Brief:
Very basic mid-powered rocket. Well, blow me down! Easy t' build and it flies very well.

Construction:
Normal paper body tube and motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Balsa nose cone (when was t' last time you saw that in a mid power kit). Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' centerin' rings are very cheap, ya bilge rat, poor quality and splintery. Arrr! T' fins are also cheap plywood and one be slightly warped. Well, blow me down! Avast! There be no provision for motor retention. Elastic shock cord was pretty much par for t' mid-power course. Avast, me proud beauty! T' parachute be paper, and fairly high quality. T' launch lug is a 1/4" mylar lug (like Estes, just fatter). Ya scallywag! T' 29 mm t' 24 mm adapter is one o' t' better ones out thar and I've standardized on this design. Ahoy! It works wonderfully and is light weight, arrr, as long as you use some form o' mechanical retention. Well, blow me down!

T' rocket is meant t' have surface mounted fins and for such a light rocket, me bucko, I saw no reason t' change that. Aye aye! Begad! A good epoxy joint is more than strong enough for this light rocket. Arrr! I added a #6 blind T-nut and a screen door clip to hold t' motor in place. Good epoxy joints on t' motor mount makes is plenty sturdy enough. Well, blow me down! I added a length o' light, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, tubular Keelhaul®©™® (available from Pratt Hobbies) t' t' forward centerin' rin' for t' recovery system attach point. Avast, me proud beauty! I fiber-glassed t' body in a single wrap o' 2 oz fiberglass cloth and I applied t' same t' t' fins. This gives a very strong surface and makes the rocket last longer. Avast! Avast! I expect this rocket t' get a lot o' flights. T' fins were attached with a thick bead o' 5 minute epoxy. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Then I filleted t' sides o' the fins with t' same epoxy. Blimey! Avast! I attached t' launch lug with 5 minute epoxy as well. Avast! Arrr! I threw out t' elastic shock cord and substituted a good 10' o' braided nylon cord. Blimey! This is attached t' t' tubular Keelhaul®©™® and gets it out o' t' way of t' ejection charge. I added a Nomex® shield so I don't have t' use wadding (I hate waddin' in bigger rockets).

Finishing:
After sandin' t' fiberglass surfaces, me bucko, I applied 2 coats o' sandable, ya bilge rat, arrr, scratch fillin' primer. Blimey! This be followed by two coats o' flat white Krylon. Ahoy! Blimey! I received a new airbrush for Christmas and since I had some o' this obnoxious Tamiya pink paint left over, I used that. Aye aye! Aye aye! I didn't have quite enough t' really finish the job. T' paint scheme is a work in progress.

Construction Rating: 2 out o' 5

Flight:
When you look at it, it's t' very image o' a basic rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Nice lines actually. It flies very well too. So far all t' boosts in calm weather have been very straight. Arrr! Avast! Wind does cause some weather cocking, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but nay too much. Ahoy! The rocket is o' a very standard shape, shiver me timbers, so most altitude prediction software will be accurate with this design. Begad!

Recovery:
I'm usin' a 3' long piece o' tubular Keelhaul®©™® attached t' t' forward centering ring. This is then attached t' about 10' o' braided nylon. Arrr! T' parachute is attached via snap swivel in a loop at t' shock cord end. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone is attached t' a loop about 3' down from t' parachute. T' Nomex® shield is attached where t' Keelhaul®©™® meets t' nylon. I need t' get a bigger shield. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I'll probably get one form Rocket Rage. Blimey! I liked t' looks o' their stuff at ROCStock. Right now I'm usin' a smallish Pratt shield and I get a hole in the chute every other flight. Descent on an 18" chute is very fast, but doesn't seem t' damage t' rocket and minimizes t' drift.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
PROs: It's easy, cheap and pretty much a normal beater rocket. Arrr! Blimey! I'm expecting this t' be me soundin' rocket that I fly t' check launch conditions. Ahoy! Blimey! PROs: It's nice shape and has good lines. It flies really well on E and F motor and really moves out on Gs, so it's cheap t' fly. Avast! Blimey! CONs: T' entire stock recovery system needs replacing. CONs: Typical balsa nose cone problems. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You'll forever be repairin' nose cone dings. No big deal for those who know about balsa nose cones, but it might be a problem for plastic nose cone folks. Begad! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5

