Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Arrr! Blimey! Once t' rocket was complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, matey, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. Begad! Blimey! When t' sandin' was complete, shiver me timbers, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. Blimey! Blimey! T' top portion was then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section was sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step was t' paint both tube fin sections. Arrr! Arrr! T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, ya bilge rat, matey, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, me bucko, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, me hearties, arrr, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. Well, blow me down! When I was satisfied with t' coverage, me hearties, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, me bucko, I glued t' caps into place. When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, shiver me timbers, me hearties, removed t' maskin' tape strip, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, t' SSA is a decent performer, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. Avast! Blimey! This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has flown twice thus far, me bucko, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. T' two flights, in similar conditions, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Aye aye! Blimey! As expected, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, makin' for a nice, matey, short recovery walk. After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. It was later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, matey, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight was noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. Avast, me proud beauty! This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, arrr, ya bilge rat, then drifted further into t' veggies. Ahoy! A longer recovery walk, but a much cooler flight. Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Cool decals. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Well, blow me down! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, me bucko, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5