Brief:
BT-50 storm research style sport rocket with 3 main fins and 3 canards, plastic nose cone, plastic parachute, arrr, and extreme waterslide decal coverage.

Construction:
BT-50, plastic nose cone, 6 surface mount balsa fins, thick fiber board centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, BT-20 motor tube, steel clip, engine block, me bucko, full wraparound clip retainer, two sheets o' waterslide decals, arrr, arrr, plastic parachute, adhesive reinforcement rings, arrr, shroud line, swivel, ya bilge rat, and elastic shock cord.

Standard hang tag packagin' with color face card. Aye aye! Received kit from Apogee, me hearties, me bucko, quick delivery, no damage t' kit. Instructions are easy t' follow, shiver me timbers, illustrations are OK. Begad! Simple, ya bilge rat, quick assembly. Begad! Well, blow me down! Everythin' fits. Arrr! Root edges weren't quite straight, so they had t' be sanded. Arrr! Good fin material, matey, nay too thick or thin. Ahoy! Avast! Assembled with Elmer's glue.

Finishing:
I used EMRR fin tip #29: It's like makin' slots, me hearties, ya bilge rat, only you lightly cut along t' lines (the thickness o' t' fin) only cuttin' t' first layer off. Ya scallywag! Then peel off that first layer. Begad! Then glue as usual. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!

I finished with one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler on fins, ya bilge rat, two coats o' high solids automotive primer with sanding, then white single stage automotive paint with one coat o' black rattle can enamel for t' nose cone. It's a nicely proportioned model that looks great, but I hesitated t' cover it all up with decals. Aye aye! Finishin' is extremely simple with this model because even though it looks complex, me bucko, t' full-body decals do most o' t' work. Aye aye!

T' decals are a challenge t' get on without wrinkles. Begad! It's best t' cut them into smaller pieces rather than try to put them on large. Well, blow me down! I prefer waterslide decals normally, me bucko, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but with full body wraps, me bucko, self adhesive stickers would be better. Arrr! Begad!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors clip in for easy prep. Requires wadding. Fine flights on A8-3 and A6-4 motors. Would probably fly OK on 1/2A and A10 motors with a 13mm adapter. Ahoy! Apogee lists altitudes o' almost 1800 feet with a Medalist D10-7, me bucko, me hearties, and fortunately that's a single use motor because I don't think you'd ever see it again.

Recovery:
Shock cord is affixed with a tri-fold paper mount. Ahoy! Begad! Everythin' worked fine. Arrr! Recovery velocity is appropriate, me hearties, me bucko, with no damage on any flights. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Parachute is a thicker material than any other vendor I've seen. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Heavier but probably less prone to burn damage. Blimey! Provided swivel and reinforcement rings are a pleasant surprise.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: Lightweight, ya bilge rat, matey, high-performance, nice lookin' design. Straightforward build. Well, blow me down! Interestin' research project look. Some nice touches with deluxe materials.

CONs: Full-body decals tough t' apply without wrinkles. Begad! Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5