Construction and Finishing:
T' package was shipped with no damage. Packagin' be excellent. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! T' instructions were clear throughout and were injected with a lot o' humor. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! This was a good thin' for me because it fits right in with me sense o' humor and added to my enjoyment o' t' kit. Your mileage may vary.

T' instructions start out with a complete parts list includin' t' fin alignment guides and canard patterns, which are printed on t' back page o' t' instructions. Ya scallywag! Step 1 o' t' "Assembly Destructions" was t' check everythin' against t' checklist. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Everythin' be present so on with t' build.

T' first assembly step is t' use filler t' fill t' seams on t' body tubes. This may nay be your first step with other kits, shiver me timbers, but I highly recommend followin' t' destructions and doin' it first. Blimey! Unlike your standard fin rockets where you can easily get t' t' body tube t' fill seams after t' fins are on, this won't work with t' Kraken's tube fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Unless you don't fill seams at all, fill them first.

I had absolutely no problems followin' t' destructions for markin' up and cuttin' out the tube fins. Ahoy! T' text explains t' process quite well and t' pictures just make it that much clearer. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Over half o' the destructions are devoted t' markin' and cuttin' t' tube fins. Aye aye! Ahoy! Even if you can't read, matey, matey, t' pictures would be enough to get t' fins cut out correctly. A new hobby blade be recommended and used. Ya scallywag! This is somethin' that can easily be overlooked, but shouldn't be.

Step 12 is actually a suggestion on how t' finish t' model. Ya scallywag! There are several suggested methods. Begad! I followed the destructions pretty close. Aye aye! One additional step I used, me bucko, which I use with almost all o' me tubes, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, is t' use CA along the end o' t' tube. This soaks in t' end grain o' t' tube and strengthens it. Ahoy! Begad! I used CA along all t' edges o' t' fin tubes and launch lugs. Ya scallywag! T' destructions say t' put ¼" tape on t' fin tubes and t' fin and launch lug lines on t' body tube where they will be glued together. Aye aye! I highly recommend this also. Arrr! I put t' tape in place, shiver me timbers, and then I finished t' fillin' and sandin' o' t' fins and body tubes. I then primed all t' parts, sanded, re-primed, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and sanded again until everythin' be ready for final paint. Don't forget t' fill and finish t' inside o' t' tube fins.

T' launch lugs were a place where I varied from t' instructions some. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' kit comes with two one inch long launch lugs. Avast! T' pictures in t' destructions seem t' show two one half inch long launch lugs. I took each one inch lug and cut t' top one half inch with t' same pattern used on t' tube fins.

I really liked t' black and red paint on t' illustration o' t' model and used t' same pattern. Aye aye! Aye aye! I painted t' inside o' t' tube fins and launch lugs red. Begad! Avast! If you are goin' t' do this, matey, I highly recommend makin' sure you have a heavy layer o' paint in t' upper parts o' t' fin. Ya scallywag! I used rolled up paper t' mask t' inside painted parts o' t' tube fins when I painted t' remainin' parts o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! There was still a little overspray that got onto t' red parts. Blimey! With a thick layer, you can sand t' over spray off and then clear coat t' whole thin' to get t' gloss back. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If you don't have a heavy enough coatin' t' be able t' sand off t' overspray, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you'll have t' mask the inside o' t' fins when you paint t' rocket or mask t' rocket and repaint t' inside o' t' fins later. Avast! Aye aye! Both methods will work, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I just don't like havin' t' use maskin' tape if I don't have to.

T' nose cone is another place where I varied from t' instructions somewhat. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions call for sanding and fillin' t' nose cone before gluin' on t' canards. Ya scallywag! T' recommended method o' fillin' with CA, gluin' t' canards on with CA, and then filletin' with wood glue will probably work great. I just have a thin' about usin' wood glue to glue wood together. Begad! I sanded t' nose cone and canards, arrr, glued canard t' t' nose cone with wood glue, filleted them with more wood glue and then filled and finished t' balsa. Begad! T' destructions say t' glue t' ballast washer t' t' base of t' nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! I went a little further and scored one side o' t' washer with a file t' give t' epoxy I used a little better grip when I glued it t' t' base o' t' nose cone.

T' motor mount assembly went exactly accordin' t' t' destructions. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't glue the motor mount tube into t' body tube at this time as t' destructions said.

I painted t' rocket first. Begad! I used a piece o' rolled up paper t' help hold and move t' rocket durin' painting.

