I first saw Starlight Model Rockets advertised in NAR's Sport Rocketry magazine, but was then pleased t' see LongLongJonRocket.com start t' carry them, me bucko, shiver me timbers, so I could try one out. Arrr! T' flight vehicle that I tried out is their F-32 Avenger. Blimey! Begad! T' winged-aircraft look is what caught me attention.

T' kit includes one 12" body tube which seems slightly thicker than typical Estes (but when I measured them I could nay see a difference). This body tube was completely pre-marked. T' 2 3/4" nose cone and pre-cut fins are balsa. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! There are two 18mm "jet" tubes that are 2 3/4" long. An 1/8" dowel is provided for some detail work. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There is an 18mm motor tube with retainin' hook, thrust ring, and two centerin' rings. Begad! T' recovery system is made up o' an 12" ASP Mylar parachute, a 16" piece o' round (1/16") white elastic, and a shock cord mount. Well, blow me down! A 1/8" launch lug, some hardware, a decal sheet finish out t' kit.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on a 3 sides o' two 8½ x 11" paper. Begad! There are many hand drawn illustrations t' assist in buildin' t' kit and t' placement o' t' decals. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! As mentioned above, me bucko, me hearties, t' body tube is pre-marked with a few different colors, so a markin' guide is nay needed.

T' F-32 assembles like most Estes, matey, me bucko, Custom, me bucko, arrr, or Quest kits.

T' motor mount is assembled first and it used a wire motor hook, me bucko, shiver me timbers, thrust rin' and two centerin' rings. Ahoy! Arrr! T' thin round motor hook has a tendency t' "roll" in t' motor mount when bein' used. Ahoy! I believe this is why Estes and Quest went with flat sprin' steel. Ahoy! Arrr! Nonetheless, it is nice t' have a motor hook provided. Ya scallywag! Begad!

T' nose cone is balsa and it first requires that an eye-screw be added into t' base. Begad! T' nose cone was really grainy. Blimey! I found t' bottom transition edge (from nose cone t' shoulder) t' be very ragged and slight splintered. Arrr! Nay terribly uncommon for balsa nose cone kits, me hearties, but it is tough t' sand. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I found that by slidin' it into t' body tube, me bucko, applyin' pressure and turnin' it against t' tube edge greatly helped reduce t' raggedness problem.

Havin' pre-cut balsa fins is a nice quality touch. Aye aye! Avast! T' body tube is pre-marked with different colors t' allow for very easy assembly. Avast! T' instructions guide you t' use t' "double" glue technique. Glue is added t' t' root edge o' t' fin and then it is set aside t' dry. Avast, me proud beauty! Starlight has even gone as far as colorin' t' root edge with black. Aye aye! Begad! Once it is dry, matey, me hearties, glue is applied t' t' root edge and it is placed in position on t' pre-marked line on t' body tube. Well, blow me down!

T' 1/8" dowel is cut into two 2" and two 3" pieces. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 2" dowels are glued t' t' end o' t' win' tips. Well, blow me down! T' 3" dowels are glued on t' underside o' t' rocket on each side o' t' launch lug. Aye aye! These add detail t' t' rocket.

T' shock cord gets a knot tied in one end and it then weaved through three holes in t' shock cord mount. This is then glued inside, 1" down from t' top, ya bilge rat, o' t' body tube. Aye aye! T' opposite end is tied t' t' eye-screw in t' nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' parachute is assembled accordin' t' ASP's instructions.

Basic finishin' instructions are provided (sandin' sealer, shiver me timbers, sand, ya bilge rat, repeat, paint white). Avast, me proud beauty! Then t' instructions describe applyin' t' water-slide decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! However, me hearties, thar was a supplemental note that said water-slide decals had been replaced with peel-n-stick ones. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! So I peeled-n-stuck on t' decals.

I used me typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer and sandin' in-between. T' nose cone took a lot o' work. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then used Walmart Silver paint.

Overall, me hearties, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 points. T' instructions are adequate for t' kit. T' hand drawings are nay t' same quality o' other kits, matey, but certainly allow t' builder t' be successful. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' quality o' parts are good with t' exception o' t' nose cone and motor hook. Begad! Blimey! T' pre-markin' is a very thoughful bonus. Begad! Blimey! Havin' decals and Mylar parachute are nice features, matey, too.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Starlight recommends t' A8-3, B6-4, and C6-5.

My finished rocket weighed 1.5 ounces.

T' instructions indicate that you'll need 2-4 squares o' wadding. I used 3, rolled me 'chute, matey, and got everythin' ready.

T' first flight be on an A8-3. Well, blow me down! Excellent first choice. Arrr! Nay terribly high, but allowed for a nice flight. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Recovery system worked fine, matey, no damage. Well, blow me down!

T' second flight be on a B6-4. Begad! Straight flight, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, very stable. It ejected at apogee. Blimey! I be a fairly high flight for t' size o' rocket it is. Avast! Descent rate is good. Upon collection o' t' rocket from t' field, shiver me timbers, I discovered t' first feared "Estes dent". Ahoy!

I know, it probably isn't fair t' keep sayin' "Estes dent", me hearties, shiver me timbers, but I think most understand what that is. Arrr! Too short o' a shock cord, elastic stretches, ya bilge rat, snaps back. Aye aye! On balsa nose cones you get a "smile" from t' body tube. Blimey! Ya scallywag! With plastic nose cones you get a "dent" on t' top o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Therefore, me bucko, matey, me bucko, I now declare this t' be a "balsa smile" instead o' an "Estes dent". Ahoy!

So, back t' t' program. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' flight resulted in a "balsa smile".

T' third flight be also on a B6-4. Begad! Stable and straight. Begad! Aye aye! At apogee it turned as if t' rocket (plane) be flyin' right side up. Avast, me proud beauty! Neat t' see.

T' fourth flight was on a C6-7. Ya scallywag! I purposely chose t' longer delay so it could drop some before ejection. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It looked great arcin' over, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me bucko, but it was way up there. T' ejection charge went off and t' parachute did nay fully open. Well, blow me down! I'm glad because I would have had t' walk a mile. A second "balsa smile" appeared.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 4 points. T' F-32 is very stable and nice looking. Arrr! T' short elastic shock cord caused damage. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute is excellent and sized correctly for this rocket.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Looks and what you get with kit are very nice. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Overall, it be a good experience, arrr, but in all fairness, t' rocket falls into t' "average plus" range for ratings.