Well, I've been drawn t' a number o' Thrustline kits, so add t' A-SLAM t' me growin' list. Why did I select this rocket? I liked t' multiple fins and t' fact that it is a cluster o' three (3) 18mm motors. Blimey! Nay t' many cluster kits out there, so I be glad t' get this one with their Smoke and Fire kit (three 24mm cluster; t' be reviewed soon).

Another thin' that makes t' A-SLAM interesting, ya bilge rat, t' me, is that it is a 2.27" diameter kit. Avast! Ahoy! I do nay believe I have ever built a 2.27" kit.

T' rocket includes a 17" long, matey, 2.27" diameter, white paper body tube for t' main body and a 4.5" balsa nose cone t' make up t' 21.5" length. Ya scallywag! T' kits includes plenty o' 1/8" balsa for t' fins, ya bilge rat, two (2) laser-cut plywood centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and three (3) 18mm motor tubes with thrust rings. T' recovery system made up o' a Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, shiver me timbers, elastic shock cord and an 18" mylar parachute. Arrr! T' finish things up thar be a 1/8" Launch Lug, arrr, a bag o' BB's for nose weight, arrr, ya bilge rat, and some water slide decals (which shipped later). Avast, me proud beauty!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on five pages (single-sided) o' 8½ x 11" paper. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! There are black&white photos throughout t' assist in t' assembly o' t' kit. Aye aye! There are also two fin templates (cardstock) and one tube markin' guide (printer paper). Aye aye! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Lastly, thar are Mylar parachute assembly instructions on another single page. Begad! T' kit would probably be considered a skill level 3 kit.

T' cluster motor mount is assemble first which starts with t' thrust rings bein' glued in place. Ahoy! Begad! Then t' three (3) 18mm motor tubes are glued together. Ahoy! I should mention that I added a threaded stud for motor retention. Begad! I glued this in place betwixt t' three (3) motor tubes.

Next, me bucko, matey, t' 3/32" laser-cut plywood centerin' rings are glued onto t' motor tubes. Interestingly, me hearties, t' center "triangle" o' t' centerin' rin' needed t' be taken out. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is nay interestin' that it couldn't stay in there, it is interestin' that it be thar t' begin with. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' rings require just a touch o' sandin' t' fit nicely. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

You are then instructed t' drill a small hole through t' upper centerin' rin' and thread t' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether through it. Ya scallywag! It is then tied around all three motor tubes. Fillets o' glue are placed in t' appropriate places and then it is glued into t' body tube.

Next, t' body tube is marked usin' t' fin markin' guide. Ya scallywag! My tube markin' guide did nay fit, however, after an e-mail t' Thrustline I'm confident that future kits will nay have this problem. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used an Estes Tube Markin' Guide t' mark me tube.

Next, me bucko, t' fins are cut out o' t' 1/8" balsa stock (4 o' each type, which is considered t' be obvious since t' instructions don't tell you how many t' cut out). Ya scallywag! Begad! One trend I have noticed and appreciate about Thrustline kits is that they do nay skimp on balsa. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I probably could have made 6-8 fins out o' all t' stock! Bravo!

T' fins are sanded, shiver me timbers, matey, airfoiled, me hearties, and glued in place. Ahoy! Alignment o' t' upper with lower fins is important for looks and flight stability, so take your time on these.

I have never liked t' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether t' hang out over t' upper edge o' t' body tube at ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! I'm always afraid that t' line, strong line would be more likely t' cause a zipper than a flat elastic shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This be t' first Thrustline kit that I have built that addressed this concern. They did so in a unique way as well. Begad! Even though t' Keelhaul®©™ line is very long, t' instructions have you tie off a loop so that is stops just inside t' body tube. Arrr! Great job. Ahoy! T' this, t' 35" o' 1/4" elastic shock cord is tied.

Next, t' balsa nose cone gets our attention. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Several holes are drilled into t' nose cone, while leavin' t' center untouched for t' installation o' t' eye-screw. T' provided BBs are put in t' holes and they are filled with glue. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' instructions don't say what kind o' glue, but I would strongly recommend epoxy. After this, ya bilge rat, t' eye-screw is screwed/glued into t' center o' t' nose cone.

