Brief:
T' Standard ARM kit from Rogue is a single-stage sport-scale replica o' the Navy's AGM-78 "Standard" missile. It's loads o' fun t' build, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and flies very nicely on 24mm, D12-5 motors. Blimey! Rogue lists t' kit as a "Level 2", which I believe is accurate. Arrr! Some modelin' experience will help, but the kit poses no special problems or challenges. Arrr! What it does offer is an unusual variety o' buildin' experience that is a nice change from the predictability o' most model rockets these days. Begad! Ahoy!

Construction:
This kit is an adaptation o' an old kit from MRC. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Rogue acquired rights t' the kit from MRC along with their inventory o' parts. Rogue has apparently made some alterations t' t' MRC kit, ya bilge rat, but it's basically t' same rocket. Arrr!

T' kit arrived very smartly from Rogue via priority mail, me hearties, as is their custom. All parts were present and in good shape. Ahoy! T' materials are all high-quality, and one is immediately impressed by t' size o' t' kit. Ahoy! T' body tubes are 45mm (or 1.75 in.) in diameter, and have a nice, sturdy feel. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit includes a variety o' materials; paper for t' tubes and baffle unit, balsa strakes, plastic nosecone, arrr, main fins and fin/connector tube, nylon chute, me hearties, and Keelhaul®©™® and elastic shock-cords. Begad! Blimey!

Construction:

T' body o' this rocket is built usin' five separate units makin' four tube sections. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' main body tube is topped by an "upper body tube" that will contain t' parachute. It's connected t' t' main tube by a tube coupler that doubles as t' ejection baffle (what BAR's like t' call a "Centuri baffle"). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! At t' other end a plastic fin-mount rin' acts as fin mount, engine mount and connector betwixt t' main body tube and t' short "lower body tube".

Construction starts by markin' t' fin and launch-lug locations on t' main tube, shiver me timbers, usin' t' fin-mount rin' as a guide. Avast! You will need t' install this ring later in t' construction process in exactly t' same orientation, so be sure to mark t' reference lines as directed in t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Avast!

Once t' tube is marked you move on t' t' "balsa" part o' this kit, t' long "strakes" that are characteristic o' kits based on the AGM-78 missile. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I used yellow glue t' secure t' strakes t' t' tube. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! With that done, it's time t' assemble t' engine mount. Well, blow me down! Blimey! You start by tiein' a loop into the Keelhaul®©™® tether, me hearties, as t' tether will be secured t' t' engine clip. T' engine clip fits into a slot in t' engine tube as with most Estes kits. T' tether is looped around t' clip where it enters t' tube. Blimey! Aye aye! Die-cut centerin' rings are then glued t' t' ends o' t' plastic fin-mount ring. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I used slow cure CA for this plastic-to-paper join; its "tricky' only in that t' centerin' rings need to be carefully set flush with t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Once t' glue had set I lightly sanded the edges o' t' rings in a few places t' get everythin' nice and flush. The engine tube, with t' engine hook and thrust rin' installed, me bucko, slides into the centerin' rings normally and is secured with a "generous" amount of glue. Begad!

T' baffle unit is very simple. Aye aye! Blimey! Two die-cut baffle disks glue t' t' ends o' t' paper coupler tube. Again I sanded to make t' edges o' t' disks flush with t' tube.

At this point t' rocket's five-part body goes together. Begad! Blimey! T' only tricky steps are t' make sure that t' fin mount is correctly aligned when it is glued in place (and that its at t' correct end o' t' main tube!) and that the Keelhaul®©™® tether is fed forward through t' main tube and through t' holes on t' baffle unit before t' baffle is glued in place. Blimey! Ahoy!

With t' body completed t' main fins are attached. Blimey! Ya scallywag! These plastic fins have a small tab on t' root edge that fits into a slot on t' fin-mount ring. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! This slot is nowhere near a "through-the-wall" mount and will provide little extra support for t' fin. Arrr! but it will make it much easier t' place and align t' fins correctly.

