Well, I've been drawn t' a number o' Thrustline kits, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so add t' A-SLAM t' me growin' list. Avast, me proud beauty! Why did I select this rocket? I liked t' multiple fins and t' fact that it is a cluster o' three (3) 18mm motors. Avast! Blimey! Nay t' many cluster kits out there, arrr, shiver me timbers, so I was 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, t' me, shiver me timbers, is that it is a 2.27" diameter kit. Ahoy! I do nay believe I have ever built a 2.27" kit.

T' rocket includes a 17" long, me bucko, 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. T' kits includes plenty o' 1/8" balsa for t' fins, two (2) laser-cut plywood centerin' rings, arrr, shiver me timbers, and three (3) 18mm motor tubes with thrust rings. Blimey! Begad! T' recovery system made up o' a Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, arrr, elastic shock cord and an 18" mylar parachute. Ya scallywag! T' finish things up thar be a 1/8" Launch Lug, a bag o' BB's for nose weight, and some water slide decals (which shipped later). Avast!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on five pages (single-sided) o' 8½ x 11" paper. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! 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). Ahoy! Lastly, thar are Mylar parachute assembly instructions on another single page. Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Then t' three (3) 18mm motor tubes are glued together. Blimey! Blimey! I should mention that I added a threaded stud for motor retention. I glued this in place betwixt t' three (3) motor tubes.

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

You are then instructed t' drill a small hole through t' upper centerin' rin' and thread t' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether through it. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. My tube markin' guide did nay fit, me bucko, however, ya bilge rat, after an e-mail t' Thrustline I'm confident that future kits will nay have this problem. Avast, me proud beauty! I used an Estes Tube Markin' Guide t' mark me tube.

Next, 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). Avast! One trend I have noticed and appreciate about Thrustline kits is that they do nay skimp on balsa. I probably could have made 6-8 fins out o' all t' stock! Bravo!

T' fins are sanded, me bucko, airfoiled, matey, and glued in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! 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! I'm always afraid that t' line, me bucko, strong line would be more likely t' cause a zipper than a flat elastic shock cord. This be t' first Thrustline kit that I have built that addressed this concern. Blimey! They did so in a unique way as well. Ya scallywag! 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. Great job. Well, blow me down! T' this, t' 35" o' 1/4" elastic shock cord is tied.

Next, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' balsa nose cone gets our attention. Begad! Several holes are drilled into t' nose cone, arrr, 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. Avast! Avast! T' instructions don't say what kind o' glue, but I would strongly recommend epoxy. After this, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' eye-screw is screwed/glued into t' center o' t' nose cone.

Me, matey, ya bilge rat, I like t' handle this a bit different. Well, blow me down! 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 be still wet, matey, I set t' eye-screw in place. Avast! I think this is stronger than screwin' t' eye-screw into t' balsa. Ya scallywag! May be a six t' one, half-dozen t' another though.

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

Thrustline does give finishin' guidance. Aye aye! Aye aye! They suggest sealing, sandin' and usin' a tack cloth. Well, blow me down! T' usin' a sandable primer, arrr, sandin' in-between.

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

Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Fit o' parts was good. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Quality o' parts was good. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Instructions are good. Blimey! Blimey! My only complaint is that thar was no motor retention system.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Thrustline recommends (3) A8-3, shiver me timbers, me bucko, B4-4 and C6-5 motors.

Thrustline indicates t' rocket should weigh 4.5 ounces. Arrr! My rocket weighed in at 5.6 ounces with an empty CG at 11" from t' nose cone. Blimey! I'm thinkin' some o' that delta is in t' nose weight, which accordin' t' t' beta-test (see review below) needed adjusted. As well, me bucko, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I loaded t' motors and then screwed a nut onto me threaded stud. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! I then loaded in 6-7 sheets o' wadding, shiver me timbers, and put in t' parachute. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! It was now ready t' fly. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey!

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

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

Third flight was on (3) B4-4's. Ahoy! Arrr! 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. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Most likely motor related since I did nay see that on t' B6's. Begad! It be nay straight up either, which was probably due t' wind or rod whip. Blimey!

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, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Keelhaul®©™ to elastic shock cord system is excellent.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, 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), ya bilge rat, then you will see a good number o' flights on this rocket. Blimey! T' cluster makes it fun, shiver me timbers, too. Avast! Begad!

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