Well, I've been drawn t' a number o' Thrustline kits, ya bilge rat, so add t' A-SLAM t' me growin' list. Aye aye! Why did I select this rocket? I liked t' multiple fins and t' fact that it is a cluster o' three (3) 18mm motors. Ya scallywag! Nay t' many cluster kits out there, matey, 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, t' me, is that it is a 2.27" diameter kit. Aye aye! I do nay believe I have ever built a 2.27" kit.

T' rocket includes a 17" long, 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. Arrr! T' kits includes plenty o' 1/8" balsa for t' fins, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, two (2) laser-cut plywood centerin' rings, me hearties, and three (3) 18mm motor tubes with thrust rings. Blimey! T' recovery system made up o' a Keelhaul®©™ shock tether, arrr, elastic shock cord and an 18" mylar parachute. Begad! Ahoy! T' finish things up thar be a 1/8" Launch Lug, me hearties, a bag o' BB's for nose weight, shiver me timbers, matey, and some water slide decals (which shipped later).

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on five pages (single-sided) o' 8½ x 11" paper. Well, blow me down! There are black&white photos throughout t' assist in t' assembly o' t' kit. Well, arrr, blow me down! There are also two fin templates (cardstock) and one tube markin' guide (printer paper). Lastly, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Then t' three (3) 18mm motor tubes are glued together. I should mention that I added a threaded stud for motor retention. Ahoy! Blimey! I glued this in place betwixt t' three (3) motor tubes.

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

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

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

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

T' fins are sanded, arrr, airfoiled, and glued in place. Avast! Alignment o' t' upper with lower fins is important for looks and flight stability, me bucko, 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. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I'm always afraid that t' line, arrr, strong line would be more likely t' cause a zipper than a flat elastic shock cord. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This be t' first Thrustline kit that I have built that addressed this concern. They did so in a unique way as well. Even though t' Keelhaul®©™ line is very long, me hearties, t' instructions have you tie off a loop so that is stops just inside t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Great job. T' this, t' 35" o' 1/4" elastic shock cord is tied.

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

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

T' nose cone tricked me. After I was ready, I test fit it into t' body tube and it was too tight. 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 be some humidity swell that had occurred when I fit test fit it. Ahoy! Regardless, ya bilge rat, it now has 1 wrap o' tape t' have it fit well.

Thrustline does give finishin' guidance. Well, blow me down! They suggest sealing, sandin' and usin' a tack cloth. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' usin' a sandable primer, sandin' in-between.

I soaked me fins with CA, 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, so I believe future kits will have water-slide decals. Arrr! I did nay use them.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Avast! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Fit o' parts be good. Aye aye! Quality o' parts be good. Well, blow me down! Instructions are good. Aye aye! My only complaint is that thar be no motor retention system.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

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

Thrustline indicates t' rocket should weigh 4.5 ounces. Avast! My rocket weighed in at 5.6 ounces with an empty CG at 11" from t' nose cone. Ahoy! I'm thinkin' some o' that delta is in t' nose weight, ya bilge rat, which accordin' t' t' beta-test (see review below) needed adjusted. 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. Arrr! I loaded t' motors and then screwed a nut onto me threaded stud. Ya scallywag! I then loaded in 6-7 sheets o' wadding, and put in t' parachute. Arrr! It be now ready t' fly.

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

T' second flight was usin' three (3) B6-4's. Blimey! Wow! I be super fast off t' pad. Well, blow me down! It surprised me. Blimey! It was still goin' up upon ejection, but was close enough. Avast, me proud beauty! Pop, me bucko, expand and descend. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Recovered.

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

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). Begad! Begad! 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. Arrr! 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), ya bilge rat, then you will see a good number o' flights on this rocket. Ahoy! T' cluster makes it fun, shiver me timbers, arrr, too. Begad! Begad!

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