Well, I've been drawn t' a number o' Thrustline kits, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so add t' A-SLAM t' me growin' list. Arrr! Why did I select this rocket? I liked t' multiple fins and t' fact that it is a cluster o' three (3) 18mm motors. Blimey! Nay t' many cluster kits out there, me bucko, so I be glad t' get this one with their Smoke and Fire kit (three 24mm cluster; t' be reviewed soon).

Another thin' that makes t' A-SLAM interesting, ya bilge rat, t' me, is that it is a 2.27" diameter kit. Avast! Blimey! I do nay believe I have ever built a 2.27" kit.

T' rocket includes a 17" long, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 2.27" diameter, white paper body tube for t' main body and a 4.5" balsa nose cone t' make up t' 21.5" length. Begad! T' kits includes plenty o' 1/8" balsa for t' fins, ya bilge rat, two (2) laser-cut plywood centerin' rings, me hearties, and three (3) 18mm motor tubes with thrust rings. T' recovery system made up o' a Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, elastic shock cord and an 18" mylar parachute. Aye aye! T' finish things up thar be a 1/8" Launch Lug, arrr, a bag o' BB's for nose weight, and some water slide decals (which shipped later).

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on five pages (single-sided) o' 8½ x 11" paper. Avast, me proud beauty! There are black&white photos throughout t' assist in t' assembly o' t' kit. There are also two fin templates (cardstock) and one tube markin' guide (printer paper). Arrr! Lastly, matey, thar are Mylar parachute assembly instructions on another single page. Ahoy! T' kit would probably be considered a skill level 3 kit.

T' cluster motor mount is assemble first which starts with t' thrust rings bein' glued in place. Begad! Then t' three (3) 18mm motor tubes are glued together. Aye aye! I should mention that I added a threaded stud for motor retention. Blimey! I glued this in place betwixt t' three (3) motor tubes.

Next, ya bilge rat, t' 3/32" laser-cut plywood centerin' rings are glued onto t' motor tubes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Interestingly, ya bilge rat, matey, t' center "triangle" o' t' centerin' rin' needed t' be taken out. Avast! Blimey! It is nay interestin' that it couldn't stay in there, ya bilge rat, it is interestin' that it was thar t' begin with. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' rings require just a touch o' sandin' t' fit nicely. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

You are then instructed t' drill a small hole through t' upper centerin' rin' and thread t' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether through it. Blimey! Blimey! It is then tied around all three motor tubes. Ahoy! Blimey! Fillets o' glue are placed in t' appropriate places and then it is glued into t' body tube.

Next, matey, arrr, matey, t' body tube is marked usin' t' fin markin' guide. Avast, me proud beauty! My tube markin' guide did nay fit, however, me hearties, after an e-mail t' Thrustline I'm confident that future kits will nay have this problem. I used an Estes Tube Markin' Guide t' mark me tube.

Next, me hearties, t' fins are cut out o' t' 1/8" balsa stock (4 o' each type, me bucko, which is considered t' be obvious since t' instructions don't tell you how many t' cut out). Aye aye! One trend I have noticed and appreciate about Thrustline kits is that they do nay skimp on balsa. Begad! I probably could have made 6-8 fins out o' all t' stock! Bravo!

T' fins are sanded, airfoiled, ya bilge rat, and glued in place. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Alignment o' t' upper with lower fins is important for looks and flight stability, so take your time on these.

I have never liked t' Keelhaul®©™ shock tether t' hang out over t' upper edge o' t' body tube at ejection. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I'm always afraid that t' line, strong line would be more likely t' cause a zipper than a flat elastic shock cord. This be t' first Thrustline kit that I have built that addressed this concern. Arrr! They did so in a unique way as well. Aye aye! Even though t' Keelhaul®©™ line is very long, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' instructions have you tie off a loop so that is stops just inside t' body tube. Ahoy! Aye aye! Great job. Blimey! T' this, arrr, matey, t' 35" o' 1/4" elastic shock cord is tied.

Next, t' balsa nose cone gets our attention. Several holes are drilled into t' nose cone, me bucko, me bucko, while leavin' t' center untouched for t' installation o' t' eye-screw. Avast, me proud beauty! T' provided BBs are put in t' holes and they are filled with glue. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions don't say what kind o' glue, but I would strongly recommend epoxy. After this, shiver me timbers, t' eye-screw is screwed/glued into t' center o' t' nose cone.

