Brief:
T' best and worst part o' this kit is that it is minimalist. Ya scallywag! When you get the box, matey, me hearties, thar are nay a lot o' parts. Well, blow me down! I have it together now and it is probably my favorite rocket in me fleet. This thin' is a tank and it looks great. Avast! Avast! It is the only rocket I have that might survive comin' in ballistic. Avast! That is why I used it on me L2 test.

Construction:
T' parts list

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 Body Tube
• 1 Fin can
• 1 54mm MMT (There is a 38mm or 54mm option at t' time o' purchase.)
• 2 Centerin' Rings
• 1 Bulkhead
• 1 Coupler
• 2 US Army Decals

That's all that comes with t' kit. I like this because it lets me do things my way. All t' parts are fiberglass and VERY strong.

Parts I added:

• 2 Eye loops
• 1 25' section 9/16 tubular nylon
• 1 Keelhaul®©™® shock cord protector (Giant Leap)
• 1 45" Rip stop nylon parachute
• 1 1/4" aircraft plywood centerin' ring.
• 7oz o' nose weight.
• 1 54mm Slimline motor retainer
• 1 54 t' 38mm Slimline adaptor
• 2 ACME Conformal 1/2" launch lugs

I used 5 and 30 minute epoxy for t' build. Well, blow me down! Also I used some Elmer's Ultimate Glue in t' fin can and nose weight.

I only have one con with buildin' this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! All t' parts fit tight--too tight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' inner diameter o' t' fin can varied. Ahoy! Blimey! You can see ripples in the fiberglass on t' inside. Avast! Blimey! I had t' do some serious sandin' t' get almost every part t' fit, shiver me timbers, which I guess is better than too loose but it did require a ton of sanding. Begad! Blimey! Once sanded down, everythin' went together nicely and fit snugly. There is also some additional sandin' you should do: sand t' points you will be gluin' t' add some bite so t' epoxy holds better.

This is a quick buildin' rocket after t' sandin' is done. Arrr! Blimey! I didn't like the fact that thar were only 2 centerin' rings as I always like 3. Arrr! I know the fiberglass rings are super strong, but they are very thin so me brain started imaginin' them bending. I added a plywood centerin' rin' I had layin' around, which is probably overkill but what t' heck. Aye aye! I put t' bottom centerin' ring in first and t' middle one in t' fin can also unglued t' keep it centered. Once I had t' lower one epoxied from t' bottom, shiver me timbers, I removed t' middle rin' and poured some epoxy in on t' bottom one from inside t' fin can. Ahoy! Blimey! Next, I moved up and glued in t' middle plywood rin' 3 inches from t' top o' t' fin can. After that was in place, ya bilge rat, arrr, I made a good batch and lined t' walls o' t' fin can with epoxy. Well, blow me down! Quickly I slid t' coupler in till it sat on top o' t' plywood rin' in t' fin can. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Took a few paper towels t' shipshape up t' slop. This dried and I poured in some ultimate glue inside t' coupler on t' points where the Coupler met t' plywood rin' on t' inside. Aye aye! Blimey! This glue expands nicely and is rock solid. It made a pretty much solid bond which brought t' rin' coupler fin can and MMT together. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nothin' will knock that MMT loose next t' a nuclear bomb. I drilled and placed an eye loop in t' third rin' gluin' t' threads t' hold it. Then, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I glued that last rin' in about 1/4" from t' end o' t' MMT. Lastly, I put some epoxy on t' inside o' t' body tube an inch or two from the end and on t' outside o' t' coupler then slid t' BT down on t' rin' and coupler with a nice squishy sound. Aye aye! Blimey!

Before I put t' bulkhead in t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, I wanted t' test t' stability. Chute, shock cord, arrr, me bucko, and a J350 went in and I checked for t' CP. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I emailed the Performance Rocketry t' ask about t' CP but I never got a response after several weeks. Avast! Avast! I punched t' dimensions and materials into Rocsim 8.0 and got the CP, matey, which from t' looks o' this rocket, shiver me timbers, it feels about right. Ahoy! Aye aye! I marked that on t' tube and from t' balance test could tell we needed a little weight in t' nose. I started droppin' one ounce fishin' weights in t' end till it balanced out. Begad! Begad! This is where that Ultimate Glue really works. With t' weights in there, shiver me timbers, I dropped in a good amount o' Ultimate Glue and let it dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! That stuff expanded right up and over t' weights till they disappeared. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I love that stuff. Arrr! Then I glued t' bulkhead in and added an eye loop. Ya scallywag!

That is about it for construction. Ya scallywag! Begad! I didn't add an electronics bay. Ahoy! Loki and Aerotech Js come with delays, me hearties, arrr, and that is what I planned on flyin' in this bad boy. Blimey! Ahoy! It can easily handle a K, but I have larger rockets for them. There are a few ways I thought t' do it. Ahoy! T' nose cone is hollow and could accommodate an electronics bay. Well, blow me down! For dual deployment, you could also get another coupler, ya bilge rat, me hearties, some bulkheads, and try cuttin' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

Finishing:
T' texture o' t' tube is a bit rough but holds paint well. Arrr! Aye aye! I put a coat of primer on then a nice dark green. Aye aye! T' decals went on nicely. I'm an Army vet, so I love t' look o' this one.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight on this rocket was me L2 cert. Well, blow me down! Avast! Bein' me certification flight, me hearties, me hearties, I rechecked everythin' about 50 times before I went t' t' LCO table. I played it safe and loaded a J350 into t' MMT with t' Slimline adapter. This baby roared off t' pad and flew nice and straight. Begad! Well, blow me down! It arched over a bit and t' medium delay popped t' chute very close t' apogee, maybe just a little past. Aye aye! The chute was a bit caught up but eventually deployed close t' ground. T' rocket hit t' ground still movin' pretty fast. Begad! Well, blow me down! Since this be me L2 cert flight, matey, arrr, me bucko, I was a bit worried, but when I got t' t' rocket, thar be nothin' but a small scratch in t' paint. I took it t' t' prefect and got me certification paperwork signed. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It wasn't perfect but I'll take it.

Click here t' see a video o' t' flight.

Recovery:
Since this rocket does nay include a recovery system. Begad! I'll pretty much leave this blank. Aye aye! Arrr! I will say that t' nose cone fit into body tube is good with just the right amount o' friction.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs:

• T' fin can makes construction very simple
• Nearly indestructible

CONs:

• Customer Service is very spotty.
• Inside diameter o' t' fin can is nay smooth.

If you like doin' it your way and you want a very strong good looking rocket, shiver me timbers, then this is it. Ya scallywag! It went together pretty quick and it painted pretty well. Aye aye! Blimey! I have flown it a few times and it flies straight as an arrow and really rips off t' pad on a J.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5