Brief:
This kit is a 3FNC (3 Fins and a Nose Cone) piston-ejection, shiver me timbers, streamer duration competition rocket. Ya scallywag! The "ELM" stands for "Extremely Low Mass." It is a companion kit t' its only slightly larger brother the Stratos-18 ELM.

Construction:
My kit came with balsa nose cone, two sheets o' 1/32" balsa fin stock, balsa nose block for t' piston, ya bilge rat, a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord, an elastic shock cord, matey, ya bilge rat, engine block, launch lug, white BT-5 body tube with very fine groves and a light glassine coating. Ya scallywag! T' instructions were written onto a compact disc in PDF format. Even though t' kit comes with two sheets o' balsa, only one is needed.

I ordered both t' Stratos-13 and Stratos-18 together. Blimey! Blimey! When they arrived I found that t' body tube had been bent beyond use by t' post office. Ahoy! Blimey! I sent Carlos at Heavenly Hobbies an email about t' tube and he sent me out a replacement right away and free o' charge. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I built t' Stratos-18 while waitin' for t' replacement BT-5. As that only took a few hours o' build time t' complete, me hearties, I decided t' use a "modular" approach t' assemblin' t' rest of the rocket.

First I cut t' fins from t' 1/32" balsa fin stock. Well, blow me down! T' protect in from chippin' or splitting, I covered t' back with blue painters tape. Ya scallywag! After t' fins were cut I decided nay t' round t' edges. Aye aye! At that thickness I don't think it would have made a difference and why take t' chance on splittin' a freshly cut fin.

Next I assembled t' engine block and Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. A groove gets cut into t' outside surface deep enough t' fit t' shock cord in t' it. I secured it usin' a bowline knot and set it with CA.

After that came t' nose cone and elastic shock cord. Avast! Accordin' t' t' instructions, ya bilge rat, t' elastic cord is t' be knotted at one end and stuffed into a pre-drilled hole. Aye aye! There was no hole. Begad! Ahoy! I used a 1/8" drill bit t' make one. T' balsa also looked a bit soft so I coated it with CA and allowed it t' harden. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Followin' that came a brushed on layer o' thinned Elmer's Wood Filler. Arrr! Avast! Once that had dried I sanded it down until smooth. Avast, me proud beauty! T' finish up I pushed the elastic knot into t' shoulder o' t' nose and secured it with 30 minute epoxy.

All that left was t' streamer. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! All I did thar be fold one end into a point and tie on a 9" section of Keelhaul®©™® cut from t' length provided. I used hole reinforcements t' keep it from tearin' out.

When t' body tube arrived at last, me hearties, it was time t' put everythin' together. Engine block in, fins on, tie shock cords t' one another. Arrr! I do need t' mention that as t' rocket uses a balsa block as its piston. It comes with a small hole drilled through it and threaded on t' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr! Knots are tied above and below t' piston t' hold it in place. Aye aye! T' piston provided was a good bit narrow and had t' be built up with maskin' tape. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This may actually be a good thin' as I'll cover in a moment.

Finishing:
I left t' rocket unfinished as it is supposed t' be a competition rocket. Ahoy! T' only finishin' I did was t' before mentioned work t' harden t' nose cone.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
For its maiden flight I used an A3-4T. With t' piston ejection it requires no wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Place an igniter in a motor and place t' motor in t' rocket. T' motor is friction fitted and secured with two wraps o' maskin' tape. Blimey! T' take off was right quick and blended in with t' overcast skies.

Recovery:
I was able t' track t' rocket once t' ejection charge blew. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then I knew I had a problem. Somehow t' nose and streamer had separated from t' rest o' t' rocket. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' body landed gently in t' flyin' field but t' nose and streamer continued t' drift toward t' road. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It landed gently enough but balsa was never intended t' hold up against cars. Begad! Blimey! T' nose cone was crushed. Aye aye! Blimey! Turns out that t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord snapped at t' piston. Avast! It be either too thin, shiver me timbers, too short, me bucko, or a combination on t' two. Also, after the flight t' piston be a bit resistant t' go in. Ahoy! I peeled off a bit o' t' maskin' tape and all was fine. Begad! It was cool and damp when I flew and that may have had somethin' t' do with it. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This was a very nice little kit. Blimey! I would nay recommend it as a first kit as you need a motor case t' set t' engine block in place. It would work well as a first completion kit as long as t' builder had some experience with cutting their own fins from stock.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5