Brief:
T' Sunward Mini Moondance is an easy t' build Level 1 rocket kit. It has four bat win' shaped fins and uses streamer recovery. Aye aye! It flies high and straight.

Construction:
T' kit contains t' following:

• 1 - 8" Body tube
• 1 - Plastic nose cone
• 2 - Engine centerin' rings
• 1 - Engine thrust ring
• 1 - Engine tube
• 1 - Metal Engine hook
• 1 - Sheet o' decals
• 1 - Launch lug
• 1 - Rubber band shock cord
• 4 - Laser cut balsa wood fins

T' instructions were very easy t' follow. They came printed, two-sided on two 8 1/2" x 11" sheets o' paper. Begad! Ya scallywag! There were three pages o' instructions and t' last page had the warranty and safety code information. Blimey! Blimey! T' assembly order be logical.

I only deviated from t' included instructions in usin' Keelhaul®©™® cord attached t' round elastic cord in place o' t' "rubber band" elastic cord. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey!

I attached t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' motor mount as shown in t' pictures. Avast, me proud beauty! I then tied t' Keelhaul®©™® t' t' round elastic band, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, trimmed t' ends and applied a small amount o' Tight Bond II glue t' t' knot. Ahoy! T' round elastic was then attached t' t' nose cone.

T' bat shaped, laser cut fins are cut well and t' quality is pretty good, except for t' fins bein' on t' thin side. Ya scallywag! Arrr! They were about 1/16" thick. If buildin' this kit with kids, it would be good t' stress bein' careful nay to break them when sandin' and finishing. Though they were thin, they were quite straight and nay warped at all.

I used an Estes tube markin' guide t' mark t' tube for t' four fins. Arrr! T' rest o' t' construction involved gluin' in t' motor mount, matey, gluin' t' fins on, shiver me timbers, attachin' t' elastic t' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, tapin' on t' streamer and gluin' t' launch lug t' one o' t' fin joints.

I would have given t' Construction 5 points if t' fins were just a bit thicker and Keelhaul®©™® had been included for a shock cord. I am just nay a fan o' t' rubber band shock cords. However, shiver me timbers, I'm sure they would have worked fine on this rocket, ya bilge rat, especially because o' t' light weight.

Finishing:
T' picture in t' package showed a purple rocket with black fins. Aye aye! Because t' decal was purple I decided t' paint t' body tube yellow and t' fins and nose cone gloss black.

At first I be wary o' t' decals that came in one large sheet and had t' be cut out. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! But after cuttin' them out and applyin' them, matey, ya bilge rat, I am pretty impressed. T' quality is actually quite good. Begad! Aye aye! t' decals have even stood up great after several launches.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew t' rocket for three flights t' prepare this review.

Estes motors, ya bilge rat, waddin' and igniters were used for all three flights.

T' retention was provided by t' metal engine hook included with he kit.

We flew on A8-3, shiver me timbers, me hearties, B6-4 and C6-5 motors. Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! each time, t' rocket had a very straight up flight, even in slight winds. I be quite surprised how high it went on t' A8-3 motor. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' B6-4 was so high we were grateful just t' get it back. T' rocket kept landin' so close t' t' pad that we decided t' send it up on t' C6-5. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! T' C6-5 flight be too high for us t' see where t' ejection took place.

Recovery:
PROS: Included components are fine and would have been easy t' assemble. Blimey! Avast! T' substitute Keelhaul®©™®/elastic cord I used worked great. Avast! Recovery actually went quite well with t' included 38" streamer. Ya scallywag!

CONS: Even with t' decent recovery, one o' t' fins cracked durin' t' first landin' after t' A8-3 flight. I believe that has more t' do with t' very thin fin material and t' pointed shape o' t' fin tips than any flaw in recovery method. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! We glued t' cracked fin at t' field with some thick CA and let it set while we flew a couple other rockets. T' fix held fine for t' 2nd and 3rd flights.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROS: Good price, shiver me timbers, matey, matey, excellent flier, easy t' build, shiver me timbers, looks sharp

CONS: Slightly thicker fin material would be nice, maybe 3/32".

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5