Brief:
This is a longneck, futuristic fighter that flies on 24mm motors.

Construction:
While lookin' over t' AA site, I decided that thar were several rockets I liked t' looks o' and t' Avenger was one o' them. Avast! I ordered it along with a few others and soon had a box o' rockets beggin' for me attention. Begad! There be also a note sayin' that a part for t' Avenger was out o' stock and that it would be shipped separately as soon as it came in. Ahoy! Avast! I promptly forgot all about at that point and did nay remember it until me wife confronted me with one o' t' "I thought you weren't goin' t' order any more for a while" conversations. Arrr! I be at a loss because I really be tryin' t' be good. Well, blow me down! After I opened it, me bucko, I remembered what it was for.

T' first thin' I noticed be that t' main body tube be severely damaged. Well, blow me down! It had been doubled over at some point and was severely dented. Ahoy! I contacted AA Rocketry and without any fuss, was sent a replacement. Arrr! Begad! I had a harder time explainin' this one t' t' wife.

When t' replacement arrived, matey, me hearties, it be in a priority mail tube. On openin' it, t' tube was stuffed with Styrofoam peanuts and t' body tube be exertin' pressure on t' forward closure. Begad! Ahoy! When I examined t' tube, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it had a dent that looks like it originated from compression. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Classic Euler buckling. Begad! Aye aye! It was nowhere near as bad as t' first time but enough t' be suspect when intended as an airframe.

I contacted AA again and again, they were very reasonable. We jointly decided that I would be sent a tube coupler and cut out t' bad section. T' resultin' joint should be stronger than t' original. Begad! Ya scallywag! A few days later, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a boxed arrived with t' coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! Then everythin' sat around unopened for a few months until, ya bilge rat, matey, finally, ya bilge rat, I was ready t' begin t' build.

Upon lookin' at t' instructions, me bucko, arrr, t' first item t' work on be t' BT so I decided I had better start splicing. Begad! I used a razor knife t' cut t' tube in two and then test fit t' coupler. Avast! It would nay fit. Arrr! A bit o' judicious sandin' fixed that and I glued it into place with yellow glue.

I tested t' other piece and, arrr, as expected, found that it was too tight as well. Ya scallywag! I sanded some more and then, stupidly, spread t' glue without checking. Aye aye! T' tube did slide on but froze up before I could get it all t' way down. Aye aye! Begad! It left about an 1/8" gap. Ahoy! I figured that I would incorporate this flaw somehow in t' final paint scheme.

T' next step was t' mark t' BT for t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! This kit has a printed end alignment guide where you set t' rocket on a circle and transfer marks. I prefer t' wraparound type but realize that others prefer this type so it's just a matter o' taste. Begad! I made t' marks and used a door t' lengthen them. Ahoy! Then I went t' transfer t' marks t' t' side body tubes and ran into a problem. I only had a single BT and I needed 2. I had nay done an inventory before starting.

Checkin' t' parts list, I found that I was indeed supposed t' have 2. Ahoy! I checked t' instructions again just in case I was supposed t' cut t' one I had but, me bucko, no, I need two. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! There, shiver me timbers, everythin' came t' a screechin' halt as I tried t' contact AA Rocketry once more.

AA Rocketry sent out t' replacement and, shiver me timbers, while I was at it, me bucko, me hearties, I ordered an extra decal sheet. Ahoy! T' reasons will be apparent later.

T' long awaited tubes for t' side pods were marked and then I was instructed t' use t' template in t' directions t' cut out 4 parts. Ahoy! Two o' these were for fins and two more were t' assemble a tool t' aid in t' makin' o' t' motor mount.

I taped t' pattern t' t' provided sheet o' balsa and used a straightedge t' cut t' pieces out. I found that me template was just a touch narrower than t' balsa but that was nay a problem. I cut as if t' lines for t' fins extended all t' way t' t' edges and then compared t' resultant pieces. Aye aye! Sure enough, one was just a hair wider than t' other. Begad! T' razor fixed that.

