Brief
T' Bullet is a single stage, ya bilge rat, parachute recovered, scale-look sport bird.

Construction
My Bullet came in t' now-familiar sturdy plastic bag with a 4-color stuffer card. All parts were in good shape but I think t' motor hook is kind o' flimsy. T' balsa should be o' a harder grade considerin' t' performance this bird is capable of. Mine got painted with thin CA before sandin' and sealing, which in turn be done before they were installed on t' rocket. Aye aye! Blimey! Custom is now usin' a nice tough grade o' fabric elastic in their kits, but t' piece in me kit be too short!! It was replaced with 3' o' sewin' elastic and set aside for a smaller bird. Begad! T' mylar chute, body tubes, and thick plastic all look very tough.

Instructions are very basic and well laid-out, they even advise t' builder t' take time on t' motor mount assembly! T' template be accurate and be used t' layout lines on t' bottom o' t' t' main body tube for t' strap-ons. Avast, me proud beauty! I deviated from t' instructions in that I left t' lower tube off t' rocket 'til after painting. Aye aye! Aye aye! An article in Sport Rocketry described buildin' it this way, and with t' kit on me bench it made sense. Begad! I glued t' strap-ons in place before painting. Avast! Blimey! T' nose cone is hollow and has a molded in lug for a screw eye.

Overall, no major surprises in buildin' this kit, ya bilge rat, if it weren't for t' flimsy parts and short shock cord, ya bilge rat, I'd give this a 5 for construction.

Finishing
T' upper tube w/ strap-ons was sprayed white and set aside t' cure while t' lower (fin) tube was prepared. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! 4 thin lines were masked off ahead o' t' fins for t' strap-ons, arrr, then it be shot with bright red and set aside. T' upper tube be masked and shot silver per t' instructions.

After everythin' cured, t' waterslide decals were placed with no problems, Custom's decals are improved over their first kits! T' lower fin unit be installed on t' rest o' t' rocket, then t' whole thin' be given a coat o' clear. Avast! A 1/8" black pinstripe was placed at t' junction o' t' white and silver t' cover where I botched t' maskin' tape removal.

Overall, t' finishin' be somewhat tricky, me hearties, me bucko, but nay too bad. This bird looks really tough!

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5

Flight
This bird is completely standard in preppin' methods. Begad! I stuck 5 squares o' waddin' in t' tube, matey, prepped t' chute and installed t' motor. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' motor hook didn't look like it had t' beans t' survive a D ejection, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, so I wrapped t' motor with maskin' tape t' help it out!

Given t' comparatively light weight o' this rocket, me bucko, I didn't feel comfortable with t' recommended D12-3 for t' first flight, so it got a D12-5. Ahoy! Begad! Liftoff wasn't as quick as I expected, matey, but this bird gets upstairs FAST and straight as an arrow. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Very excitin' flight! Ejection was just about apogee, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' chute deployed a bit slowly but worked fine.

A bunch o' school kids with parents in tow came over t' observe, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so I installed an adapter and flew it with an Aerotech D24-7 reload. It LEAPED off t' pad and zipped t' about 800-900 feet. Arrr! Ejection was slightly after apogee and again deployment was slow with good recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! This flight generated some applause and set off a Q and A session, shiver me timbers, so it didn't get flown again.

Recovery
This kit uses a standard tri-fold paper mount, ya bilge rat, which works fine as long as it is soaked well with glue t' make it conform t' t' inside o' t' body tube. Arrr! T' chute was installed about 6" down from t' nose cone with a snap swivel t' prevent t' shock cord from twistin' too much, and t' help avoid tangles. T' Mylar chute is supposed t' attach with some not-too-sticky lookin' tape rectangles. Blimey! Throw them out and put vinyl tape reinforcement rings (office supply store) in their place. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Punch a hole through t' center o' each, ya bilge rat, then tie on your shroud lines a la Estes. Arrr! Presto, me hearties, no stripped shroud lines! T' chute got a dustin' o' talcum but still deploys a bit slow. Ahoy! However, shiver me timbers, it works perfectly and t' Bullet be recovered in perfect shape after both flights. Begad! No damage or wear t' t' recovery system was seen. In addition t' bein' tough, mylar reflects sunlight makin' it easy t' keep an eye on it as it descends.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary
T' Bullet is a slightly unconventional kit t' build and paint, but offers no unusual challenges t' a builder with some experience. Blimey! Begad! This reviewer feels that it looks awesome, ya bilge rat, matey, and it's a REALLY entertainin' flyer! My only gripes are with t' shock cord (too short), flimsy balsa, and motor hook. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It never failed, ya bilge rat, matey, but I still suggest usin' tape t' bind it t' t' side o' t' motor and tube. Begad! It seems t' be sturdier than most rockets o' its size, and it will be flown with some RMS "E" motors at t' next CMASS launch.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out o' 5