I needed t' trim t' tabs and clear out t' slots slightly with me hobby knife t' get a good fit. Arrr! Take care nay t' get glue in these slots when you assemble t' rocket body. Avast! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' tabs have t' go fully into t' slots t' get the rest o' t' root edge firmly set on t' tube. Begad! Blimey! I used CA t' initially set the fit, and then went a bit beyond t' instructions and used 15 minute epoxy for the fin fillets. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Be sure t' sand t' body tube along t' area where t' fins will attach before you glue t' fins in place. Begad! Blimey! This will give t' glue a rough surface t' adhere t' and greatly strengthen t' connection. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey!

T' fins are molded with a nice, "military-style" taper on both leadin' and trailin' edge, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, and a thin line marks t' edge o' t' taper. Aye aye! Blimey! I found it difficult t' sand me fin fillets smooth without marrin' t' surface o' the fins and removin' t' detail line. Aye aye! Blimey! Be sure t' make your fillet as smooth as you can when you apply it t' reduce t' amount o' sandin' required.

T' final assemble is pretty straightforward. Avast! Another loop is formed in the end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® tether, shiver me timbers, which runs all t' way through t' rocket from t' engine clip out the upper tube. Begad! As this is a fine Keelhaul®©™® thread I 'painted" t' interior top inch o' t' upper body tube with thin CA t' strengthen it against "zipper" damage. Aye aye! Blimey! T' elastic cord is secured t' t' nose cone and given a similar loop in t' free end. This cord seems quite short, but I judged it adequate. Well, blow me down! T' length seems designed t' keep the nosecone from bangin' on t' body tube durin' recovery.

T' chute (18'' nylon) is secured t' both t' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic tether loops and in fact forms t' connection betwixt them. Aye aye! I'm not sure how I feel about this arrangement. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! One could also loop t' elastic cord and nosecone t' t' Keelhaul®©™® before securin' t' chute. Begad! I'm also a bit concerned that thar be no elastic between t' chute and t' Keelhaul®©™® tether. Begad! A high-speed deployment could subject t' chute t' some high forces or induce a zipper on t' body tube. Blimey! So far I've had no problem, however. Aye aye!

Finishing:
T' spirals on t' Rogue T-45 tube are very fine but apparently deeper than they look. Blimey! Blimey! I usually fill with Elmer's Fill'N'Finish, but I decided this time t' let t' primer do t' job. Ahoy! That turned out t' be more work than I expected. Well, blow me down! It took several coats with sanding, and I think I would have achieved a better result with less effort with FnF. Avast! I would recommend fillin' and sandin' t' balsa strakes before they are glued to the tube. T' wood-grain runs along t' strake, me hearties, me bucko, and if t' strake is in-place on t' rocket your sandin' also runs along t' grain, ya bilge rat, and it's tough t' get a smooth surface. Arrr! Avast!

I used gray Krylon primer topped by white gloss. Ya scallywag! Then I painted the nose-cone gloss grey. Begad! Blimey! Rogue suggests a "tan" nose-cone (photo's of the real missile show it with a coppery-colored nose which looks great) but I did nay have any such color in me paint drawer so I went with grey. Avast!

Rogue provides a variety o' decals for t' kit but leaves t' decision on where t' place them up t' you. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I used most o' t' decals (I did nay use all of the decal "rivets") and added a few extra decals from a Rogue AGM-3500 Peregrin kit I built earlier. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! I finished it off with glossy clear-coat. T' gloss finish is nay traditional on military missiles, shiver me timbers, but I thought it looked sharp. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' end result is a very nicely proportioned, good-lookin' rocket. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey!