T' two jigs that were cut out were supposed t' be put together without glue t' use as a tool t' place t' thrust ring. Well, blow me down! I tried t' get t' two pieces together but t' slots were too narrow. Arrr! I fixed that with a razor and they went together. When I used it t' test fit t' rin' though, matey, matey, t' X passed right through it.

I pressed on and marked t' motor tube where indicated and then used a spacer tube from another kit t' glue in t' thrust ring. Arrr! A slit was then made for t' engine hook and I placed it and secured it with some tape. Avast, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings were then placed with glue, matey, filleted, me bucko, allowed t' dry, and then filleted on t' other side. Aye aye! T' instructions were adequate at this point, matey, but I feel they could have been made clearer with a diagram or slightly different prose.

T' side pods were up next. Arrr! T' instructions indicated that t' 4 plastic nosecones were t' be placed with either plastic cement or epoxy. I had some 20 minute epoxy handy so I used that.

I need t' point out that t' kit has two pairs o' fins. One, t' larger set made from plywood, me hearties, came already cut. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' ones cut from balsa in a previous step are nay exactly small either but they are smaller than t' plywood ones. T' instructions talk about t' "main" fins. I be nay sure which set this reference indicated. Arrr! I thought it was probably t' plywood ones but be unsure. Then I thought it would probably be t' fins attached t' t' side pods and later t' instruction make clear that this is indeed t' case, but that still left unresolved t' question o' whether it be t' balsa or t' plywood fins that were t' be used with t' side pods. Avast! I finally thought t' check t' illustration on t' first page and it turns out that me intuition was correct. Ahoy! T' main fins are t' plywood ones.

After both main fins had set up for a while, I installed t' secondary fins. Arrr! These were t' balsa ones. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I decided t' use yellow glue for these since they would nay be under as much stress, shiver me timbers, nay havin' t' side pods. Begad! Blimey! I used a double glue joint and carefully checked for alignment.

After lettin' t' secondary fins dry for a while, I attached t' side pods. Arrr! I again used 5 minute epoxy for this step and, when they were in place, arrr, matey, me bucko, I could finally see t' "cool" factor comin' into play.

T' kit comes with a 1/4" launch lug that has already been bevel cut. I placed it accordin' t' t' instructions at t' top o' one o' t' main fins usin' yellow glue.

I used sandpaper t' bevel t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' both sets o' fins after makin' sure that each pair was identically sized. Begad! T' plywood fins were already identical but t' balsa ones needed a touch o' extra sandin' t' brin' them into conformity.

I used 5 minute epoxy t' glue t' main (plywood) fins t' t' BT. Ya scallywag! I did so in order that t' adhesive would set up smartly while I was still checkin' for straightness. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After I was fairly sure things were set up right on t' first fin, me hearties, I let it dry for a while more before tacklin' t' second one. It be then put on in t' same manner. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Both were applied with their aft ends flush with t' end o' t' BT.

T' "kit" recovery system involves an Estes style tri-fold mount. Arrr! I detest these things and avoid them wherever possible. Begad! Ahoy! I decided t' do so in this case as well and tied a Keelhaul®©™ harness just abaft o' t' forward centerin' rin' on t' motor mount. I then cut a small notch in t' outer edge o' t' rin' t' pass t' Keelhaul®©™ and filleted t' Keelhaul®©™ in with yellow glue.

When t' harness was dry, me hearties, I fed t' Keelhaul®©™ through t' BT and applied a rin' o' yellow in t' aft end. Begad! Begad! Then, me hearties, me bucko, keepin' tension on t' Keelhaul®©™, I inserted t' motor mount and seated it flush with t' aft end.

Finishing:
To me, matey, t' terms "balsa fillercoat" and "sandin' sealer" were pretty much interchangeable. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! All I really knew about t' difference is that me local hobby shop always had sandin' sealer and that t' rack marked "balsa fillercoat" be always empty. This time around, I ordered over t' internet and got t' fillercoat. Begad! When it came in, t' difference was readily apparent. It has much more "gunk" suspended in it. Well, blow me down! Presumably, this makes it fill t' grain more effectively.