Me, I like t' handle this a bit different. I went ahead and drilled a center hole, me bucko, filled it half way with BB's and then filled it t' t' top with epoxy. Begad! While t' epoxy be still wet, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I set t' eye-screw in place. Begad! I think this is stronger than screwin' t' eye-screw into t' balsa. Begad! Well, blow me down! May be a six t' one, half-dozen t' another though.

T' nose cone tricked me. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! After I was ready, I test fit it into t' body tube and it was too tight. Ya scallywag! I sanded it until it fit nicely. Arrr! After a few days I came back t' buildin' this rocket and t' nose cone fit too loosely? Huh? I'm thinkin' thar was some humidity swell that had occurred when I fit test fit it. Begad! Regardless, shiver me timbers, it now has 1 wrap o' tape t' have it fit well.

Thrustline does give finishin' guidance. Begad! They suggest sealing, arrr, ya bilge rat, sandin' and usin' a tack cloth. Avast, me proud beauty! T' usin' a sandable primer, arrr, sandin' in-between.

I soaked me fins with CA, shiver me timbers, then used by typical multiple coats o' Plastic-Kote Primer. Blimey! I finished it usin' Walmart $0.97 Red paint for t' body and White paint for t' fins. Thrustline had sent decals after t' kit arrived, me bucko, so I believe future kits will have water-slide decals. Blimey! I did nay use them.

Overall, ya bilge rat, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Fit o' parts was good. Quality o' parts be good. Begad! Instructions are good. My only complaint is that thar be no motor retention system.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Thrustline recommends (3) A8-3, B4-4 and C6-5 motors.

Thrustline indicates t' rocket should weigh 4.5 ounces. Begad! My rocket weighed in at 5.6 ounces with an empty CG at 11" from t' nose cone. I'm thinkin' some o' that delta is in t' nose weight, matey, which accordin' t' t' beta-test (see review below) needed adjusted. Blimey! As well, I added t' threaded stud and I have many coats o' primer t' try t' get a smooth finish.

I decided t' fly it for t' first time on a three (3) A8-3's. I loaded t' motors and then screwed a nut onto me threaded stud. Aye aye! Begad! I then loaded in 6-7 sheets o' wadding, and put in t' parachute. Arrr! It was now ready t' fly. Aye aye! Blimey!

I used a D.B.M. Rocketry 3-Motor Cluster cable and set it up on t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' flight be a great first flight. Ahoy! It didn't go very high, me guess is about 75 feet (I have nay simmed this one). Well, blow me down! T' rocket descended faster than I suspected. Well, blow me down! I had initially thought t' 18" parachute be too big for this rocket. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I was prepared t' reef it or cut a spill hole. Blimey! Aye aye! No need.

T' second flight was usin' three (3) B6-4's. Wow! I be super fast off t' pad. Ahoy! Ahoy! It surprised me. Aye aye! It was still goin' up upon ejection, but be close enough. Pop, ya bilge rat, expand and descend. Aye aye! Recovered.

Third flight was on (3) B4-4's. Well, blow me down! Tryin' t' slow it down a bit for a picture. Ahoy! This time it came off t' pad and had a slight tail swirl on t' way up. Well, blow me down! Most likely motor related since I did nay see that on t' B6's. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! It was nay straight up either, shiver me timbers, which was probably due t' wind or rod whip.

T' rocket's diameter required 6-7 sheets o' waddin' and I also stuff 1/3rd o' a piece into t' top o' each motor (above t' cap). Arrr! Doin' this protected t' parachute and thar be no sign o' burning/melting.

T' bright metallic parachute has great visibility and adds t' t' kit. T' Keelhaul®©™ to elastic shock cord system is excellent.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 5 points. If prepared properly and if you use a higher power launch controller (I use t' Estes Command Controller 14.4V), then you will see a good number o' flights on this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! T' cluster makes it fun, too. Aye aye!

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Begad! It is nay easy t' find clusters in model rockets, me bucko, but Thrustline's A-SLAM is one that I would recommend. Aye aye! On A8-3's, matey, it would make a good demo rocket. Begad! On B6's or B4's it is a good "football" field flier. I'm lookin' forward t' flyin' it on some C's and boy, oh, boy if I could get three Aerotech D21's!