Brief:

A lightweight, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design.

Construction:

T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. Ahoy! Blimey! As such, matey, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, and this one be indeed damaged in shipment, matey, matey, though I couldn't tell until t' package was open. T' kit featured a length o' 18mm tubing, ya bilge rat, a very unusual plastic nose cone, a very good mylar parachute, a laughably short shock cord, matey, shiver me timbers, and a bit o' grainy, me bucko, flimsy balsa. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Motor retention is simply friction fit, matey, with a paper motor block inside t' body tube. Begad! Blimey! Hardly earth-shatterin' stuff here, but different enough t' be interesting.

T' kit comes with two sets o' instructions, one for assembly, me bucko, and one set for flight. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, nothin' is mentioned on t' package that tells you t' rocket will nay fly without a cackle fruit or other similar weight payload. Blimey! Regardless, shiver me timbers, t' instructions are logical, and only feature a couple o' typographical errors. T' fins, while grainy and a bit flimsy, arrr, popped out o' t' die-cut sheet very easily, shiver me timbers, and featured good, me hearties, ya bilge rat, straight lines. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! And t' quality o' t' mylar parachute blew me away - far above what I expected. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Like all o' t' other Custom rockets I've built, me bucko, this one featured a loose nose cone. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! This one is a unique type o' plastic that is really thin, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, flexible, and lightweight, me hearties, but surprisingly durable. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' shock cord and parachute attachment points are horribly small and look weak, me bucko, yet so far they've held up. Avast! Well, blow me down! I used small snap swivels t' attach t' 'chute and shock cord, arrr, matey, which I highly suggest doin' on any kit you build. Begad! Ahoy! Things don't seem t' get tangled as often. Begad! As I mentioned earlier, t' body tube was crushed in t' center, so I upgraded with some 18mm tubin' I had left over from ASP. Ahoy! Begad! T' ASP tubin' was much sturdier, matey, had less o' a spiral, and took up t' slack in t' nose cone department, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and thus, me bucko, t' nose cone fit perfectly. Arrr! I'll use t' Custom tubin' as a basis for another project. Begad! Like I always do with Estes and Custom kits, I threw t' supplied shock cord in t' parts bin and used some elastic thread, in triple t' rocket's length. T' shock cord attaches with t' old tried-and-true paper fold method, ya bilge rat, and works well in this case. Blimey! Ahoy! But a word o' caution - make sure it doesn't stick out too far! Nay much room in thar for a parachute.

Finishing:
Unlike me normal practice o' coatin' t' whole rocket in epoxy, I just painted this one as-is. Begad! T' much higher quality ASP tube be already white, and only needed two light coats o' enamel t' cover. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I painted t' fins contrastin' colors, me hearties, in an attempt t' make it more interesting. Avast, me proud beauty! As a result, it bears a passin' resemblance t' t' old Estes Camroc, ya bilge rat, which was intentional. Arrr! T' lone decal went on without a hitch. Ahoy! Blimey! Overall, me hearties, me finishin' technique resulted in a lightweight, yet strong rocket that looks great. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Unfortunately, t' little rin' that holds t' two halves o' nose cone together swelled up when I painted it, and it won't fit anymore. So I just use a piece o' electrical tape cut into a 3mm strip. Avast! Begad! No problem.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
If launchin' an egg, ya bilge rat, don't try an "A" motor at all. Begad! In fact, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, skip right on up t' a "C" right off t' bat. Aye aye! T' rocket isn't particularly heavy, even with a cackle fruit aboard, and flights will be great. T' small fins impart a slight wobble with wind, arrr, but nay enough t' worry about. Blimey! Just make sure t' motor is friction fit well; otherwise, it'll kick out t' motor and come in ballistic. Blimey! Hasn't happened t' me on this rocket, but it has happened before on another rocket. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Care must be taken in packin' t' parachute. It won't pack as tight as a plastic 'chute, matey, ya bilge rat, and will hang inside t' body tube. Avast! This rocket's so light that no damage will occur if you get a "streamer" or a "hung" parachute, but it is messy!

Recovery:
T' original shock cord is a pitiful joke. Ahoy! Throw it away or into a parts bin, but do nay use it. Begad! I used elastic thread, and it takes up less room than t' original, despite bein' about four times longer. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Care in packin' t' 'chute be t' key t' success: fold it small, ya bilge rat, don't ball it up. Avast! Aye aye! Roll it only once, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and use a good bit o' cellulose insulation for wadding. Avast! It'll recover well, ya bilge rat, won't get damaged, and will drift a good distance in any sort o' wind.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Custom came up with a great little egg lofter for a good price. Well, blow me down! Blimey! There are some things I'd change, like t' pathetic shock cord and t' wobbly nose cone, me hearties, arrr, but I could overlook t' coarse fins, since I fill and sand mine anyway. I would recommend this rocket for a first time egg lofter, but don't expect it t' be an easy build for a beginner. Begad! Blimey! Still, matey, it's t' best Custom kit I've built.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5