Brief:
A small, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone.

Construction:
Actually, ya bilge rat, I built 2 Yankee kits; one t' replace t' initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. T' first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, me hearties, but t' second kit, while otherwise identical, arrr, had a plastic nose cone. But both kits featured a paper body tube, arrr, die cut balsa fins, a short piece o' elastic, a streamer, and a decal. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! t' quality o' components was excellent, except for t' shock cord, me hearties, which was comically short on each kit.

T' plastic nose cone be a tight fit, and needed considerable sandin' before it would fit. Well, blow me down! T' balsa piece fit nicely but had quite a bit o' grain t' it. I prefer this t' plastic, arrr, however. Ya scallywag! Begad! At any rate, it is a straightforward build, and t' instructions seemed t' be somewhat better than normal Estes fare.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose needed considerable fillin' and sandin' t' be paintable. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' plastic piece was ready t' go right from t' box, me bucko, once t' shoulder was sanded. I chose t' use automotive primer on t' original, shiver me timbers, me hearties, applyin' thin coats and sandin' in betwixt applications t' get rid o' t' spiral and fin grain. Begad! Aye aye! Then I applied some black enamel, me bucko, followed with a coat o' clear t' keep t' decals on. Begad! Unfortunately, me hearties, arrr, this one disappeared soon. Well, blow me down! T' second kit be simply sanded and sprayed with red and black and was considered finished after t' decals were applied.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launchin' with an A8-3 produced a good, me hearties, straight flight. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I followed this with 2 flights on a B6-6, me hearties, and t' last one was never seen again. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' subsequent kit was flown on "A" motors only for a while, ya bilge rat, but I couldn't help tryin' a C6-7. Arrr! We lost it too, but fortunately someone in our club found it and brought it t' t' RSO. It has since been modified for 13mm motors, arrr, me bucko, arrr, and does well enough on an A10-3T. Blimey! I've never had a recovery failure, shiver me timbers, but if it did, me hearties, t' thin' is so light weight it would probably recover just fine.

Recovery:
T' supplied shock cord is just too small. Ya scallywag! After about 6 flights some wear can be seen on t' end o' t' body tube because o' t' shock cord whippin' it. A good thin' t' do would be t' double t' cord length, at least. Also, t' bottom o' t' fins are gettin' crisp, me bucko, though nay quite burnt. Begad! Ya scallywag! Overall, shiver me timbers, though, me bucko, this is a great flier.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Personally, matey, I prefer t' older balsa nose cone, shiver me timbers, matey, but t' plastic one will suffice. Begad! Either way, it's a great beginner kit that a kid will have no problem constructing, arrr, and will deliver many good flights, so long as you can find it again. Ahoy! Arrr! But add some length t' t' shock cord!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5