Brief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, ya bilge rat, dual stage, matey, me hearties, 24" rocket with streamer recovery usin' high quality components. An individual production number is included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. I own production kit #1 and #25. Begad! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Begad!

Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:

• 1 Nose Cone
• 1 17" Body Tube
• 2 2.75" Body Tubes
• 1 1" Stage Coupler
• 1 Engine Block
• 4 Centerin' Rings
• 12" Cotton Thread
• 24" Keelhaul®©™® Thread
• 36" Crepe Streamer
• 1 Medium Screw Eye
• 2 3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
• 1" Launch Lug
• 1 Tape Disk
• 1 Instruction Sheet
• 1 Fin Pattern Sheet
• 1 Decal Sheet

Also included was a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.

T' assembly instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. Begad! T' steps were easy t' follow, shiver me timbers, with many illustrations showin' placement, dimensions, etc. Care must be taken with this model, arrr, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Well, blow me down! Measure twice, cut once! A misplaced coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no extras. As per FlisKits standards, me hearties, t' fit o' all parts is exact. Arrr! O' special mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the interior engine mount, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up to t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, so I asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. Ahoy! His answer was: "For such a large rocket, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root to tip length. Aye aye! My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20 years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the body comin' down fins first. By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, shiver me timbers, at the mid point, me bucko, arrr, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess where me first launch landed! I built t' kit stock, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™® works great, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. Ya scallywag! One other small issue be that t' elastic shock cord, mentioned in step number 15, was left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Aye aye! Jim Flis confirmed that this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Blimey! Like all FlisKits models, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a provided template. Arrr! There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, if practice is needed. Ya scallywag! T' kit was easy t' build overall, and resulted in a sturdy model.

Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, ya bilge rat, fine balsa fin stock, real balsa nose cones, etc. Begad! Begad! this kit was a joy t' finish. Well, blow me down! T' body tubes required no filling, me bucko, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon. I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights. I was very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, me hearties, although me personal preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Aye aye! They gave little trouble, shiver me timbers, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as the rest o' t' model. T' finished model looks quite attractive.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, preparation for flight is a little more lengthy with an external mount. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Waddin' was added, and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Multi-stage models require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is required. Ahoy! I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, me hearties, and an A8-5 for t' upper stage, due t' t' small park I be launchin' in. Avast! Begad! T' launch be very straight, with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. Blimey! It recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' upper stage flew very high even on t' A motor, me hearties, landin' well out o' t' park area. Ahoy! Be warned: Anything more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, even with yellow paint and a large launch area! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Ya scallywag! Arrr!

Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, t' landin' be on a pavement street a block outside the park. Ya scallywag! One fin snapped at t' root, ya bilge rat, but was smartly repaired. Begad! There was no other problem, ya bilge rat, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other surface. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. Aye aye! This is another high quality rocket kit from FlisKits, Inc. Begad! T' kit components are first rate, finish nicely and come together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Ahoy! For those modelers lookin' for a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, ya bilge rat, this will be a refreshing, attractive, me bucko, sleek addition t' their fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5