Me, shiver me timbers, arrr, I like t' handle this a bit different. Blimey! Begad! I went ahead and drilled a center hole, filled it half way with BB's and then filled it t' t' top with epoxy. While t' epoxy was still wet, I set t' eye-screw in place. Avast! Begad! I think this is stronger than screwin' t' eye-screw into t' balsa. Avast! May be a six t' one, half-dozen t' another though.

T' nose cone tricked me. After I was ready, matey, I test fit it into t' body tube and it be too tight. I sanded it until it fit nicely. Blimey! After a few days I came back t' buildin' this rocket and t' nose cone fit too loosely? Huh? I'm thinkin' thar was some humidity swell that had occurred when I fit test fit it. Regardless, shiver me timbers, it now has 1 wrap o' tape t' have it fit well.

Thrustline does give finishin' guidance. They suggest sealing, sandin' and usin' a tack cloth. T' usin' a sandable primer, ya bilge rat, sandin' in-between.

I soaked me fins with CA, then used by typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer. Ahoy! I finished it usin' Walmart $0.97 Red paint for t' body and White paint for t' fins. Avast! Thrustline had sent decals after t' kit arrived, so I believe future kits will have water-slide decals. Ahoy! I did nay use them.

Overall, arrr, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Blimey! Fit o' parts was good. Arrr! Avast! Quality o' parts be good. Instructions are good. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! My only complaint is that thar be no motor retention system.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Thrustline recommends (3) A8-3, B4-4 and C6-5 motors.

Thrustline indicates t' rocket should weigh 4.5 ounces. My rocket weighed in at 5.6 ounces with an empty CG at 11" from t' nose cone. Begad! Avast! I'm thinkin' some o' that delta is in t' nose weight, which accordin' t' t' beta-test (see review below) needed adjusted. Ya scallywag! Begad! As well, I added t' threaded stud and I have many coats o' primer t' try t' get a smooth finish.

I decided t' fly it for t' first time on a three (3) A8-3's. Begad! I loaded t' motors and then screwed a nut onto me threaded stud. I then loaded in 6-7 sheets o' wadding, and put in t' parachute. Ya scallywag! It was now ready t' fly. Begad!

I used a D.B.M. Avast, me proud beauty! Rocketry 3-Motor Cluster cable and set it up on t' pad. Arrr! T' flight was a great first flight. It didn't go very high, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me guess is about 75 feet (I have nay simmed this one). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! T' rocket descended faster than I suspected. I had initially thought t' 18" parachute was too big for this rocket. Blimey! I was prepared t' reef it or cut a spill hole. Avast! Blimey! No need.

T' second flight was usin' three (3) B6-4's. Avast! Ahoy! Wow! I was super fast off t' pad. Aye aye! Aye aye! It surprised me. Well, blow me down! It was still goin' up upon ejection, arrr, but was close enough. Ahoy! Pop, expand and descend. Recovered.

Third flight was on (3) B4-4's. Avast, me proud beauty! Tryin' t' slow it down a bit for a picture. This time it came off t' pad and had a slight tail swirl on t' way up. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Most likely motor related since I did nay see that on t' B6's. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It was nay straight up either, which was probably due t' wind or rod whip.

T' rocket's diameter required 6-7 sheets o' waddin' and I also stuff 1/3rd o' a piece into t' top o' each motor (above t' cap). Avast, me proud beauty! Doin' this protected t' parachute and thar be no sign o' burning/melting.

T' bright metallic parachute has great visibility and adds t' t' kit. Ya scallywag! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Keelhaul®©™ to elastic shock cord system is excellent.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, ya bilge rat, I would rate this rocket 5 points. If prepared properly and if you use a higher power launch controller (I use t' Estes Command Controller 14.4V), arrr, then you will see a good number o' flights on this rocket. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! T' cluster makes it fun, shiver me timbers, too. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Begad! It is nay easy t' find clusters in model rockets, but Thrustline's A-SLAM is one that I would recommend. On A8-3's, it would make a good demo rocket. Arrr! On B6's or B4's it is a good "football" field flier. Begad! Ya scallywag! I'm lookin' forward t' flyin' it on some C's and boy, me bucko, oh, boy if I could get three Aerotech D21's!