Brief:
This is a semi-scale model o' t' Canadian soundin' rocket, shiver me timbers, manufactured by Bristol Aerospace. Avast, me proud beauty! Accordin' t' PML, me hearties, arrr, it is designed t' fly on G-I motors.

Construction:
T' kit comes with three (3) pre-cut G10 fins, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a pre-slotted QT airframe (or an optional phenolic one), ya bilge rat, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, plywood centerin' rings, a 30 inch nylon parachute, me bucko, arrr, 38mm phenolic motor mount tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a 1/4 inch brass launch lug, me hearties, a heavy-duty nylon strap, a length o' woven elastic, me bucko, and some "peel 'n stick"-type decals.

I've had t' opportunity t' build both t' QT and phenolic version o' this kit. Begad! Frankly, shiver me timbers, matey, I don't really have a preference in which material I used, now that I've tried both. Aye aye! Blimey! Phenolic be t' way t' go if you intend t' glass the airframe, and use bigger motors. Ahoy! However, if you intend t' stick t' mid-power motors, and H or light I motors, then QT is by far t' way t' go. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! I really likely nay havin' t' fill in that spiral, me bucko, which I've found can be a pretty serious job on phenolic tubes. Arrr! Blimey! T' thin' t' watch is that you sand thoroughly (with coarse grit) any QT parts you are epoxying.

T' instructions for t' kit are pretty basic and straight-forward. There's not a lot you can write up, for a basic 3FNC rocket anyway. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Construction steps are logical, and any "gotcha's" are pointed out... Ahoy! like makin' sure the piston strap (which is epoxied t' t' motor mount) is nay positioned in a manner t' interfere with t' installation o' t' fins. Begad! Begad! In both cases, shiver me timbers, I build the kit stock, except for t' home-made motor retention, matey, and t' addition o' a vent-hole in me second one (the QT version). Avast, me proud beauty!

All t' parts fit well, aside for t' usual sandin' o' t' centerin' rings and fins t' get a precise fit. Begad!

No motor retention is provided, matey, so I installed me own version of "Kaplow Klips", a pair o' blind nuts in t' aft centerin' ring, me bucko, me bucko, and a pair o' mirror mountin' brackets I picked up at t' hardware store. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! these things turned out t' be a perfect fit when usin' SU motors, me hearties, even with t' 29mm adapter in place. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Overall, me hearties, t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket was waitin' for t' epoxy t' cure.

Finishing:
This is where that Quantum Tubin' really comes into it's own. When I built the phenolic version o' this kit, shiver me timbers, I spent a lot o' time fillin' and sandin' those darned spiral grooves in t' airframe. Aye aye! Ahoy! With t' QT, arrr, all I have t' do be rough it up a bit t' help t' primer adhere! Paintin' be pretty simple. I gave the ship a couple o' coats o' Krylon white primer, arrr, sandin' betwixt each coat. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Next, I shot several coats o' gloss white on one fin (I picked t' one opposite the launch lug) and t' nose cone, again sandin' betwixt coats. Begad! Aye aye! After that, I set the nose aside, arrr, me bucko, masked off t' white fin, me bucko, and sprayed t' rest o' t' rocket with a gloss red Krylon. Again, me bucko, I used several coats, shiver me timbers, with wet-sandin' between each. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! Then, it be necessary t' mask off t' rest o' t' rocket so I could paint t' brown band at t' front o' t' airframe. That be it for paint. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Once it had time t' completely dry, I gave it a couple o' coats o' Krylon Clear Coat. Begad!

Now, on t' real rocket, ya bilge rat, thar be a narrow metal band at t' very top o' the airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! T' replicate this, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I used a strip o' silver decal from an auto detailin' kit. Arrr! It adheres well, arrr, and looks about right. Blimey! Also, t' real rocket has a pair o' white stripes runnin' down t' side o' t' rocket. Blimey! Avast! I chose t' not paint these, since maskin' materials and I don't get along real well. Ahoy! So, ya bilge rat, I got a length o' white vinyl decal material from a local art supply shop. Begad! I made measurements from Peter Alway's Rockets o' t' World, ya bilge rat, and cut out t' strips I needed. Ahoy! Begad! I was worried about how well this stuff would adhere, me bucko, but it's doing fine so far. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! After that, I applied t' decals, referencin' both t' kit instructions, and Rockets o' t' World. Arrr! These went on with a minimum o' fuss (for peel 'n stick, matey, anyway). Ahoy! Begad! Finally, I applied a final coat o' clear t' seal everything. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' final product looks pretty slick!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
PML recommends a variety o' motors, arrr, from G t' I for this rocket. Begad! Ahoy! My first flight (and only, for t' phenolic one) was t' be me CAR level 1 cert flight, usin' an H123 with a 10 second delay. Begad! Unfortunately, arrr, t' motor suffered a blown-by a split second after lift-off. Begad! T' nose, piston and parachute were blown free (the nylon strap be burned through), me hearties, me bucko, and t' rocket continued straight up with a fireball where t' nose should have been. Well, blow me down! Fortunately the flames burned out before it lawn-darted, but t' impact destroyed whatever was left o' t' airframe, ya bilge rat, forward o' t' fins. Still... Begad! despite t' sudden, low-speed deployment o' t' nose and chute (the rocket had just cleared the rod), matey, me hearties, it had managed t' continue on a stable flight-path.

Flight number two be an F50-6, approximately a year after t' first disaster. PML does nay recommend anythin' smaller than a G for this rocket, but Rocksim shows a predicted altitude o' about 700 feet on this motor. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Boost was nice and straight, and t' flight was nominal. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' only downside was t' rocket landin' on a runway, me hearties, arrr, which scarred it a bit, arrr, and took a small chunk out o' one fin-tip.

Recovery:
T' shock cord system in t' kit is a two-piece affair: a thick nylon strap connects t' piston t' t' motor mount. Aye aye! T' piston, in turn, is connected to the nose cone by a length o' woven elastic (I understand this has recently been replaced with tubular nylon). Ahoy! T' nylon parachute is attached t' t' upper length o' shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' piston itself is a phenolic tube coupler, me bucko, a slotted bulkhead, and a D-ring. Begad! Seems t' work well, but you have t' pay attention to the fit o' t' piston. Prior t' t' launch o' me first BB V, shiver me timbers, I found that the heat o' t' day had caused t' piston t' fit a bit too tightly in t' airframe, and had t' sand it down a bit t' loosen t' fit. T' provided chute seems plenty tough, me bucko, and is probably a good size, ya bilge rat, as long as you know t' rocket will be recoverin' on softer ground. Ahoy! If you run t' risk o' it landin' on something really unforgivin' (like a runway), shiver me timbers, me bucko, I'd suggest you move up a size for the parachute. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, ya bilge rat, I'm very happy with me Black Brant Vb. Ahoy! Begad! It's a slick-lookin' rocket, and flies on a nice variety o' motors. Blimey! Aye aye! I'd say it's an excellent kit for anyone who is just movin' up t' HPR, me bucko, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and wants t' be able t' fly a rocket on both HPR and mid-power motors. Arrr! As for pros and cons... Well, blow me down! well, I don't really have any cons for this rocket. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' design is basic enough that you'd have t' work at makin' problems. Aye aye! In fact, me bucko, matey, it's simplicity is probably its biggest pro, me hearties, making it a good startin' point in HPR.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5