Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Avast, me proud beauty! 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. A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.

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

T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, me hearties, were all very straightforward. Avast! I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. T' three motor mount tubes, shiver me timbers, me bucko, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, me hearties, arrr, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. T' unit be then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Arrr! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Avast, me proud beauty! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Blimey! T' t' remainin' material, arrr, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Avast, me proud beauty! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Ahoy! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy! T' method be really very simple, me bucko, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Avast, me proud beauty! Maybe it's that fact that t' root, shiver me timbers, leading, shiver me timbers, tip chord, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, and no matter how much you try, shiver me timbers, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. Begad! Avast! OK, shiver me timbers, OK, maybe it's just me... Aye aye! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Also, 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. Arrr! So, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, matey, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Well, blow me down! Begad! That combined with t' white body tube, shiver me timbers, matey, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Avast! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
For t' first flight, me hearties, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Begad! 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, me hearties, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Begad! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. Begad! Ahoy! With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, me hearties, smooth, matey, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, me bucko, ya bilge rat, anyway) altitude. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Again, deployment was right at apogee. Ahoy! Very satisfying!

Recovery:
T' only damage be t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. However, me bucko, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Begad! Aye aye! Given t' size o' this model, shiver me timbers, arrr, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, me hearties, me hearties, 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, no Junior, you're missin' t' point. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, but may be limited in space as well as budget. 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, but I have t' admit, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... T' tubes, shiver me timbers, nose cone, me hearties, me bucko, motor mount tubes, and hooks are all first rate quality, me bucko, shiver me timbers, as are t' parachute and shock cord. And yes, me bucko, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. Arrr! If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Avast, me proud beauty! Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5