Brief:
A six-finned, ya bilge rat, me bucko, mid-body rocket with a 28" diameter parachute.

Construction:
T' packagin' be in a bag (standard), all o' t' parts were included, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, no broken or missin' pieces. Aye aye! T' kit included body tubes made from heavy cardboard, a plastic nose cone, and six high quality plywood fins. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' body tube be pre marked and easy t' slot with a sharp hobby cutlass. Avast, me proud beauty! It was very easy to assemble with 2 ton epoxy.

T' only complaint be that t' fins were nay long enough t' reach the engine tube from t' body tube. Avast! I thought (for an instant) about alterin' the fins t' allow them t' reach t' engine tube but, I didn't. T' epoxy was strong enough t' hold all six fins. Avast, me proud beauty! T' six fins were t' main reason that I chose the Peacock. Avast! Arrr!

T' recovery system has a steel cable that is attached t' t' plywood centerin' rin' and goes up t' near t' top o' t' lower section o' t' body tube. Blimey! Then, arrr, me hearties, a 9 foot shock cord is tied t' t' end o' t' cable. If I were to do it again, I would have done somethin' t' secure t' loose end o' t' cable (near t' loop at t' end) because it sometimes catches t' nylon parachute. In my opinion, shiver me timbers, a great kit!!

Finishing:
I did wash and sand t' plastic nose cone prior t' sprayin' t' primer. Avast, me proud beauty! I also brushed on some sandin' sealer (a few times) and rounded t' leadin' edge of the fins. Arrr! Avast! When done, I ended up with nice, smooth fins. Well, blow me down! There were no decals included, so I looked t' t' Internet for a picture o' a peacock that seemed appropriate. It took just a few minutes until I found t' perfect decal image on t' Internet. Begad! Then, arrr, with some decal paper, I adjusted t' color o' t' image and printed it. Two cans o' sun yellow paint and then I applied decals (should have made them a little smaller) and t' "Screamin' Peacock" was complete

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Motors recommended are F25-6, me hearties, me hearties, F50-6, me bucko, matey, F80-5, G25-5, G40-7, me bucko, shiver me timbers, G80-7, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, H55-10, H120-10. I flew it once (so far) usin' a North Coast Dark Star F62-4. Aye aye! I tried to get a picture with t' digital camera but, I took off too fast. Well, blow me down! I mean it really lifted off t' pad. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I wish it had a piston ejection system, barring that, shiver me timbers, I sewed some Nomex® cloth together and tied it t' t' shock cord. Ahoy! I should have tied it a little better though, lost t' Nomex® on t' first flight. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! It protected t' parachute just fine though. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' flight be flawless, me hearties, straight (probably due t' t' six fin design). Aye aye! Blimey! I cant wait t' put a H128 motor in this thin' for me level 1 certification.

April 2000:, I flew it with an F-40 at a club launch. Aye aye! T' Peacock has a slow descent rate so, arrr, I shortened t' parachute cords somewhat with some tape and let her fly. Avast! T' flight seemed perfect, me hearties, arrr, I received complements from some o' t' other flyers after I retrieved it. Blimey! But, as I mentioned before, t' TTW fins didn't quite reach t' motor tube. Aye aye! That fact, coupled with t' somewhat faster descent, shiver me timbers, matey, cracked t' epoxy joint on one of t' fins. So, I figured it was time t' kill two birds at once. Begad! Begad! I used a dremel t' cut t' aft centerin' rin' off t' reveal the underlyin' fins. Blimey! Well, blow me down! As you can see in t' picture, thar be close t' 1/8" gap betwixt t' root edge and t' motor tube. Aye aye! I bought some system three epoxy and filled t' gaps, shiver me timbers, and filleted t' internal joints between t' airframe and t' fins. Now, t' connections are strong. Then, before I glued a new centerin' rin' back in, shiver me timbers, I added two 4-40 blind tee nuts. I don't know if t' short fins were an oversight by Rocket R&D or nay but, arrr, if anyone else runs into t' same problem, definitely fix it before installin' t' aft centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! (Rocket Dog is in t' launch picture and I assure everyone that t' dog loves launches and has never been harmed).

Recovery:
T' 28" parachute worked perfectly, and brought it down easy for a safe recovery (in t' middle o' some high grass) .

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket is easily me favorite one. T' excellent construction materials along with t' ease o' assembly makes this kit stand above any other ones that I have constructed. If this kit is characteristic o' other Rocket R&D kits, I would recommend any o' them t' rocketeers interested in a quality product. Avast!

This kit would have merited 5 out o' 5 overall if t' fins reached the engine tube and if t' frayed end o' t' cable had been secured so that it did not snag on t' parachute.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5