Brief:
This is yet another rocket based on a BiC® pen. Aye aye! Plans for other BiC® rockets are available here on EMRR (BiC® ARCAS and the Double Tree Pen Roc) and you can download t' plan's for this one from Art Applewhite's site. Begad! What you get here is a kit, ya bilge rat, with all t' parts included.

Construction:
T' followin' parts are provided in t' kit: One BiC® pen, ya bilge rat, card stock with the fin unit printed on it, arrr, me hearties, a safety pin, and a shock tether assembly. Ahoy! Blimey! The latter is pretty neat. It appears t' be a teeny-weeny braided steel cord with a plastic covering. Begad! Blimey! One end has a small loop closed with a crimp bushing. A second loose bushin' is provided t' form a loop at t' nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey! T' assemble the kit you need a sharp knife, ya bilge rat, arrr, matey, regular and Gel CA (I substituted Liquid Nails for t' latter), a pair o' pliers, and wire cutters.

Assembly is really easy. You disassemble t' BiC® pen, leavin' only the empty tube. Begad! You remove t' ink tube and shave t' shoulder o' t' tip (i.e the nose cone) so it fits easily into t' tube. Ya scallywag! One batten down t' hatches: t' pen is full o' ink and is thus potentially very messy. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Over a couple o' paper towels, arrr, I removed the ink tube and set it upright t' drain. Begad! I also cleaned t' ink from t' tip and inserted a small piece o' paper towel, wadded into a ball. Well, blow me down! This will keep any remnant ink from leakin' out. Ahoy! T' tether is attached by makin' a small hole in t' shoulder o' t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, insertin' t' open end o' t' tether, and crimpin' on t' bushin' with a pair o' pliers. Begad! T' safety pin is used t' punch a hole through t' aft o' t' tube. You then pull t' pin halfway out and feed the loop on t' end o' t' tether over t' tip. Begad! Blimey! T' pin is then reinserted, snipped off, and presto, you get a both a shock cord attachment and a motor block. Blimey!

Next, me hearties, me bucko, you cutout and fold t' one-piece fin unit, me bucko, slide it onto t' tube, matey, and soak it in CA, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which both holds it on and strengthens it. Avast, me proud beauty! Finally, me hearties, shiver me timbers, you snip two small pieces from t' ink tube and use them for launch lugs. Make sure you save t' rest for other Micro Maxx projects.

Finishing:
No finishin' is required.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
No streamer material is provided nor is it needed. Begad! Blimey! Preppin' consists of installin' t' nose cone and usin' maskin' tape for motor retention. T' shock cord is nice and sturdy, me bucko, matey, me bucko, but it is also stiff, so it takes some effort t' feed it into t' body tube. Begad! These Micro Maxx BiC® rockets really fly great. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! To help spot this one I used a small amount o' trackin' powder. T' first launch flew and recovered nicely. Aye aye! On t' second launch, shiver me timbers, however, me hearties, it fell victim t' a rocket eatin' tree and be lost...temporarily. After a good wind that night, I wandered over t' look for it. T' me joy and amazement, thar it was! T' nose cone hadn't ejected, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which kept it from gettin' hopelessly snagged in t' tree. Still, I guess I should quit usin' t' open area down t' street for me higher flyin' Micro Maxx rockets. Ya scallywag! Bummer.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' resultin' rocket looks nice and is a great flier. Well, blow me down! T' 'fin unit' is nice and t' shock cord is cool. Avast! Begad! It is easy t' build a similar rocket from existing plans without a kit. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! However, ya bilge rat, it's hard t' go wrong for only a couple o' bucks. Once you're orderin' a flyin' saucer, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, go ahead and get one o' these also.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5