Description: Looks like t' Russian Sputnik. Well, me hearties, blow me down! It's a sphere that flies up on 13mm motors and comes down t' land on three wooden legs when the motor ejects.

Pros and cons o' construction: All t' parts were thar in a little plastic bag. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' spherical body is styrofoam, arrr, and t' 3 legs are 1/8 inch diameter wooden dowels 8 inches long. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' motor tube is 13mm and is spiral wound paper, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and t' launch lug is plastic and is for 1/8 inch rods. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A balsa motor bulkhead is supplied t' keep t' motor from burnin' t' styrofoam body.

Instructions were illustrated and clear. Aye aye! Assembly is easy and takes only a few minutes. Ahoy! T' launch lug glues t' t' motor tube and goes inside t' body with t' motor tube. T' legs glue right into t' body, arrr, matey, allowin' t' model to stand upright like a tripod. Blimey! Arrr! You get holes predrilled into t' body t' guide placement. Begad! T' only gotcha I can foresee is paint choice. Some eat styrofoams, so I used thin water-based acrylic. Arrr! Begad!

Pros and cons about finishing: As I mentioned, better stay away from paints with strong organic solvents. Arrr! Blimey! I sprayed acrylic via an airbrush and made t' model orange. Blimey! Blimey! It looks funky. I like the unconventionality o' it. Aye aye!

Ratin' for construction and finishing: 3 out o' 5

Pros and cons about flight: T' 13mm Estes 1/4A t' A line is good. Apogee sells some B types, ya bilge rat, but I haven't tried that yet. Avast! It may be too heavy to be stable, ya bilge rat, though. I used short delays. Aye aye! Avast! T' A10-3T is fine. Begad! Arrr! It flew up, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, fairly straight, but swirly. Avast! T' engine popped out and t' model fell onto its legs, but fell over. But it stayed upright t' second time. Begad! Prep is simple, me bucko, ya bilge rat, as no waddin' or streamer is needed. Aye aye! No engine retention is needed either, ya bilge rat, since you want t' motor t' pop out at ejection. Begad! It went up a hundred or so feet, maybe 200. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag!

Pros and cons about recovery: Just about right. Landings don't always put it perfectly on its feet, arrr, but it's fun t' watch, me hearties, and onlookers think it's funny. Ahoy! T' kids giggle. Begad! One called it an octopus. Ya scallywag! Begad!

Ratin' for flight and recovery: 3 out o' 5

This cost only a few dollars. Ahoy! Okay value. Begad! Kids will probably like this. Begad! Ahoy! The kid in me does. Well, blow me down! Hmmm. Maybe I'll scale it up for G power!!! No specific tips except that you should take your time t' align t' legs spatially and lengthwise with respect t' each other or else it'll stand lopsided and might fly semi-lateral. Avast!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5