MANUFACTURER's OPINION:
"7/00 - I noted t' comments made by Mr. Ahoy! Blimey! Urbanek regardin' motor retention not bein' considered in t' USR All Weather kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I find this comment t' be simply not true. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! In fact motor retention is one o' t' central BENEFITS o' all USR kits as outlined in AIR-3 included in all cluster kits and AIR-1 included in all kits. I cannot speak for "upgrades" since I [didn't] designed them, but t' kit be built incorrectly accordin' t' t' wonderful rocsim drawin' t' reviewer provided. I believe a review should at least include a discussion o' t' stock design even if the builder replaces t' recovery system so hailed by other reviewers." (J.I.) 

AUTHOR's RESPONSE:
"7/00 - AIR-1 discusses t' wisdom o' avoidin' thrust rings in t' motor tube and the use o' tape thrust rings (hardly new ideas). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! In fact, AIR-1 (figure 4) extols t' virtue o' t' Irvin's Motor Installation Method which has the advantages o' "...unlimited motor length as well as secure ejection retention". Ahoy! Blimey! This method uses a motor hook. Blimey! Blimey! No motor hook, ya bilge rat, however, ya bilge rat, was included in t' kit. I had t' ADD somethin' t' t' kit t' effect ejection retention. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! As t' kit was, even t' parts needed t' implement AIR-1 were absent. Blimey! Blimey! Hardly a benefit.

It be nay built incorrectly. Begad! Perhaps this writer is nay aware that US Rockets has changed t' All-Weather design so that it is now sold with a 29 mm motor mount.

Here are t' changes I made. Blimey! Aye aye! All o' them were t' make t' basic kit more durable:
1: Added 1 layer o' 2 oz fiberglass t' body and fins. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! In retrospect, ya bilge rat, 1/2 oz fiberglass would have been better and lighter, matey, but I used what I had on hand.
2: Added single T-Nut, screw and hook for motor retention
3: Anchored e feet o' tubular Keelhaul®©™® t' forward centerin' ring.
4: Tied 10 feet o' braided nylon t' t' Keelhaul®©™®.
5: Replaced 18" paper parachute with 18" nylon parachute
6: Added a Nomex® shield.
7: Didn't cut t' cut t' launch lug in half.

Modification added 112g, me hearties, or about 4 oz t' t' predicted weight. I don't think that a painted All-Weather would ever weigh a mere 4.8 oz though.

T' stock recovery system be a simple, unimaginative upscale o' an Estes recovery system. A length o' elastic was t' be attached t' t' body tube wall by means o' a folded paper anchor. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' parachute was a cheap paper chute (yes paper). Begad! Begad! T' me mind, me hearties, this parachute was goin' t' be hard to protect adequately, and if it did ignite, might pose a fire hazard.

Far from bein' 'hailed', matey, US Rockets, without exception, me hearties, has t' worst recovery systems in t' business. Begad! T' All-Weather's recovery system was the cheapest one can get away with. T' 'recovery system' that I received with me high power Mega-Roc was an insult. They actually thought that I should try t' recover a 4" diameter x 84" long rocket with four 24" parachutes. Aye aye! And what parachutes! They barely qualified for that name. Blimey! They were 4 octagons o' very thin, very porous fabric, nay hemmed, not finished, matey, but cut out with pinkin' shears. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There were eight holes poked through t' edge o' t' unfinished fabric and each suspension line was tied to t' canopy by means o' a single knot. Ahoy! Utterly appalling.

So don't talk t' me about US Rockets recovery systems. Arrr! They were t' very worse features o' otherwise passable kits." (D.U.)