Brief Description:
1/100 scale, single stage, matey, parachute recovery, model o' t' Gemini Titan. It has a clear fin assembly attachable for flight and a nozzle assembly attachable for display. This kit is a good addition t' t' fleet o' 1/100 scale NASA vehicles provided by various manufacturers. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It is a little pricy for the materials provided, but you are payin' for t' scale model as much as you are payin' for a rocket kit, arrr, me hearties, and should expect t' pay a little more. Ahoy!

Construction:
T' packagin' is a zip-loc bag with black and white cardstock cover, and a one-sheet, two-sided instruction sheet with diagrams and brief instructions. All parts were included, arrr, and in good shape. I especially liked t' thick body tube, which is definitely sturdier than I am used t' with Estes kits. T' nose cone is made from a heavy resin, instead o' balsa or plastic. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This eliminates the need t' put any weight in t' nose cone for stability later. Avast! Blimey! It feels nice and solid! Blimey! T' parachute material is "slicker" than t' Estes-type plastic, which initially appears t' be a plus, me bucko, but did create a problem which I will get into in a bit. Blimey! Blimey! T' instructions were too brief for an inexperienced person, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and assume some knowledge o' construction techniques. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' first decision t' make before startin' is whether t' trust tapin' t' engine for engine retention. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I chose nay t' and added an engine hook t' t' motor mount in step 1. Aye aye! Blimey! If you wish t' use a Keelhaul®©™® shock cord mounted t' t' engine mount, shiver me timbers, you might consider that before step 1 as well, me bucko, me bucko, and addin' it t' t' engine mount. In step 2, thar be a typo that has you puttin' t' motor mount into t' 2mm body tube. Ya scallywag! They mean t' 29mm body tube. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! There are a number o' typographical errors throughout t' instructions, shiver me timbers, but none are fatal t' understandin' the meaning. T' resin nose cone does nay come close t' fittin' in t' thicker body tube, me bucko, and must be sanded t' fit. Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! This is preferable t' bein' too loose. Arrr! Blimey! Do this before step 4 when you paint t' nose cone, shiver me timbers, and install t' screw-eye. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Postpone step 5 (attachin' t' shock cord t' t' nose cone) until after t' body wrap decal has been installed in step 8. Avast! Blimey!

Now for t' parachute assembly: T' tape disks are inadequate in that they do nay stick t' t' parachute material. Well, blow me down! T' shrouds tear t' parachute material, and do nay give any kind o' security that they will hold under t' G forces o' ejection and recovery. Aye aye! Begad! I used an Estes plastic 12" chute for recovery, ya bilge rat, and it worked fine. Ahoy! Begad! I would still like t' use these better feeling parachutes provided in t' kit, but need t' find a better way o' attachin' the shrouds. Begad! In step 7, thar be no mention o' a swivel hook for attachin' the parachute shrouds t' t' nose cone screw-eye. Avast! I seem t' remember from me BAR days that Estes instruction used t' include them; I certainly wouldn't have thought o' it on me own when I be 12, so they must have. Ahoy! Usin' a swivel hook sure seems t' reduce shroud line twistin' as t' rocket comes down. Blimey! T' down side o' a swivel hook is if it fails (i.e. Arrr! breaks) under G force, although it has nay happened t' me yet. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast!

In step 8, me hearties, t' body wrap decal is slightly bigger than t' external circumference o' t' body tube, so I would recommend accurately measurin' the circumference with a strin' t' reduce some o' t' overlap, prior t' cuttin' out the decal. Avast! Blimey!

Step 9 and 10 builds t' detachable fin assembly. Ahoy! Do nay use 5 minute epoxy that t' instructions call for. Aye aye! Engine heat durin' boost melted t' epoxy causin' failure o' t' fin assembly. Ya scallywag! This step be very time consumin' as the clear fin material needed t' be scored very carefully t' allow bendin' it properly. Begad! T' instructions do nay tell you how t' score t' plastic, or on which side t' do it for which bends. Blimey! It would be a good idea t' poke holes in the fin material for epoxy rivets, me hearties, just as in step 11 for t' launch lug. Avast! Begad! If you use an engine hook, you need t' cut out a little slot on t' inside o' the 18-24mm rin' so it can slide on over t' engine hook. Be careful o' where you put t' slot, ya bilge rat, as t' launch lug needs t' be clear o' t' fins when on t' pad and on a launch rod. Begad! Aye aye!

