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

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, matey, me hearties, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), me bucko, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, arrr, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Frankly, me bucko, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, ya bilge rat, me bucko, now that I've tried both. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Blimey! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, arrr, and use bigger motors. However, me bucko, ya bilge rat, arrr, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, and H or light I motors, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Ya scallywag! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! 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. Avast! There's not a lot you can write up, shiver me timbers, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... 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. Avast, me proud beauty! In both cases, I build the kit stock, matey, arrr, except for t' home-made motor retention, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Avast!

All t' parts fit well, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Avast, me proud beauty!

No motor retention is provided, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Well, blow me down! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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. When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, me bucko, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Ahoy! With t' QT, me bucko, arrr, all I have t' do was rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' was pretty simple. Arrr! I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt each coat. Well, blow me down! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, again sandin' betwixt coats. After that, me bucko, I set the nose aside, masked off t' white fin, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Aye aye! Again, I used several coats, with wet-sandin' between each. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Then, 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 was it for paint. Begad! Arrr! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Blimey! Well, blow me down!

Now, matey, me hearties, on t' real rocket, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. T' replicate this, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Begad! It adheres well, me hearties, and looks about right. Ya scallywag! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. I chose t' not paint these, me hearties, arrr, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Begad! Well, blow me down! So, ya bilge rat, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, and cut out t' strips I needed. Begad! Avast! I be worried about how well this stuff would adhere, but it's doing fine so far. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, matey, and Rockets o' t' World. Well, blow me down! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, anyway). Finally, matey, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Arrr! 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. Avast! My first flight (and only, ya bilge rat, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Ahoy! Begad! Unfortunately, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), matey, arrr, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Begad! Begad! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, forward o' t' fins. Ahoy! Still... Begad! Well, blow me down! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path. Well, blow me down!

Flight number two was an F50-6, ya bilge rat, approximately a year after t' first disaster. Ahoy! PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Boost was nice and straight, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' flight was nominal. Blimey! T' only downside was t' rocket landin' on a runway, shiver me timbers, which scarred it a bit, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! 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). T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Ya scallywag! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, shiver me timbers, a slotted bulkhead, me bucko, and a D-ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Seems t' work well, arrr, shiver me timbers, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Well, blow me down! Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, 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. T' provided chute seems plenty tough, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and is probably a good size, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Well, blow me down! 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.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

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

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5