Brief:
Probably no legendary sea monster was as horrifyin' as t' Kraken. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Accordin' t' stories, me bucko, this huge, many armed creature could reach as high as t' top o' a sailin' ship's main mast. Avast! Ahoy! Well, this rocket may nay have many arms, matey, arrr, but it will fly higher than a ship's main mast!

This is me first kit from Pemberton Technologies, matey, shiver me timbers, but it won't be me last. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! They even supplied RockSim files, that they graciously allowed me t' include with this review.

T' Kraken is a single stage tube fin rocket. I felt what made it unique be how t' tube fins were pointed.

Construction:
T' rocket came with 2 BT-60 body tubes, one o' which will be cut up into t' tube fins, a 24mm motor tube with 2 centerin' rings, a balsa wood nose cone with a screw eye and a washer for weight, me hearties, two 1/4" launch lugs, 60" of Keelhaul®©™® cord, me hearties, and an 18" plastic parachute. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! There is a little piece o' balsa wood for t' canards. Arrr! It also came with one of t' most amusin' set o' instructions (or destructions as they call it) that added t' t' fun o' buildin' this kit.

T' Kraken comes with 19 pages o' destructions includin' a photo quality picture o' t' Kraken. T' most difficult part o' this rocket is cuttin' t' tube fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Nine o' t' destruction pages provide instructions, me hearties, photos, drawings, cave sketches, etc. Arrr! t' help you mark and cut t' one tube into 4 tube fins. With all t' information presented, arrr, making the tube fins really is nay that difficult. Arrr! Make sure you use a sharp cutlass and take your time. Avast, me proud beauty! You mark a line along the length o' t' tube on t' top and bottom. Marks are made at different positions and you need t' draw lines between the appropriate top and bottom marks. Ahoy! Ahoy! This creates t' unique pointed tube fins.

There is a pattern for cuttin' t' canards. I decided t' round t' edges o' t' canards. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! These glue onto the balsa nose cone. I used thick CA t' bond t' canards since I was usin' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone.

Next be t' motor mount. Begad! Glue on t' 2 centerin' rings. Arrr! Arrr! You carve a notch in t' top one, me hearties, me hearties, ya bilge rat, tie t' Keelhaul®©™® cord around t' motor tube and pass t' cord through t' notch. Then glue t' motor mount into t' body. Ahoy! Notice I didn't mention anythin' about a thrust rin' or motor retainer? Well, thar are no such things for this kit. Begad! Ya scallywag! The destructions warn you t' avoid pitchforks, torches, and mob mentality, matey, and simply use maskin' tape or duct tape to create a thrust rin' on t' motor itself. T' hold t' motor in place, t' instructions say t' wrap a bit o' tape between t' motor tube and this thrust rin' you created.

I finished me rocket before I glued t' tube fins on. Begad! This makes it easier t' get complete paint coverage. Begad! When I did glue t' tube fins on, arrr, I opted t' use 12 minute epoxy since I would nay be able t' fillet t' joints with the paint.

T' nose weight is a fender washer. Aye aye! Ahoy! This gets glued t' t' nose cone and a screw eye goes into t' nose cone. Arrr! The Keelhaul®©™® cord ties t' t' screw eye. Avast, me proud beauty! Unlike most folks who hate elastic, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I added some in parallel t' t' Keelhaul®©™® to absorb some o' t' ejection shock.

Finishing:
T' biggest issue with finishin' a tube fin rocket is gettin' paint under t' tubes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' method I used be t' mask off a glue strip with maskin' tape and then paint t' pieces before gluin' them together. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I first filled t' tube spirals with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded with different grades o' sandpaper down t' 320 grit, arrr, makin' sure t' get inside t' tube fins. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' inside o' t' tube fins were primed and sanded with 400 grit then painted with gloss red. Ahoy! Blimey! I used Krylon for all me painting. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After t' paint be dry, me hearties, I masked t' inside o' t' tube. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I then used some 1" wide tape that I cut down into 1/4" strips t' create t' glue strips. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I beveled t' top and bottom t' match the tube fins, arrr, ya bilge rat, but I also made t' strips about 1/4" short t' make sure I would nay leave a gap. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then primed and painted t' outside o' t' tube fins and t' body gloss black. Begad! Blimey! I used multiple coats o' thin CA t' seal t' balsa nose cone and sanded down with 400 grit. Begad! Blimey! T' nose cone be also painted gloss black. Aye aye! Blimey! As a finishin' touch, I used a Testor's Gloss Yellow Enamel Paint Marker and rimmed t' tube fins. Arrr! Blimey! I also used t' marker t' paint t' canards and followed that with a red paint marker t' make some deadlights for this evil beast.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors range from an Estes C11 t' AeroTech's E15. I went t' me favorite local field where it be 24 degrees with a light coverin' o' snow. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! I prepared some maskin' tape t' use as t' thrust rin' in t' comfort o' me warm house before I left. I used me Estes E size pad with it's 6' x 1/4" rod. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! I set up in t' middle o' t' field and prepped a D12-3. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I tried t' method o' usin' tape around t' motor mount and engine t' secure t' motor that was suggested by t' destructions. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Some dog barf and parachute (I cheated here and used an existin' 18" Estes chute I have on a snap swivel)in t' other end. Arrr! Blimey! An igniter into t' motor, matey, matey, onto t' launch pad, matey, matey, and a countdown from 5. Begad! Begad! Blimey! The rocket left t' launch pad for a beautiful straight flight. Blimey!

Recovery:
Right before apogee, arrr, me bucko, arrr, t' ejection charge went off. T' engine came out one end, shiver me timbers, but fortunately t' nose cone and parachute came out t' other end. Avast! T' parachute did nay open, me bucko, but t' drag from t' closed parachute and t' separate pieces still had t' rocket comin' down somewhat slowly. Blimey! Finally, me hearties, about 20' above t' ground t' parachute finally opened. Blimey! T' rocket landed standin' up in t' snow without any damage. Well, blow me down! For t' second and third flights, I changed to friction fittin' t' motors. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I also put t' parachute in me pocket while I was preppin' everythin' so it would be less stiff. Well, blow me down! Blimey! My second flight was also a D12-3. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Again, a perfectly straight launch and this time t' engine stayed in and the parachute opened right away. Aye aye! And then it took a long time t' land with a little longer walk t' recover it. I was thinkin' o' tryin' an E11, but t' wind started pickin' up so I used a D12-3 for t' third flight as well. Avast, me proud beauty! Again a nice straight launch. But with t' stronger wind, t' rocket drifted away some. Blimey! Begad! I think an 18" chute is a tad too big for this rocket. Avast! I didn't try a fourth flight--my toes were freezing, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I would be tempted t' try a 12" or 14" chute instead o' t' 18" chute supplied with t' kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a fun rocket with its unique tube fins. T' rocket goes together simply (after you cut t' fins). Ya scallywag! Due t' the fins, arrr, me bucko, I would rate this rocket construction complexity as a 3. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' quality parts and amusin' destructions made the construction enjoyable. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Unless you do somethin' t' add a lot o' weight, ya bilge rat, matey, I would suggest a smaller parachute or else make sure thar are no winds unless you like t' go hiking. Well, blow me down! I look forward t' buildin' other kits from Pemberton.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5