Brief:
BT-50 based scale model o' t' AIM-4C Falcon that flies on 18mm motors and recovers on a streamer.

Construction:
This kit comes with paper tubes and rings. Aye aye! Arrr! T' light BT-50 body tube appears to be t' same as Apogee's tubin' - weight, matey, color, me bucko, etc. T' scale nose cone is solid plastic and two ballast washers are provided t' keep t' rocket stable. You cut t' fins from two sheets o' basswood and thin strips o' balsa provide the fin details. Arrr! T' recovery system includes a section o' Keelhaul®©™® twine, me hearties, a section o' elastic, and a Mylar streamer. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

T' instructions are pretty good and are more than sufficient t' build this kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' most challengin' parts o' its construction were cuttin' t' small front fins from t' brittle basswood, and alignin' t' three sets o' fins (12 total). I was surprised when I saw calipers mentioned in t' instructions. Avast! In order t' get a true scale model, matey, I suppose, they specify t' fin placement to three decimal places! I rounded t' t' nearest 1/16".

T' one problem with me kit was t' quality o' t' basswood. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! Both pieces were warped and even though I tried t' straighten them, t' long fins re-warped after bein' exposed t' t' carpenter's glue (I used t' waterproof variety). Because o' t' length o' t' middle set o' fins and t' way t' fin stock was cut, t' grain had t' be placed perpendicular t' t' body tube. T' long fins not only warped side t' side, shiver me timbers, but t' thin front ends also lifted away from the body tube. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I managed t' minimize t' warpin' by soakin' t' ends in thin CA and pushin' them back in place until they dried. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey!

Finishing:
T' basswood had quite a deep grain and required a lot o' filling. Begad! Ahoy! I used Krylon primer and paints t' approximate t' color scheme identified in the instructions. Arrr! Begad! T' kit also includes a full set o' decals. These are *very* small and are nay easy t' cut out or manipulate.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
T' kit relies on friction fittin' t' motor. Avast, me proud beauty! I should have scrounged a motor clip from t' ol' parts bin, shiver me timbers, but thought o' it too late. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' recommended motors for this kit include: EST A8-3, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me bucko, B6-4, C6-5; APO C4-5, C10-7, D3-7, shiver me timbers, D10-7; AT D13-7. Ya scallywag!

Since t' wind be fairly heavy, shiver me timbers, was blowin' towards t' trees AND this was the first flight o' t' day, I decided t' try a B6-4. Blimey! T' boost be good with some weathercockin' but no sign o' any wobble. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' heavy plastic nose and weights did their job. Aye aye! (Please excuse t' poor launch pic, matey, but I just had to include it since it be t' first one I've caught.)

Recovery:
I was worried that t' provided streamer would nay slow t' model enough, ya bilge rat, and my fears were well founded. Ya scallywag! I attached t' streamer about 8" down from the nose, ya bilge rat, matey, as recommended. Aye aye! I noticed that another reviewer suggested another approach on a similar model the AA9, but decided t' stick with t' instructions. Ahoy! Avast! T' rocket came down nose cone first, matey, with t' body fallin' parallel t' t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! One o' t' aft fins came part way off, and t' struts t' t' larger forward fins were destroyed. Avast! Easily repaired, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but would probably happen again on t' next flight. I will probably try a small chute instead. If I were t' build another o' these kits, matey, I'd also add some paper or light fiberglass t' strengthen t' fin joints.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
This kit is reasonably priced and t' resultin' rocket looks great. Blimey! Ahoy! I was disappointed at t' quality o' t' fin stock, arrr, which did affect t' looks o' the final product. Well, blow me down! It doesn't appear, matey, however, matey, me hearties, that others have experienced this problem with t' small Aardvark kits. T' streamer is insufficient and a small parachute should be substituted. Despite these problems, arrr, shiver me timbers, I still like t' kit and will consider buyin' another in t' series. Ya scallywag!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5