Brief:
A high performance, contest quality helicopter rocket. No burn strings here!

Construction:
Materials were strictly top shelf. Well, blow me down! Body tube, arrr, vacuformed nose cone, shiver me timbers, balsa fins and rotor blades. Aye aye! Especially important be t' molded hub and piston. Arrr! You might consider buyin' this rocket just for t' quality parts. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions are very good and lead you through logical. Well, blow me down! T' trickiest steps concern makin' sure you don't glue t' fold-in-half rotor blades t' themselves. Aye aye! Assembly is straightforward, ya bilge rat, though intricate. Aye aye! When you're done t' rocket will look insanely tiny and light and make you think o' competition records that will fall, but thar be a catch...

T' instructions are very thorough, as you would expect, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, from Apogee. Ahoy! Arrr! The rotor blade fold in half lengthwise and are set up on a template. Well, blow me down! Take great care that you get t' hinge side and t' elastic sides correct. Begad! T' keep the edges o' t' rotor blades from stickin' along t' seam, Apogee suggests vaseline carefully applied t' t' joint. Aye aye! Excellent suggestion. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Also take care to trim t' dowel that runs up t' middle t' t' proper length. This model should be easily built with t' tools and glue that you already have for other rockets. This is NOT a beginner's rocket.

Finishing:
This is a contest rocket, finishin' is nay a great idea. However, somethings will help it's visibility. Begad! Try usin' magic markers and/or highlighters t' add color. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight is where this rocket has problems. It is simply unstable if thar's any wind. My Micro Whirl-A-Tron and several others have looped when they flew. Avast! The basic dimensions o' t' rocket are those o' t' Centrix, ya bilge rat, which flies great, shiver me timbers, arrr, but the cast piston moves t' CG too far back t' make this rocket anythin' but a Micro Loop-A-Tron in t' wind. Two flights with Apogee 1/2A2-4 motors and 1 with 1/4A2-4 all looped durin' t' afternoon lull at NARAM 42. I saw a few other's fall into t' same trap. Avast, me proud beauty! I did see one that worked, arrr, but t' flyer had extended t' fin span by 3/4". Ya scallywag! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Prep is easy, fold t' rotors, place them against t' dowel, slip t' piston down until t' toothpicks are inside the booster body tube. Avast! Go fly. Aye aye! This is one o' those designs that might spit the motor. Aye aye! Arrr! Tape it in good.

Recovery:
This thin' really hangs on t' rotors. If a lighter weight alternative could be found for t' cast piston, me hearties, it would do even better. Aye aye! You will be utterly stunned how high this gets on a 1/2A motor (if you've lengthened t' fins). Aye aye! This is not an incredibly rugged rocket because it is intended for competition use. Aye aye! In contest rockets, if they last more than 3 or 4 flights, they're over-built and therefore too heavy. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 2 out o' 5

Summary:
I saw two mods o' t' Whirl-A-Tron that made them fly in a straight line. Avast! First you extend t' fin span. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Second, add a rin' o' cardboard around t' fin tips. In both cases, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' rocket flew very straight, arrr, and very high. Blimey! Aye aye! Due t' t' piston, prep is fast and easy. Avast, me proud beauty! This gives you an advantage in competition because when the air is good, ya bilge rat, me hearties, you can fly, recover and fly quickly. Well, blow me down! Also burn strings tend to get hung up on rotors and such. Begad! T' rocket is light, streamlined and very competitive. Arrr! You'll learn some good techniques just buildin' this rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5