Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, arrr, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Accordin' t' PML, me hearties, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, me bucko, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), me hearties, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, me bucko, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, a heavy-duty nylon strap, a length o' woven elastic, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Frankly, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, now that I've tried both. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and use bigger motors. Ya scallywag! Blimey! However, me bucko, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and H or light I motors, then QT is by far t' way t' go. I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, arrr, me hearties, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Ya scallywag! T' thin' t' watch is that you sand thoroughly (with coarse grit) any QT parts you are epoxying.

T' instructions for t' kit are pretty basic and straight-forward. Ya scallywag! There's not a lot you can write up, shiver me timbers, me hearties, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Arrr! Blimey! Construction steps are logical, matey, arrr, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Ahoy! Arrr! like makin' sure the piston strap (which is epoxied t' t' motor mount) is nay positioned in a manner t' interfere with t' installation o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! In both cases, arrr, arrr, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr!

All t' parts fit well, matey, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Arrr!

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", me bucko, a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Overall, me hearties, t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket was waitin' for t' epoxy t' cure.

Finishing:
This is where that Quantum Tubin' really comes into it's own. Aye aye! Blimey! When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, shiver me timbers, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! With t' QT, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Blimey! Paintin' be pretty simple. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Blimey! Blimey! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, again sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! Blimey! After that, I set the nose aside, matey, masked off t' white fin, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Again, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Then, arrr, it was necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! That be it for paint. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once it had time t' completely dry, arrr, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Begad!

Now, me hearties, on t' real rocket, shiver me timbers, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Well, blow me down! T' replicate this, me hearties, arrr, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Ahoy! It adheres well, matey, me hearties, and looks about right. Avast, me proud beauty! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Avast! Aye aye! I chose t' not paint these, arrr, ya bilge rat, me hearties, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Aye aye! Blimey! So, arrr, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Arrr! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, and cut out t' strips I needed. Ya scallywag! I be worried about how well this stuff would adhere, but it's doing fine so far. Arrr! Arrr! After that, I applied t' decals, ya bilge rat, me bucko, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Avast, me proud beauty! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Aye aye! T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, from G t' I for this rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! My first flight (and only, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Blimey! Unfortunately, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Arrr! Begad! T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap was burned through), matey, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, matey, forward o' t' fins. Avast! Begad! Still... Arrr! Ya scallywag! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), arrr, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path.

Flight number two was an F50-6, shiver me timbers, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Well, blow me down! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, shiver me timbers, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight be nominal. Well, blow me down! T' only downside be t' rocket landin' on a runway, which scarred it a bit, and took a small chunk out o' one fin-tip.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system in t' kit is a two-piece affair: a thick nylon strap connects t' piston t' t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' piston, in turn, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Ya scallywag! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, a slotted bulkhead, me bucko, and a D-ring. Seems t' work well, matey, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Begad! Begad! Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, matey, shiver me timbers, I found that the heat o' t' day had caused t' piston t' fit a bit too tightly in t' airframe, and had t' sand it down a bit t' loosen t' fit. Blimey! T' provided chute seems plenty tough, and is probably a good size, matey, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Blimey! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, ya bilge rat, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Begad! I'd say it's an excellent kit for anyone who is just movin' up t' HPR, arrr, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. Ahoy! Aye aye! As for pros and cons... Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! well, ya bilge rat, matey, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! In fact, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5