Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Begad! Blimey! Plans for other BiC® rockets are available here on EMRR (BiC® ARCAS and the Double Tree Pen Roc) and you can download t' plan's for this one from Art Applewhite's site. What you get here is a kit, with all t' parts included.

Construction:
T' followin' parts are provided in t' kit: One BiC® pen, card stock with the fin unit printed on it, ya bilge rat, a safety pin, and a shock tether assembly. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! The latter is pretty neat. Aye aye! Begad! It appears t' be a teeny-weeny braided steel cord with a plastic covering. Aye aye! Arrr! One end has a small loop closed with a crimp bushing. Ya scallywag! Avast! A second loose bushin' is provided t' form a loop at t' nose cone. Aye aye! T' assemble the kit you need a sharp knife, regular and Gel CA (I substituted Liquid Nails for t' latter), a pair o' pliers, and wire cutters.

Assembly is really easy. Ya scallywag! Arrr! You disassemble t' BiC® pen, shiver me timbers, leavin' only the empty tube. Begad! You remove t' ink tube and shave t' shoulder o' t' tip (i.e the nose cone) so it fits easily into t' tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! One batten down t' hatches: t' pen is full o' ink and is thus potentially very messy. Arrr! Over a couple o' paper towels, I removed the ink tube and set it upright t' drain. Arrr! I also cleaned t' ink from t' tip and inserted a small piece o' paper towel, wadded into a ball. Begad! This will keep any remnant ink from leakin' out. Blimey! T' tether is attached by makin' a small hole in t' shoulder o' t' nose cone, insertin' t' open end o' t' tether, and crimpin' on t' bushin' with a pair o' pliers. Well, blow me down! T' safety pin is used t' punch a hole through t' aft o' t' tube. Avast! You then pull t' pin halfway out and feed the loop on t' end o' t' tether over t' tip. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' pin is then reinserted, snipped off, and presto, arrr, you get a both a shock cord attachment and a motor block. Begad!

Next, you cutout and fold t' one-piece fin unit, arrr, slide it onto t' tube, and soak it in CA, me hearties, ya bilge rat, which both holds it on and strengthens it. Blimey! Finally, arrr, you snip two small pieces from t' ink tube and use them for launch lugs. Make sure you save t' rest for other Micro Maxx projects.

Finishing:
No finishin' is required.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
No streamer material is provided nor is it needed. Well, blow me down! Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, ya bilge rat, but it is also stiff, matey, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Ya scallywag! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Avast! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Arrr! On t' second launch, me hearties, however, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and was lost...temporarily. Begad! After a good wind that night, I wandered over t' look for it. T' me joy and amazement, me hearties, thar it was! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, arrr, me hearties, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. Bummer.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' resultin' rocket looks nice and is a great flier. Ahoy! T' 'fin unit' is nice and t' shock cord is cool. Blimey! It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! However, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5