Brief:
While t' US senate was tryin' t' wrestle a health care reform agreement t' resolution before Christmas 2009, the Semroc team was busily rushin' out their own little piece o' rocketry "legislation", me hearties, releasin' a bit o' a mutated kit called t' Earmark.

I won't contend that anythin' "inspired" this, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but it does appear t' be based upon t' Mark kit, me bucko, which is one o' Semroc's retro-repro series that be based upon t' G Harry Stine 1961 design. Aye aye! Instead o' fins, me hearties, you get 3 ears, thus t' ear-mark.

Construction:
Components are typical top-quality, including:

• Balsa nose cone
• BT-20 body tube
• CR 20/5 thrust ring
• Laser-cut fiberboard fins
• Peel n stick decals
• Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• [note-no recovery device, shiver me timbers, intended t' tumble]

T' instructions represent a new slimmed-down approach Semroc is taking, with construction outlined on one side of an 8.5x14 sheet. T' parts diagram is in t' center, matey, and 9 construction steps circle around it. Begad! This is a very simple construction project, certainly a skill level 1.

I do have t' point out one neat feature in t' instructions, though--Semroc normally tries t' include a little background on t' kit design and/or company with their products, me bucko, and in this case t' background on t' design is quite entertainin' and almost worth t' price o' t' kit itself. Blimey! It traces t' mock history o' t' design, shiver me timbers, from t' standard Mark, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' addin' pig's ears, which were abandoned when they found they couldn't turn sow's ears into silk purses, finally settlin' on human ears.

T' crepe paper and latex industry did nay lobby aggressively enough, shiver me timbers, and so t' streamer and elastic shock cord were dropped from t' final design. Ya scallywag! Blimey! For those nay comfortable with tumble recovery, Semroc offers a TARP option, me hearties, ya bilge rat, though t' TARP is 120 square feet, which Semroc claims will likely result in short recovery walks since t' rocket won't go anywhere anyway.

One other limited edition option related t' t' kit be t' bailout option. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! For a mere $15,200,000, ya bilge rat, you can bailout Semroc and create at least 3 new jobs. Ahoy! If you are interested in obtainin' carbon credits for this kit, you'll have to read t' instructions--it's far too complex t' include in this review.

Havin' brushed up on t' history behind t' kit, I managed t' build t' model in about 10 minutes, me hearties, me hearties, plus finishing time. Aye aye! Construction starts with insertin' t' thrust rin' usin' a pre-marked stuffer (dummy motor casing), markin' the fin lines usin' a template on t' instruction sheet, me hearties, and attachin' t' 3 fiberboard fins. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone gets a screw eye anchor, matey, and t' launch lug is centered betwixt a pair o' fins.

Finishing:
I finished this similar t' me Mark, ya bilge rat, usin' metallic red base coat, me bucko, with metallic gold for t' nose, shiver me timbers, arrr, and black trim stripes on t' body tube. T' fins get peel and stick decals for t' ears. Arrr! Ahoy! Maybe it be just that I was finishin' this while watchin' t' bowl games, but t' me t' decals looked more like potato chips than ears. Arrr! Avast! I'll probably add a few stray hairs stickin' out for added realism.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
First flight was on an A8-3. Ahoy! It can supposedly handle up t' a C6-7, though without a streamer or chute, I'd think spottin' it would be darned near impossible at that point.

T' boost be quite fast, straight up, too fast for me t' spot any roll. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' motor delay looked like it was more like a -2 than a -3, deployin' earlier than expected, me hearties, me hearties, and certainly well before apogee.

Recovery:
T' tumble recovery worked, arrr, as thar was no damage at all and it did come down pretty gently, arrr, though I'd still suggest addin' a few feet o' streamer t' this, matey, nay so much t' slow t' descent, but t' spot t' little bugger on the way back down.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
It flies well, matey, is certainly an interestin' mutation o' t' basic 3FNC concept. Begad! I especially enjoyed readin' through all t' instructions/background information. Begad! T' potato-chip-like ears are cute. Begad! I'm nay sure t' TARP option would be a good idea, me hearties, but I'd certainly pay an extra $0.25-$0.50 t' include a small trackin' streamer. Who knows? If t' added back in a streamer option, arrr, arrr, it might eliminate t' new bailout promotion bein' offered.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5