I gave t' fins, both plywood and balsa, 4 coats and sanded them down smooth. Avast! I be quite pleased with t' results and t' difference compared t' usin' sandin' sealer. I still had t' rin' from me botched use o' t' tube coupler t' worry about though. I filled that with Elmer's Wood Filler and then sanded it down smooth.

Primin' was done with Kilz. Ya scallywag! While usin' some Rit dye on another rocket (Edmonds Tinee), ya bilge rat, I had apparently splattered t' stuff and gotten drops o' it all over t' Avenger. I be worried about it bleedin' through but t' Kilz got 95% o' it in one coat and 100% after t' second.

T' Kilz was sanded down in preparation for painting. At this point I learned that, matey, arrr, while I liked t' design o' this rocket, me hearties, those pods on t' fins make sandin' a real pain. Avast, me proud beauty! They are fairly delicate and seem t' get in t' way o' every possible motion I wanted t' make with me hands. Eventually though, I had a white rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I was plannin' on usin' a metallic paint, me bucko, I gave t' primed rocket a coat o' gloss white as well t' serve as an undercoat.

I wanted t' use a metallic aluminum for t' main finish. I was nay lookin' for anythin' too shiny, arrr, just silvery metallic. Aye aye! I sprayed on 2 coats.

I found myself somewhat at a loss at this point. Aye aye! While rummagin' around on t' desktop and waitin' for t' aluminum paint t' dry, ya bilge rat, I found a small slab o' modelin' clay. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' clay came from this kit and is presumably t' move t' CG forward. Avast! Ahoy! It's puzzlin' t' me because t' clay in mentioned in t' parts inventory but nowhere in t' instructions. Also, this kind o' clay is usually stuffed into t' nose cone but this plastic nose cone does nay lend itself t' such application.

After t' aluminum paint had dried, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I masked off most o' t' rocket except for t' main nosecone, arrr, t' nosecones on t' side pods, matey, and t' secondary fins. Arrr! On these areas I wanted t' try a metallic red paint. Well, blow me down! My previous experience with colored metallics was a bad one but I be hopin' that I had learned somethin' since then. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' rocket had been primed and it had 2 layers o' metallic aluminum underneath. Arrr! Begad! Accordin' t' t' instructions on t' can, me hearties, it be meant t' be applied t' t' bare metal o' car engines. Begad! I hoped t' aluminum paint would suffice.

It looked pretty good when I be sprayin' it. Avast, me proud beauty! T' color be bright. Ahoy! Arrr! Time would tell if it stayed that way as it dried. Fortunately, ya bilge rat, me hearties, matey, it did. Ahoy! Avast! It was a little darker than t' lid but still bright enough t' satisfy me.

This kit comes with a single set o' decals that make t' rocket look pretty good on one side but very plain on t' other. Avast, me proud beauty! When I ordered t' replacement for t' damaged tube, me hearties, I ordered an additional set o' decals and am glad I did.

T' decals were some o' t' highest quality I have ever worked with. Avast! They went on without any problem and greatly enhanced t' look o' t' kit.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
T' Avenger had its maiden flight at an Amateur Rocketeers o' Texas Freedom launch. T' initial motor selection was a C11-3. Begad! Some dog barf be stuffed into t' tube followed by t' chute and t' motor be put in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! This rocket had garnered some interest so all were watchin' as t' button was pushed.

T' take off was fine, but t' rocket began t' wobble back and forth, matey, waggin' its tail nay too long after it cleared t' rod. Aye aye! It continued that way until it reached apogee and arced over. Ahoy! It ejected when horizontal and came down gently under its chute. Begad! Ya scallywag! I went t' get it and be all ready t' try a D when I turned it over. Ya scallywag! T' ejection charge had nay only deployed t' chute, shiver me timbers, it had ejected t' engine hook as well. Aye aye! Begad! This rocket would nay fly again this day.

T' rocket is repairable and I will repair it and fly it again. Ahoy! Aye aye! I am provisionally givin' it a 3 for flight but think it can do better if I can rid it o' its gremlins.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I had trouble with this one from t' outset, but it seems t' be more o' a convergence o' bad luck than a bad kit.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5