Brief:
A very basic 3FNC rocket that doesn't quite perform as advertised. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Supposedly the rocket will feature helicopter recovery at motor ejection, but doesn't.

Construction:
T' basic kit consists o' a short piece o' 18mm body tube, a real balsa nose cone, arrr, arrr, a sheet if pre-cut balsa fins, a launch lug, ya bilge rat, decal, and 3 wooden dowels. T' kit is very similar t' t' Rogue Gnat, ya bilge rat, but larger and with wooden dowels.

T' instructions were about as simple as they could get, and were pretty easy t' follow if I had chosen t' do so. Begad! Begad! This kit is so simple instructions are not required. Blimey! Everythin' fit perfectly, t' balsa be a better grade than I've ever seen from Custom, and t' assembly steps were in a somewhat logical order. Most basic model buildin' tools would suffice; however, you could get by with nothin' more than a piece o' sandpaper and some Elmer's wood glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

There are only a couple o' CON's: T' body tube seems a little thin when compared t' other kits, and t' instructions mentioned nothin' about why the rocket was supposed t' spin on recovery. Blimey! I would have t' deduct points for the fact that this rocket will nay spin, arrr, twist, me hearties, or tumble if it is built per the instructions. Begad! Begad! And since t' instructions never give any indication o' why it is supposed to, it could be confusin' for a beginner. This thin' simply lawn darts. Ya scallywag! T' alleviate t' lawn dartin' tendencies, I sanded each fin into an asymmetrical airfoil, shiver me timbers, matey, in hopes that it would induce spin. Begad! Begad! I figured that the rocket would be travellin' too fast on t' way up for t' airfoil t' induce any spin, shiver me timbers, since t' airfoil would stall, matey, but on t' way down, matey, it should be going slow enough for t' airfoil t' induce a low pressure region that would induce "lift", me bucko, matey, thereby spinnin' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! At least it be good in theory.

Finishing:
Finishin' this rocket in t' suggested paint scheme o' black looked a little drab t' me, so I went back and coated t' upper half and one fin o' t' rocket with Elmer's Squeeze Creations we had layin' around t' house. Aye aye! Basically, ya bilge rat, this stuff is colored glue with glitter in it, shiver me timbers, and goes on like glue. Blimey! So, after coatin' t' upper with red and t' lower with gold, arrr, I now have a highly visible rocket that sparkles in t' sun. Avast, me proud beauty! T' glue also added a little more strength.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Custom recommends a really low powered 18mm motor. Begad! Ahoy! However, ya bilge rat, I prefer t' use a 13mm A motor with an adaptor, arrr, since they are a little cheaper and come in a pack o' 4 instead o' 3, so thar's a little bit o' savings there. OK, ya bilge rat, so I'm cheap. Begad! Avast!

Preparation for flight couldn't be easier: Just pop in a motor, add the ignitor and launch. Motor retention is friction fit, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, with t' nose cone acting as t' motor block. Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor is supposed t' eject, and by some mythical process, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, matey, t' rocket is supposed t' spin comin' down, though Custom never addresses t' issue. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Expect straight, me bucko, rapid flights on a low powered A sized motor. Begad! Blimey! I wouldn't launch it on anythin' larger than a B6-6, arrr, or you'll never see it again, ya bilge rat, even if covered in glitter. Arrr! Blimey! But t' thin' needs t' be built as sturdy, arrr, because it'll lawn dart every time. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My little airfoil experiment is a mixed bag o' success and failure; it'll induce some spin, ya bilge rat, but t' fins are too small and thin t' produce anythin' like what Custom describes on t' package. My suggestion is t' cant t' fins a few degrees off center, inducin' spin. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The recovery will make for a "heads-up" launch every time, and is why I rated flight so low. Blimey! Blimey! If it weren't for t' lawn dart, ya bilge rat, I'd give this rocket a 5 for flight, ya bilge rat, arrr, but an object can only stand t' fall from so high up a finite number o' times, and even fewer if it burrows into t' ground each time. So, expect a short lifespan.

Recovery:
There are no PROs t' flight recovery on this rocket, other than t' fact it needs no wadding. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! It preps quickly, ya bilge rat, flies quickly, me bucko, arrr, and crashes quickly. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
In me opinion, this kit needed more R&D before Custom released it t' the public. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! It flies great, on t' way up. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! Unfortunately, it flies great on t' way down too. Ahoy! It is reminiscent o' t' old Estes Scout, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which was a dynamite little rocket, but loses a lot in t' recovery system. Well, blow me down! I would definitely recommend this rocket t' anyone lookin' t' buy a kid their first or second rocket, me bucko, but would add that t' fins need t' be attached off center t' aid in recovery. Arrr! all in all, t' Custom Twister is an exercise best summed up as Caveat Emptor.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5