Finishing:
While nay outlandishly difficult, finishin' t' Aquarius required several out o' t' ordinary maskin' steps. Ahoy! Once t' rocket be complete except for t' attachment o' t' tube fins, me bucko, me bucko, t' body tube spirals and balsa grain were eliminated usin' t' standard method o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish and sanding. When t' sandin' was complete, all three pieces o' t' rocket and t' 12 individual discs that would eventually cover t' six tube fins were sprayed with Valspar white primer. Ahoy! T' rocket itself was then sprayed with Valspar gloss white. T' top portion be then masked off 1" above t' BT-60 fin can tube and at t' tips o' t' pod mounts, and t' lower section was sprayed with Valspar silver.

T' next step was t' paint both tube fin sections. Well, blow me down! T' catalog picture shows these painted yellow, me bucko, but I had recently broken t' spray tip off o' me only can o' yellow paint, me hearties, lodgin' t' remains down in t' hole and makin' gettin' it out without a mess a near impossibility. Because o' this I went t' fluorescent route with Red Devil yellow after maskin' off a 1/8" strip on one side o' each tube structure. Aye aye! (To allow t' glue t' grab better.) T' end caps were shown as red on t' package, me bucko, but I wasn't wild about how me red looked next t' t' day-glo yellow, arrr, arrr, so I went with me trusty no-name fluorescent orange. Ahoy! Begad! When I was satisfied with t' coverage, matey, me hearties, includin' t' sides o' t' end caps, shiver me timbers, I glued t' caps into place. Blimey! Avast! When this had all dried I sprayed both sections with clear gloss t' give t' decals a smooth surface t' bond to, removed t' maskin' tape strip, and glued t' tube sections t' t' mountin' finlets.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite its unorthodox look, t' SSA is a decent performer, although t' large aft fin/tube area virtually guarantees some kind o' windcockin' in even t' slightest breeze. Aye aye! This isn't any kind o' a problem as t' rocket never shows an inclination t' get completely sideways and t' windcockin' usually allows for a closer recovery. Avast! It has flown twice thus far, me hearties, once on a B6-4 and once on a C6-5. T' two flights, matey, shiver me timbers, in similar conditions, were almost identical except for a slight difference in altitude, matey, shiver me timbers, which is t' be expected.

T' B6-4 flight was o' decent height and followed a gentle arc t' t' south. Avast, me proud beauty! As expected, it drifted back behind t' flight line on t' same breeze, makin' for a nice, short recovery walk. Avast! Aye aye! After t' flight I noticed that one o' t' large "solar panel" decals had come off. It be later found betwixt t' flight line and t' pad, but I'll have t' print off another set.

T' C6-5 flight was noticeably higher and easily t' more impressive o' t' two. Ya scallywag! This time t' path followed more o' an arc t' t' southeast, shiver me timbers, then drifted further into t' veggies. Aye aye! A longer recovery walk, arrr, but a much cooler flight. Well, matey, blow me down! Unfortunately another o' t' solar panel decals came loose and floated out o' t' park. Ahoy! I didn't make that recovery walk.

Recovery:

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO: Sharp looks. Begad! Cool decals. Well, blow me down! Seldom seen at t' pads.
CON: Outdated recovery system. Arrr! My SSA arrived with a badly crunched body tube, ya bilge rat, but I had plenty o' replacement on hand.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5