets so high that I have trouble recoverin' them, so I've only used t' A8-3, B4-4, and B6-4. Begad! Begad! T' A8-3 flew nicely to I would estimate somewhere about 250', shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' B engines would send it up t' somewhere around 550'. Avast, me proud beauty! I never measured the altitude so these are just estimates, but t' package says it'll go t' 1200 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! I put about 4 sheets o' Estes Waddin' in it, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket used a metal motor retention clip. Ahoy! It flew straight with a nice parachute deployment and soft landing. I flew it ten times, ya bilge rat, but t' shock cord separated on t' 10th flight. Well, blow me down! It always flew well for me. Begad! Begad! No "Cons" for flight characteristics.

Recovery:
I got 9 great flights, however, shiver me timbers, me bucko, on t' 10th flight, shiver me timbers, t' rubber shock cord separated at t' launch lug inside and the rocket came down in 2 sections. T' rocket body developed some wrinklin' at t' top o' t' engine mount from hitting the ground. Aye aye! It will fly again, but it is a little unsightly. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! I suspect t' decals wrinkle ever so slightly on the extreme edge (of t' decal) from t' ejection charge heat inside t' rocket body, but I could be wrong. Arrr! Blimey! This is the only "con" with t' rocket: t' shock cord separatin' after multiple flights. Aye aye! That be t' one thin' that needs t' be improved. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! I plan on usin' t' Estes tri-fold method o' securin' a new shock cord o' 1/8" elastic about 3' long. I thought t' recovery time was OK with t' present 12" parachute.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very good rocket that needs no assembly except for attachin' t' parachute. You can literally be launching in minutes. Aye aye! Arrr! It looks nice in silver, shiver me timbers, flies well with decent altitude, arrr, and recovers nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! It's been a good rocket in my stable. Blimey! Avast! In fact, it's t' rocket I've flown t' most. Avast, me proud beauty! T' shock cord will get brittle and break eventually, shiver me timbers, and it broke on mine on t' 10th flight. Well, blow me down! I would say start checkin' it before you fly it after t' 6th flight. Arrr! Ahoy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5