In step 11 for t' launch lug, ya bilge rat, t' instructions do nay specify that the holes are put in t' side o' t' launch lug that will attach t' t' body. Begad! the reason is so that little epoxy rivets will form on t' inside o' t' launch lug formin' a more secure bond. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch lug is clear as t' nay detract from the appearance o' t' decal from a distance. It is a good idea. Begad! Note that even though t' launch lug is sized for a 3/16" launch rod, ya bilge rat, once t' epoxy rivets are inside t' lug, shiver me timbers, it will be too snug for a 3/16" rod. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

Finishing:
T' only note I would add t' finishing, matey, arrr, is that it would have been nice t' have a few decals for t' capsule. Havin' a detailed body wrap makes t' body appear very detailed, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but then you have t' painted but otherwise naked o' detail nose cone. Begad! It is shaped very well, ya bilge rat, but t' windows are nay obvious from a distance and thar be nay even a flag or hatch outline. Arrr! T' appearance o' t' top o' the rocket is incongruous with t' bottom. Begad!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
If you use an engine hook, you need t' install t' engine before t' fin assembly, matey, as t' fin assembly locks down t' engine hook. Avast! I used a B6-4 for the maiden flight as recommended by t' cover card. Aye aye! Begad! T' rocket be launched in about a 15 kt. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! variable breeze, arrr, me bucko, and flew well without much wind cock. Well, blow me down! The rocket flew t' about 250 feet (+- 50ft) on this engine. Arrr! It would have been nice for t' manufacturer t' provide an estimate o' t' expected height on t' two recommended engines (B6-4 and C6-7). T' four second delay on t' B engine was about right for ejection near apogee. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I have nay done a C engine yet as t' fin assembly failed on t' maiden flight. Aye aye! T' 5 minute epoxy recommended by the instructions couldn't stand t' heat transmitted from t' engine casin' clay into t' fin assembly cardboard ring. Ahoy! Two o' t' three fins came off near the end o' t' flight and were lost durin' recovery. Ahoy! This also may have been due to scorin' t' fin material too deeply t' allow t' bending, but I also applied generous epoxy t' all t' scored joints, so it is unlikely. Ahoy! Since t' pieces were lost, matey, matey, a complete failure mode effect analysis (FEMA) is impossible. Aye aye! Begad! The remainin' fin did show evidence o' melted epoxy at t' joints on t' cardboard ring.

Recovery:
T' 12" chute would be too small for a hard surface landing. It came down a little fast for me taste. It is OK for a sod field, however. A bigger chute would fit in this body tube, shiver me timbers, so a less breezy day would call for a bigger chute. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! No other damage was evident from t' flight or ejection force. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I would consider a Keelhaul®©™® cord if you plan on flyin' this a lot. Begad! I don't think that is a good idea with t' flimsy fin assembly. Arrr! Other than t' fins, this is a very sturdy rocket. Blimey! Well, blow me down!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

SUMMARY:
PRO's: sturdy body tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, sturdy and detailed nose cone, matey, full body wrap decal, and inclusion o' engine bells for static display.
CON's: fin assembly construction and material as well as poor instructions on use o' 5 minute epoxy, parachute shroud attachment, shiver me timbers, lack o' engine hook, arrr, and lack o' decals for t' capsule.

Some aspects o' this kit are very sturdy, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, well thought out, and above standard, while others are weaker. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Because it is 1/100 scale, me bucko, matey, it is a good addition t' a fleet o' 1/100 scale models, and a good comparison of relative sizes when all o' t' fleet are together. Ahoy!

UPDATE 7/99 - As an addendum t' me review, shiver me timbers, I communicated t' problem with t' fin assembly t' t' vendor, Discount Rocketry, and they quickly provided replacement parts, ya bilge rat, as well as a personal note from Jim Neubauer that he had nay scored t' fin material t' enable bendin' into t' proper shape. He has flown t' rocket over 20 times with no indication o' t' problem I had. Ahoy! Blimey! The jury is still out, ya bilge rat, so I would recommend nay scoring, arrr, but use a hardier epoxy anyway. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I did see evidence o' epoxy meltin' other than in t' scored and bent joints, shiver me timbers, so it may have been an exceptionally 'hot' motor, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, or even more unlikely the heat from t' exhaust transferrin' through t' non-kit engine hook.

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". Begad! Aye aye! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Aye aye! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' the referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Avast, me proud beauty! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! For more information, ya bilge rat, use t' two links above.

"T' model features a Gemini capsule nose cone molded in solid plastic, arrr, and a sturdy thick-walled body tube."
"T' kit comes with a self-adhesive full body wrap decal . . Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! ." 
"For display t' kit has removable nozzles molded from solid plastic."
"For flight clear plastic fins are added."
"T' assembly instructions for t' kit consist o' two pages o' simple drawings and text, me bucko, which is about right for this easy-to-build rocket."
"T' instructions include an addendum on parachute construction (which is good, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, since t' similar parachute in their 1/100 scale Mercury Redstone gave me problems)."
"T' parachute material is a slick white plastic which opens reliably without 'chute powder'"
"T' only recommended engine for t' model be t' C6-7 . Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! . . Ahoy! I tested with a B6-4."
"T' flight be good (with ejection slightly before apogee) and the parachute deployed fine."
" . Avast, me proud beauty! . . Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! is a wonderful kit for anyone who loves models o' manned space boosters."

T' entire article gives t' impression is that this is a nice kit for a beginner/intermediate modeler.