Brief:
This rocket is an "upscale" o' t' Estes Mean Machine, takin' t' long skinny BT-60 bird concept a bit over t' top. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It can be flown in any o' four length configurations with t' longest toppin' out at a testosterone-heavy 10-1/2 feet tall. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! For more altitude, shiver me timbers, t' short version is about 34" and you can add add/remove sections t' fly in betwixt these extremes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Very serious WOW factor on t' pads with this bird, me bucko, and very easy t' build.

Construction:
When t' 40" cardboard box arrived in t' mail, I started t' figure that this kit be goin' t' be a bit unusual compared t' me standard modroc fleet. Openin' t' package, me bucko, I found all parts were accounted for and o' top quality. Avast! Blimey! T' kit consists o' four BT-60 tubes (white, matey, with very light spirals), me bucko, matey, each about 30" long, me bucko, a nice balsa nose cone and laser-cut fin sheet, shiver me timbers, me bucko, balsa bulkhead (all o' which look like BMS products), shiver me timbers, 24mm motor mount, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, laser cut centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, plenty o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, tube couplers, matey, and two heavy-duty 15" mylar chutes.

This kit was a very quick and simple build, me hearties, takin' only about 4 hours on a Saturday mornin' (excludin' grain filling/paint/finishing). Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' instructions were clear and easy t' follow. Begad! T' most challengin' part o' t' construction is probably t' three-piece fin assembly which has t' be glued together and then pressed flat t' dry absolutely straight. Aye aye! I decided since t' construction looked like it was goin' t' be much simpler than I thought that I'd put extra care into sealin' t' balsa fins and fillin' t' grain. So I applied a couple o' coats o' Elmers Fill N Finish and sanded them down t' a glass-like finish with small airfoils t' improve flight performance.

One modification I'd consider for this in construction, though, would be t' skip t' engine block, and replace t' 3" motor mount tube with somethin' long enough t' accommodate Estes E9s or Aerotech single-use motors. Begad! Blimey! T' engine block prevents E9s from fittin' and can interfere with t' caps if usin' 24mm reloads.

In me opinion, shiver me timbers, t' very clever approach t' t' design and construction o' this rocket is a big plus. Begad! Anyone who has built a standard Mean Machine has inevitably run into t' post-construction problem o' "NOW what do I do with this?" unless you've got a large vehicle and plenty o' room in your basement/storage area. T' Tall Boy, though, me hearties, is extremely portable and can be toted around in four sections no longer than 34" each. Ya scallywag! Begad! More on this in t' flight report.

Finishing:
Due t' t' length o' this rocket, me bucko, be prepared t' drop at least half a can o' paint into this project (more likely a full can unless you do a thorough priming). As mentioned, fillin' in t' tube spirals was fairly easily accomplished with a coat o' Plasti-Cote primer sanded down t' t' spirals then a base coat o' regular Krylon primer. I followed up with a blue metallic Rustoleum that is an absolutely beautiful finish for this rocket. Aye aye! Begad! Fins and nose cone were trimmed with a gold metallic finish and this is a great-lookin' color scheme. Well, blow me down! I'd love t' have seen some decals with this, arrr, maybe for each tube t' highlight t' length, shiver me timbers, but can't complain about t' overall value for this kit.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
On flight day, me bucko, I decided t' start small, matey, and eventually build t' all four configurations o' this. Well, blow me down! T' last page o' t' instructions clearly describes how t' prep t' rocket for each configuration and which motors t' use. Aye aye! Ahoy! It is very important t' read this closely as I found t' delays t' be perfect, me hearties, and, had I guessed on me own or tried t' same motors for each version, matey, I would have definitely had deployment problems.

To configure t' short version, I attached t' nose cone t' t' shock cord (swivel) on t' main body tube, me hearties, packed in a 15" over-the-top mylar chute, me hearties, me bucko, and loaded a D12-5. Avast! Blimey! Winds for t' day were a steady 10mph, me hearties, gustin' t' an occasional 12-15. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' first flight weathercocked slightly, me hearties, shiver me timbers, but arced over and deployed right at t' top, matey, very close t' t' predicted 775 feet. Aye aye! Blimey! After a bit o' a hike, I recovered without damage and prepped for flight #2.

T' medium length version is prepped by friction-fittin' t' nose cone into t' body tube with a balsa bulkhead, which also has a 15" chute attached t' it. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This then becomes a normal 2-piece rocket, and flies on a D12-5. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight was perfectly straight, me hearties, deployment just a tad late, though a three-second delay would have been too early and fast. Ya scallywag! After another hike, I found both pieces and be ready for flight #3.

To configure t' three-tube version, ya bilge rat, which is now breakin' past Mean Machine at about 8 feet, t' nose cone is moved from tube #2 t' one o' t' other two tubes, ya bilge rat, which have standard tube couplers. Begad! This tube is then joined t' t' tube with a balsa bulkhead t' form an upper body that's over five feet long. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! At this point, t' recommended delay drops down t' three seconds, arrr, matey, and, sure enough, t' three-second delay resulted in perfect deployment. Aye aye! At an estimated 300 foot apogee, t' hikes were gettin' considerably shorter.

T' four-tube version is accomplished by insertin' t' last tube betwixt tube #2 and t' tube with t' nose cone resultin' in an eye-poppin' 122+ inch length. Blimey! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I felt silly loadin' a D12-3 in it, me bucko, arrr, but I wanted t' stick with Ds for consistency. Blimey! Blimey! In t' heavy winds, me bucko, t' rocket be pointed straight up, but was driftin' sideways pretty significantly, and be hard-pressed t' reach 200 feet (estimated apogee=225'). T' rocket never managed t' arc over, but t' chutes deployed when it had stopped goin' up. Begad! Blimey! I don't think Ds pack enough "oomph" t' turn this monster over. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Recovery was fine, and I can't wait t' fly this on Es or maybe an Econojet F20-4.

By t' way, shiver me timbers, t' guy in t' picture (top) for flight #4 (me) is 6' 1" tall and looks like a midget next t' this rocket.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is an excellent kit, matey, and t' versatility is amazing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! With configurations from 34" t' over 10 feet tall, shiver me timbers, you can fly this on just about any field in any conditions.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5