Brief:
T' Blink Family is a trio o' skill level one rockets that are similar in design but gradually differ in size. Aye aye! For t' sake o' comparison, Baby Blink favors t' Estes Quark while Mama and Papa are stretched and super stretched versions o' their offspring.

Construction:
T' kit includes:

• 3 hand turned balsa nose cones
• 3 BT-5 body tubes
• 1/16" fin stock
• 2 lengths Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
• 2 lengths elastic
• 2 mylar streamers
• 2 engine blocks
• 2 small screw eyes

Instructions were clearly illustrated and easy t' follow. T' assembly should pose no problem for even t' most novice o' builders. Arrr! One problem I encountered was a missin' fin template, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but that be cleared up with a quick email. Arrr! Begad! T' only thin' approachin' a "gotcha" involved t' lengths o' Keelhaul®©™ and elastic for t' Mama and Papa Blink shock cords. They aren't equal in length and care must be taken t' match t' right rocket up with t' right recovery system. Blimey! (I didn't, me bucko, and had t' go back and add some elastic t' Papa. Blimey! My fault.) T' only special tool that might be found t' be useful is a pin drill t' make a starter hole in t' hardwood plugs in t' nose cones. Avast! T' nose cones are beautiful, hand turned, and they fit precisely. Well, blow me down! Nicely done! I didn't think o' usin' t' pin drill until it be too late and it be quite a fight gettin' t' screws t' tap into t' plugs.

Finishing:
Finishin' was handled in t' simplest manner possible. Begad! Aye aye! Before attachin' t' fins I coated all three body tubes with thinned Elmer's Fill N Finish and sanded t' hide t' light tube spirals. Avast! This also has t' added advantage o' givin' t' fins a little somethin' extra t' bite onto when they're attached. Ya scallywag! After attachin' t' fins, me bucko, they were also coated and lightly sanded, then t' rockets were sprayed with a coat o' white primer. Well, blow me down! T' picture on t' kit card showed t' rockets painted yellow, shiver me timbers, but I thought a metallic finish would look better and went with metallic gold. Aye aye! This turned out t' be a good alternate choice as it allowed t' decals t' stand out just enough while allowin' me t' use up some o' t' metallic gold that I had t' buy for me daughter's social studies project. T' water slide decals, shiver me timbers, which is how it SHOULD be, shiver me timbers, were sprayed with a thin coat o' clear acrylic and attached as soon as they dried enough t' wet them. Ya scallywag! Blimey! They went on smartly and easily and were themselves t' unifyin' thread that tied this group o' rockets together as a family.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight be where I ran into problems, me bucko, nay so much with t' rockets themselves but with findin' time t' actually fly them. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' Blink Family was built in t' heart o' soccer season, which filled up t' local fields and kept me runnin' t' and from me kid's games. Well, blow me down! Avast! When I'd find myself with an open window t' fly, matey, ya bilge rat, t' skies would open and it would rain hard enough t' make t' neighborhood screwball start workin' on that big boat he's been workin' on for years. Finally, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a month and a half after finishin' t' build, arrr, I got me chance. Ahoy! When I arrived at VOA I found that only three other die-hard Quarkers had bothered t' show up because o' t' winds. Begad! Nay t' be deterred after a 40 mile drive, ya bilge rat, I loaded t' Baby Blink with a 1/2A3-3T and launched it. T' flight be typical for a rocket o' this size and I might have retrieved it if we hadn't launched as close t' t' vegetation as we did. Aye aye! Begad! It cocked into t' wind, then drifted back t' t' north at ejection. Unfortunately north is where t' tall weeds are and it drifted a long way into t' briars. Arrr! Mama Blink had a much more successful flight, also on a 1/2A3-3T, as t' winds had shifted and took her back over t' flight line t' another, closer briar patch. Aye aye! Her mylar streamer made her extremely easy t' locate in t' brush even though she landed twenty feet back off t' access road. Begad! Ahoy! Despite driftin' quite close t' Mama's recovery area, Papa wasn't as fortunate. T' 1/2A3-3T ejection charge apparently wasn't enough t' completely clear t' streamer from t' body tube. Avast! Aye aye! This wouldn't have been a problem if he had landed in t' briars also, but he chose a head first landin' on t' access road and wound up with major head trauma.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: When isn't it a good thin' t' get three rockets for one price? Legitimate level one kits that are NOT RTF (Ready t' fly) so your kids might learn somethin' about rocket construction. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! 'Nuff said.

CONs: Family theme might be considered a little corny, me bucko, but decals are always optional. Ahoy! Aye aye! 1/16" balsa won't stand up t' many hard landings, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, especially on t' free fallin' Baby Blink.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5