Brief:
This is a simple 38mm high power saucer that incorporates an aerobrake recovery system. Arrr! This was me Level 1 attempt. Well, blow me down! Begad! Since me club's field is fairly small, I wanted a high drag rocket that is hard t' mess up. Ahoy! Naturally, I thought o' Art Applewhite.

Construction:
T' kit consisted of:

• 2 marked foamboard shrouds
• 2 glue strips
• 38mm motor mount tube.

Also included was an easy t' follow instruction sheet. Avast! T' setup is basic but effective. Well, blow me down! Nothin' else is needed. Blimey! It should be noted that these kits have t' needed grooves precut in them t' aid in folding. Arrr! This is a blessing. Blimey! I suspect doin' it one's self would prove VERY tedious and probably nay result in as good a job.

In a radical departure from most other rockets where construction does nay start with t' motor mount. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Instead, it begins with cuttin' out t' top surface o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is done on pre-marked and pre-grooved foamboard with t' use o' a straightedge and a razor cutlass. T' cuts should be made slowly, matey, usin' multiple passes and fresh blades. Blimey! Blimey! I changed blades after every two lines which be probably overkill but resulted in good cuts. When t' upper body was cut out, shiver me timbers, I carefully folded it into shape and everythin' fit perfectly.

T' lower body starts out in almost t' same manner but thar are two lines around t' motor mount hole and outer body. Blimey! Avast! T' outermost o' these lines would be plumb cut. Begad! Arrr! When those are straight, me hearties, arrr, t' razor knife is used t' bevel t' edge o' t' foam back t' t' second line. Ahoy! Blimey! CHANGE YOUR BLADE BEFORE DOING THIS. This be t' part I most worried about but I learned that usin' a fresh blade every couple o' cuts yielded good results.

After t' upper and lower bodies have been test fit, it is time t' permanently fold them and glue their edged together. This is done usin' white glue and an overlap strip. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I used some weights t' hold everythin' in place as t' glue set up.

When t' upper and lower bodies are formed, arrr, white glue is used t' filled t' grooves. When t' glue has set up, its time t' make a dry run and fit everythin' together. If anythin' needs t' be sanded into shape, matey, now be t' time t' do it.

T' 38mm motor tube is slipped into t' upper body. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' lower body is then slid into place and everythin' is checked for fit. Begad! If t' bevel cut into t' outer edges o' t' lower body do nay fit flush against t' upper surface, ya bilge rat, sandpaper is used t' improve t' fit. When everythin' fits, white glued is used t' fix everythin' in place. Avast, me proud beauty! Fillets o' white glued are then used t' reinforce all intersections. I would use t' glue t' seal t' exposed foam edges o' t' rocket as well.

• PROS: easy high power build, me hearties, no special tools, shiver me timbers, me hearties, arrr, grooves in t' foamboard are already cut.
• CONS: none

Finishing:
Finishin' on this rocket was done very gingerly even though it was still conducted in me patented ham-fisted style. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' instruction warns about t' dangers that spay solvents pose t' foam and I took these batten down t' hatchess seriously. Aye aye! Arrr! Unfortunately, every primer I tried on a piece o' scrap attacked t' foam. Arrr! My solution be workable but took lots o' time and paint.

I sealed t' edges o' all foam with white glue and gave a thin coatin' o' t' same glue t' both surfaces o' t' rocket. Aye aye! It was a very light coating. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I waited for t' glue t' dry and harden, shiver me timbers, then took out t' Krylon® primer. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I gave t' rocket a total o' about 12 coats, me hearties, shiver me timbers, if you want t' call them coats. Ahoy! Essentially, matey, each pass be a very light dusting. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' hope was that thar would nay be enough solvent t' soak in and that t' solvent would evaporate quickly. Well, blow me down! In time, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' thin layers built up a more protective layer t' insulate t' foam underneath. Blimey! It seemed t' work. Ahoy! T' process be done first on t' bottom and then repeated on t' top.

When t' primer was dry, arrr, I masked t' entire upper body and sprayed t' lower body red. Well, blow me down! I used light coats but they were nay excessively light. Ahoy! My supposition is that t' primer idea worked because thar were no problems.

For further finishing, shiver me timbers, arrr, I found a jpg o' t' famous Jaws image on t' web. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I then opened it in photoshop and resize it such that t' shark image be maximized in t' space o' a single panel o' t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! After that, me bucko, I printed 5 copies on decal paper and applied t' decals, ya bilge rat, one on each face. Blimey! Blimey! I used a razor t' try and fit at t' corners but me hand be nay steady enough for a great job. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I wound up usin' an aqua colored Sharpie t' fill in t' white spaces. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' result is nay very noticeable. Begad! Blimey! A coatin' o' Future Polish finished t' rocket.

• PROS: no finishin' is needed but it can be finished in any sort o' wild pattern, limited only by t' imagination
• CONS: none.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Any 38mm motor can be used. Aye aye! I used a reloadable Aerotech H73-JM because it gave t' longest burn o' t' motors available t' me and I like t' smoke trail.

Assemblin' t' reload was t' only real problem. A lot o' t' pieces had a tight fit. Avast! Even so, with some judicious shavin' and peeling, matey, me hearties, t' motor was put together and inserted into t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! A twiggy igniter be used in preference t' t' provided igniter and t' rocket was ready t' go.

It ascended off t' pad on a column o' dense black smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! It roared all t' way, reached apogee and inverted and began t' descend t' way it be designed usin' aerobrake recovery. Avast! Blimey! About a hundred feet up, t' ejection charge deployed t' moustache streamer t' make t' NARRRRR people happy. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There was a slight dent in one corner. Begad! Blimey! Other than that, it worked fine and I am now a Level 1!

Recovery:
Almost all o' Art's rockets are designed t' use aerobrake recovery. Aye aye! This one is no exception. Ya scallywag! Since it is so dependable, some people higher up t' grub chain in t' NARRRRR and TRA object t' its use for certification flights. Blimey! Accordingly, me hearties, new rules have been promulgated requirin' active recovery.

To meet this requirement, matey, an additional 38mm tube was added t' t' front o' t' rocket bearin' a fiberglass streamer. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is called t' moustache. It deploys as streamer, me bucko, works well, me bucko, me bucko, is absolutely unnecessary and looks bloody silly. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' one I have has a picture o' t' Mona Lisa on it. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Sittin' on top o' t' Jaws themed rocket, it is easy t' see why Mona Lisa lost her smile. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I will nay be usin' t' moustache again.

For what it is worth, if t' idea is t' make certification complicated, why are single use motors allowed?

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great HPR for small fields. Avast! Blimey! It is easy t' build and easy t' recover. Blimey! That makes it dependable.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5