Brief:
QModelin' makes their upscale replica rockets big with long satisfyin' builds usin' a huge number o' parts (roughly 80 parts in this kit). Arrr! T' Mega Snooper is no exception. Arrr! Ya scallywag! This is a great kit.

Construction:
This kit is rated skill level 4. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Havin' recently finished t' dauntin' QModelin' Andromeda, ya bilge rat, it actually seemed a bit easier. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! On t' other hand, t' instructions list among t' additional needed items: "A Brain or Two". Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Definitely don't leave yours behind! Blimey! My instructions listed 77 major steps, matey, nay countin' various sub-steps. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' most challengin' part was t' aft engine pod area with t' radiator fins and several hand-made conic shapes.

Assembly is sufficiently complex that I can't detail t' whole process here. Ya scallywag! Avast! Roughly, t' plan goes like this:

• Nose cone (all 4) and transition prep.
• Jig assembly. QModelin' provides extremely clever multi-purpose jigs t' help with some o' t' more complicated alignment tasks. Once you've used jigs in a major build, you'll consider them t' be a feature that you'll be willin' t' pay a bit extra for next time you're shoppin' for a kit.
• Motor mount assembly. QModelin' uses its specialized hexagonal bracin' system instead o' traditional centerin' rings. Ahoy! Blimey! This also provides an interior lattice for through-the-wall fin mounting.
• Construct t' outer pods and landin' assembly. Aye aye! This be t' fun part, me bucko, with all sorts o' springs and special things.
• Upper and lower engine pod transitions. These are quite hard and require experience or great care t' get a good result. Well, blow me down! These are made by gently and slowly rollin' card stock t' t' desired cone shapes. Begad! There are all sorts o' things that can go wrong, me bucko, me bucko, includin' irregular shape, ugly seam, poor fit on tube or centerin' ring, etc. Avast! Begad! One nice design feature is that t' upper portion o' t' lower cone fits inside t' bottom edge o' t' upper cone. Avast! This helps you hide what would otherwise be an ugly joint. Begad! Blimey! I could continue with more details, ya bilge rat, but suffice it t' say that thar are no easy steps here. Arrr! It takes a lot o' putty and sandin' afterwards t' get a perfectly clean look.
• Attach all fins. These fit onto t' landin' pods, me hearties, on t' t' upper airframe, and through t' walls for t' main fins.
• Recovery system and launch lugs. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Because o' all t' odd transitions, matey, two launch lugs are glued on t' upper and lower fins away from t' main body tube.
• Finishin' and painting. Blimey! O' course, on a kit this complex, arrr, you should definitely do all t' filling, putty, and sandin' before assembly. Arrr! My paint was more orange than what was suggested. Avast! Begad! T' kit has a lot o' decals. Ahoy! Alignin' t' stripes on t' fins is a bit tricky t' do by eye.

T' beauty o' this QModelin' kit (like their others) be t' plannin' that goes into t' assembly. T' instructions and figures are pretty clear. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' build sequence is extremely linear, which prevents you from gettin' confused about where you are heading. Begad! Blimey! And I love jigs! Blimey! They help so much with gettin' all t' right angles and placements.

For me, thar were only two problems I encountered. First were t' radiator panels on t' engine pod. I got t' opposin' cones, shiver me timbers, rings, and so forth done quite well, me bucko, but those 8 little fins were really tough. Avast, me proud beauty! CA wouldn't stick and I kept knockin' one off as I tried t' apply pressure t' another. Blimey! T' results were a little messy t' sand smooth with all o' t' little nooks and crannies. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I'm happy with t' result, but it is nay flawless.

T' second, more serious problem involved t' retractin' spring-loaded landin' legs. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I painted t' whole kit and applied t' decals. Begad! Tryin' t' show me wife how cool those legs were, I suddenly found out that they were locked in place by t' paint. Aye aye! T' fit betwixt t' leg and its centerin' rin' leaves absolutely no extra room. Begad! Therefore, absolutely no paint could remain on t' leg if t' leg is t' slide through t' centerin' rin' passage. Aye aye! There be no way I could sand down t' legs enough, matey, me bucko, and I wanted them painted anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fix t' problem, I used t' Dremel t' drill a rin' o' small holes around t' leg entry. Ya scallywag! Then I used me knife t' knock out t' remainin' bits t' form a much wider, irregular hole which was wide enough t' allow t' legs t' slide. Aye aye! T' better way t' fix this is t' drill out these leg-centerin' rings before assembly. I would recommend that t' diameter if t' inner hole should be about twice as large as t' diameter o' t' leg. Avast, me proud beauty! Alternatively, matey, you could finish t' legs with graphite, pencil lead, matey, matey, stain, or markin' pen.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flight was on a cool day at t' prairie with gentle winds. I had only me short rod (48in) whereas t' instructions wisely stress usin' a 72in rod. So I chose a E28-4 reload t' provide an extra takeoff boost. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Liftoff be quick, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket climbed strongly but slowly enough for us all t' get a good look at it. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket was very stable. Begad! Blimey! Havin' seen this launch, me hearties, I think t' E28 is a great motor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I would never fly it on a D12 and am reluctant t' use an E9, but Chan reports good success with t' E9 motor. Begad! Blimey! I'm goin' t' try a F21 next.

Ejection was at apogee. I had added a second parachute t' t' recovery system. Avast! Begad! T' do this, matey, me hearties, I began by addin' several extra yards o' Keelhaul®©™ betwixt t' lower and upper body portions. Blimey! Then I tied about 8 feet o' Keelhaul®©™ from t' main strin' outward. At t' end I attached a parachute. Begad! Begad! Then I added another 8ft strin' and another identical chute. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Ideally, it would look like a "Y" comin' down: two chutes above and all t' rocket danglin' below in two parts. Both chutes fit in t' body tube, me bucko, but thar wasn't a lot o' extra space.

One o' t' chutes failed t' open and fluttered as a wad o' nylon durin' descent. T' other chute be fine. (Next time, I'm goin' t' let t' two body parts descend separately with their own chutes.)

Recovery:
I think that t' unopened chute had some sort o' dampenin' effect because durin' t' last couple hundred feet down t' rocket had almost no swing. Begad! Ya scallywag! I thought thar was a serious chance that I could stick t' landing! Alas, no such luck. Begad! However, it did land legs-first and gave a nice bounce before fallin' sideways into t' prairie. There are so many parts t' break that it would seem almost impossible for such a big ornate rocket t' land unblemished, but mine did. Begad! Ahoy! T' flight and recovery were perfect!

When I got home and removed t' motor casing, ya bilge rat, I noted that it was stickin' out t' aft about 1.5in extra. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Apparently t' engine hook had broken free and slipped backward a bit. Avast! I had used a motor spacer t' compensate for t' length o' t' reload, arrr, but thar had been a little empty wiggle space (1/16in?). My theory is that this helped ejection shoot t' casin' backwards into t' motor hook and knock it free. T' damage is invisible and easily repaired.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Once again QModelin' has hit a home run. Ahoy! T' Mega Snooper is a kit for t' serious builder, and it will attract lots o' attention on t' ground. Flyin' it is just as fun, arrr, but skip t' weak E9 motors and head straight for t' good stuff.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5