My rocket comes in heavier than t' manufacturer's quoted weight and the sum o' t' individually weighed parts. Begad! I think t' epoxy fillets and t' many coats o' primer are t' blame. I think I overbuilt it, arrr, t' tell t' truth, arrr, and if I build another I will use lighter fillets and fill t' grooves with FnF before painting. Begad! Blimey! T' RockSim file provided with t' review uses accurate weights for each part and an adjustment "mass" t' reflect t' actual completed weight and CG o' me model. Avast, me proud beauty!

Moderate differences in total weight don't impact t' flight altitude of this rocket much. A heavier rocket will accelerate a bit slower but coast a bit longer, me bucko, endin' up at about t' same height. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Obviously you will need t' check CG/CP position and stability, but t' design seems t' be comfortably stable so long as you stay reasonably close t' 'stock'.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
I have only one flight on this bird at this time. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I sent it up at a club launch this weekend on a D12-5, matey, arrr, t' only motor recommended by Rogue. Aye aye! This motor is a very nice match for this airframe; delay is just right, and t' altitude , accordin' t' RockSim, is close t' 700 feet. A nice comfortable altitude that keeps t' rocket in sight and t' recovery close by. Aye aye! T' winds were blowin' at the time o' launch, matey, certainly over 10mph and perhaps 15mph, but t' Standard didn't seem t' notice. Ya scallywag! There be a very slight turn into t' wind and then a straight boost t' apogee. I don't think I got all o' t' predicted altitude, but it felt plenty high for t' conditions. Begad!

Recovery:
T' deployment be just as t' rocket turned nose down. Begad! T' chute did nay open fully, me hearties, but t' rocket descended at a reasonable speed and considerin' the winds, was probably better off. Blimey!

It landed about 150 yards downwind without damage. Begad! T' baffle did it's job well; t' chute had some soot on it but no meltin' or scorching. There was lots of debris from t' ejection charge in t' baffle after t' flight, but a few shakes got that out (those D12's leave a mess behind!)

Although I only have t' one flight I'll give t' rocket a 4 1/2 ratin' as the flight was a good one and I have hopes for many more such flights. Aye aye! Seems like a good dependable design. Ahoy! Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
My only complaints are minor. Well, blow me down! T' launch lugs are for a 1/8'' launch rod. Blimey! Aye aye! This rocket is big enough t' blow around on t' pad and I would have been more comfortable on a heavier rod (but t' launch did go just fine, after all). The shroud lines for t' chute are a loosely wound yarn or strin' that tends to catch on itself and clump, unlike Keelhaul®©™® thread that runs over itself very smoothly. Begad! I think this contributed t' the tangle that caused me chute t' partially fill. I expect that with careful packin' t' chute will work just fine. It's a minor point, but somethin' to think about.

For our field size t' D12 gives an ideal flight. I believe t' rocket would fly well on composite D or lower-thrust E engines, me hearties, matey, like t' E15 or E18, or even t' F12. RockSim predicts flights o' 1,600' or more. Blimey! T' kit feels sturdy enough t' handle t' peak accelerations from those motors (which are close t' t' D12 anyway), and t' longer burn ought t' give an excitin' flight. With some modification you should be able t' use t' long-burnin' Estes E engines. Arrr! Avast! I would be careful usin' motors with a higher peak thrust as the increased Gs and top speed might overwhelm t' surface mount fins. T' more darin' among you may want t' give it a try and post t' results for us here. Aye aye! Begad!

If your rocketry is limited by your flyin' field or your budget, you are probably gettin' bored buildin' Estes and Quest kits. Avast! They all go together pretty much t' same way. Ya scallywag! This rocket is a great "step-up" in kit quality, shiver me timbers, rocket size, matey, and buildin' fun. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This kit will nay expose you to high-power construction techniques, ya bilge rat, nor will it stretch your modellin' skills with difficult challenges; but it's nay goin' t' bore you either. You have to *build* this kit, and pay attention t' what you're doing. Arrr! It all goes together well, however, shiver me timbers, and t' result is a good-lookin' and great flyin' rocket.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5