Brief:
A skill level 1, Minimum Diameter, me hearties, 4FNC (4 Fin & Nose Cone), Sport Model.

Construction:
This model kit comes in t' usual Fliskits packaging; a clear plastic bag, ya bilge rat, with eye-catchin' face-card, shiver me timbers, and transparent back, arrr, so parts can be clearly seen. Well, blow me down! As usual, this product is individually numbered — mine is #74.

T' kit consists, me bucko, mainly, o' one high quality 228mm * 18mm card body tube, a balsa nose cone, and a sheet o' best quality 2mm balsa for t' fins. Ahoy! In addition, matey, t' kit consists o' an 18-inch elastic shock cord, me bucko, a nice long black crepe streamer, shiver me timbers, a decal sheet, a fin pattern sheet, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and t' usual other bits and bobs (launch lug, engine block etc.) Also o' note, matey, is a very good hints and tips sheet that covers t' usual Flight Preparation (in much clearer detail and more depth than you’d find in a ‘Questes’ kit), and basic construction skills such as tips on fin attachment.

T' instructions are up t' t' high standards that are expected of Fliskits.. Ahoy! Blimey! They are VERY clear, contain clear diagrams; and, when combined with the Hints and Tips sheet, cover every stage o' construction and t' techniques needed for it.

As long as t' instructions and hints are followed thar are no gotcha’s, even for a beginner. Avast! Everythin' fit perfectly, shiver me timbers, with the exception o' t' nose cone, which required about 30 seconds o' sandin' t' get the fit I wanted (I like me nose cones t' fit a little on t' loose side). That was personal preference, though; t' original fit would have worked.

Actual construction was a breeze for somebody, me hearties, like myself, arrr, who’s built a couple o' LPR rocket kits previously. Ya scallywag! I imagine it would be challenging, me bucko, matey, but straightforward, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' somebody buildin' their first kit. Avast! Ahoy! I built it over t' course o' an evenin' whilst watchin' t' telly, and chattin' t' a couple o' mates who'd popped ’round for some ‘adult beverages.’

T' tools required are t' very basic ones. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Eg: wood glue, model knife, ya bilge rat, pencil, sandin' sealer, etc. Well, blow me down! All o' which an absolute beginner would find in a local Hobby/Craft Shop. Begad! T' only thin' an absolute beginner might have trouble with be t' expended engine needed to insert t' engine block.

Finishing:
Finishin' is simple, shiver me timbers, and is greatly helped by t' quality o' t' parts. Begad! The balsa is very easy t' fill and sand. Begad! T' spirals on t' body tube are virtually non-existent; a couple o' coats o' primer, a bit o' fine sanding, and they’re gone!

T' kit contains an idea for decoration on t' face-card, however the instructions tells you that this is only a suggestion, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' use your imagination. I painted mine 'sunshine yellow' all over, arrr, and attached a couple of t' excellent decals. T' decals, again, me hearties, are a collection o' ideas, leaving the constructor t' decide on their personal choice.

I finished off by sprayin' t' whole thin' in a couple o' coats o' clear.

Finishin' took a few days, but I wanted t' make sure that t' coats were dry before sandin' and applyin' another. Avast, me proud beauty! I’m glad I did take t' time, it was worth it.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are: A8-3, arrr, B6-4, arrr, me bucko, and C6-5. Armed with at least one o' each, shiver me timbers, I went t' launch on a lovely, almost calm, arrr, matey, summer evenin' after work.

First flight was on an A8-3. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket shot off t' pad, me bucko, gained some serious air, and ejected at a perfect apogee. Arrr! Blimey! T' generous streamer brought the model down a couple o' meters away from t' pad. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' whole flight was just visible.

After re-preppin' (very quick - 1 sheet o' wadding; t' streamer takes a bit o' rolling, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but thats nay difficult), it was ready for its second flight on a B6-4. This didn’t hang around. Within 1.5-seconds, t' thin' was well out o' sight. A few seconds passed, shiver me timbers, we heard t' pop, and saw t' large, ya bilge rat, black, streamer open up. Begad! We were able t' see t' whole descent, ya bilge rat, and were able to follow it into t' next field. Avast! T' recovery crew (my mate Derren, me hearties, and his Bike), were able t' find it with no problem. An awesome flight, one o' me all time faves.

After t' success o' t' last flight, t' Flea be loaded with a C6-5. Avast, me proud beauty! We all stood back, as we knew this was goin' t' be a fast one, and we wanted a better angle t' see it. Aye aye! Lucky we did as t' Flea stripped a fin about 4m off the pad, and went into a C powered corkscrew! Nobody was hurt or in any real danger, arrr, arrr, as t' puppy plunged into t' ground (under power) about 6m away from the nearest person and did that very sad, ground based ejection pop, characteristic o' a flight failure like this.

T' lost fin be never found - how a bright yellow piece o' balsa can go missin' in a field o' freshly cut grass is beyond me!

Upon examination, arrr, it was quite obvious that t' fin joint was nay strong enough. Arrr! Ahoy! A fault which lies with me, and the fact I only put one white glue fillet layer on each fin joint — t' save weight — instead o' me usual 3+ layers.

Recovery:
T' streamer included is superb. Well, blow me down! I got this kit t' replace me Estes Viking, which had suffered a RIP a few launches before (I only found t' nosecone and streamer, after a C launch). This streamer is at least twice t' size o' the Viking’s, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and, bein' black, me hearties, stands out more than t' Viking’s orange one. Ahoy! T' shock cord attaches t' t' inside o' t' body tube with t' age-old 3-fold method. Aye aye! T' other end is tied t' t' screw eye in t' base o' t' nose cone. A length o' cotton is then tied t' t' screw eye, and t' other end of the cotton attached t' t' streamer. Avast, me proud beauty! A simple system, ya bilge rat, but perfectly acceptable, and effective enough. Blimey! No damage be found in betwixt t' successful flights.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is a very good example o' its type; a simple, shiver me timbers, minimum diameter, arrr, high flying, arrr, shiver me timbers, sport rocket. Aye aye!

One o' t' main pros o' this kit is its simplicity, shiver me timbers, and ease o' build. However, matey, ya bilge rat, I would nay recommend it t' somebody who is a complete rocketry novice, with no access t' anybody who's built/flown a rocket before. Blimey! In that case I would recommend gettin' a Ready T' Fly starter set; you get the pad/controller, arrr, me hearties, and a ready built rocket t' learn how t' fly with. If you've got access t' somebody who knows what they are doing, shiver me timbers, or have got few starter set flights under your belt then this be t' kit for you! It would be an ideal kit for classroom/scout group situation.

There aren’t any real cons with t' kit, t' design is so simple, shiver me timbers, and tried and tested, that there’s nothin' that can go wrong. Arrr! T' disaster I had was o' me own making, matey, and I’ve learned an important lesson from it: Don’t skimp on t' fin attachment!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Specs:

• Recommended Motors: A8-3, arrr, B6-4, shiver me timbers, me bucko, matey, C6-5
• Length: 10.6-inches
• Diameter: 0.736-inches
• Weight: 0.35-ounces
• Recovery: Streamer