I also painted t' lower part o' t' motor tube t' same red as t' inside o' t' tube fins. Once t' paint was done, I installed t' motor mount.

Post flight note: T' destructions say t' motor mount should be recessed 1/8 inch into t' body tube, for aesthetics I assume. I mounted mine flush with t' end o' t' BT. Avast! Considerin' t' motor retention method used, shiver me timbers, arrr, I wish I had extended t' tube about ¼ inch beyond t' BT.

I assume t' parachute is a purchased item that is included with t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' assembly instructions don't have any o' t' "funny" comments like t' rest o' t' instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I varied from the instructions some what on t' assembly o' t' parachute. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It said t' cut t' shroud line into six equal parts, ya bilge rat, attach each t' t' parasheet and then tie t' six together. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I cut t' shroud line into three equal lengths and attached three loops t' t' parasheet. Arrr! Blimey! I then pulled t' three together and looped them through a snap swivel.

T' final assembly before t' flight instructions was t' tape a strip o' maskin' tape around t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord where it leaves t' body tube t' prevent zippers.

This was a fun build that was nay overly difficult. T' instructions were very good and t' construction was straightforward. T' only knock be t' motor mount. Begad! Arrr! Recessin' it 1/8th inch may look better, but extendin' it ¼ inch would make it much easier t' use t' tape t' retain t' motors. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! As with any finishing, arrr, so much depends on the modeler and t' modeler's methods and standards. Because o' this, ya bilge rat, I find it difficult t' rate t' finishin' on a kit. There were a lot o' very good suggestions and instructions in how t' construct t' Kraken but nay a lot o' help on gettin' a "great" finish. That lack o' finishin' help be t' only reason I didn't make it 5 o' 5.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
First o' all, if this is your first rocket that doesn't have a motor retainin' hook, don't worry. Arrr! T' destructions are very clear on how t' install a 24mm Single Use motor. Begad! They also cover how t' prep t' remainin' items for flight (e.g., me bucko, waddin' and parachute). Ahoy! Ya scallywag! As t' destructions then say, ya bilge rat, arrr, "Go forth and go WHOOSH."

Flight 1 3/15/08 Battle Park Va. 3-8 mph winds, me hearties, arrr, blue skies, matey, and upper 50º. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' first rocket t' fly this day was t' Kraken. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor was a recommended C11-3. Begad! Begad! T' boost be nice and straight t' about 500ft. Arrr! T' deployment was right at apogee. T' chute deployed great and had a perfect recovery. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I was a little leery o' t' chute with t' shroud lines t' same length as t' diameter o' t' parasheet. This is typical but I believe it causes a lot more twisted chutes then would happen if shrouds were 1½ t' 2 time t' parasheet diameter. Aye aye! I be pleasantly surprised, shiver me timbers, me bucko, the decent be great with no twistin' or spinnin' on t' way down.

Flight 2 3/15/08 Battle Park Va. 10-12 mph winds. Aye aye! A quick turn around made this t' third flight o' t' day. Well, blow me down! T' motor was another recommended motor, a D12-5. Blimey! Blimey! This had a very straight boost t' 800–900 feet. Ya scallywag! T' deployment be exactly at apogee, a perfect deployment. T' wind be up a little and t' decent was again very good which meant a long walk.

Flight 3 3/15/08 Battle Park Va. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! 3 - 8 mph winds. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I didn't have any o' t' recommended composite reloads, D15 or E15, arrr, so I went a little bigger. Begad! This motor be an E28-7T. Avast! This was probably too much motor for this tube fin rocket. Arrr! It made 3 tight corkscrews as it flew under boost. Aye aye! It straightened out immediately after motor burnout. Aye aye! Begad! T' altitude was 1200–1500 ft. Begad! T' deployment was near apogee and be perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! There was a long wait for it t' come down but with the light winds, me hearties, it landed less than 300 ft from t' pad.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' destructions say t' Kraken will "fly beautifully on C11-3 and D12-5 Black Powder motors" and they are exactly correct. They also recommended t' D15 and E15 composite motors. Arrr! I'm sure these will fly just as well. If you don't mind t' tight corkscrews or consider it too much risk o' losin' a tube fin or two, t' Kraken really grabs some sky on t' E28. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! I'm sure it will also survive and fly great on an F24. You're on your own with t' F39. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! All in all, this is a great kit. Begad! Blimey! It looks great, ya bilge rat, flies great, shiver me timbers, and generates a lot o' interest from fellow rocketeers.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5