Brief:
A small, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone.

Construction:
Actually, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, I built 2 Yankee kits; one t' replace t' initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. Avast! T' first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, arrr, but t' second kit, while otherwise identical, had a plastic nose cone. But both kits featured a paper body tube, shiver me timbers, die cut balsa fins, me bucko, a short piece o' elastic, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a streamer, me hearties, and a decal. Ya scallywag! t' quality o' components was excellent, me hearties, except for t' shock cord, ya bilge rat, which be comically short on each kit.

T' plastic nose cone be a tight fit, and needed considerable sandin' before it would fit. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' balsa piece fit nicely but had quite a bit o' grain t' it. Ahoy! I prefer this t' plastic, however. At any rate, it is a straightforward build, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and t' instructions seemed t' be somewhat better than normal Estes fare.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose needed considerable fillin' and sandin' t' be paintable. Avast! Ahoy! T' plastic piece be ready t' go right from t' box, once t' shoulder was sanded. Blimey! I chose t' use automotive primer on t' original, me bucko, applyin' thin coats and sandin' in betwixt applications t' get rid o' t' spiral and fin grain. Ya scallywag! Begad! Then I applied some black enamel, followed with a coat o' clear t' keep t' decals on. Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, this one disappeared soon. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' second kit was simply sanded and sprayed with red and black and was considered finished after t' decals were applied.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launchin' with an A8-3 produced a good, straight flight. Aye aye! I followed this with 2 flights on a B6-6, ya bilge rat, and t' last one was never seen again. T' subsequent kit was flown on "A" motors only for a while, but I couldn't help tryin' a C6-7. Avast, me proud beauty! We lost it too, but fortunately someone in our club found it and brought it t' t' RSO. Arrr! It has since been modified for 13mm motors, ya bilge rat, and does well enough on an A10-3T. I've never had a recovery failure, but if it did, me bucko, t' thin' is so light weight it would probably recover just fine.

Recovery:
T' supplied shock cord is just too small. Avast, me proud beauty! After about 6 flights some wear can be seen on t' end o' t' body tube because o' t' shock cord whippin' it. Begad! Arrr! A good thin' t' do would be t' double t' cord length, at least. Also, t' bottom o' t' fins are gettin' crisp, though nay quite burnt. Begad! Ahoy! Overall, though, this is a great flier.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Personally, me bucko, I prefer t' older balsa nose cone, me hearties, but t' plastic one will suffice. Blimey! Blimey! Either way, it's a great beginner kit that a kid will have no problem constructing, arrr, and will deliver many good flights, so long as you can find it again. Arrr! But add some length t' t' shock cord!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5