Brief:
A smaller version of Aardvark's 7.6" sci-fi inspired sport rocket. Standard 3 fins with streamer recovery. Aardvark describes the rocket as "Mini Fantasy".

Construction:
Kit comes with supplied centering rings, engine block, body tube, motor mount tube, Kevlar® cord, elastic, mylar for streamer, pre-cut basswood fins, a custom nose cone, small eye screw, launch lug, & decal set.

Building instructions are easy to follow with building tips, ample illustrations, and a nice quality control check list to make sure all the parts are present before building.

This kit comes without any engine hook. I usually include engine hooks in all of my kits, but I decided to follow the instructions by the letter for construction. The basswood fins were beautiful and sanded well. I placed the fins using CA glue. I primed them with Zar's Woodpatch and paint primer. The Kevlar® is attached to the lower centering ring and fed up through the upper centering ring for extra protection. The elastic is quite long, as is the mylar streamer. As with other Aardvark rockets (see my review of the Aardvard 18 mm version of the AIM-C Phoenix), these kits come with a heavy, solid nose cone. As per instructions, I added the necessary washers and eye screw.

Finishing:
This is really a simple little rocket. I finished it with Krylon primer followed by a few coats of orange. I then masked off the rocket to give it a blue ring. I also painted the nose cone blue. I decided not to place the decals on the rocket as I did not like the look of a wavy American flag on the side of this rocket.

I think the rocket looks really smart. I like the fin shape and I love the heavy nose cone. Now I was ready to fly.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
I flew this rocket once on a windy day (10-15 mph winds). I used a B6-4. Prepping is quite easy. I added wadding (non-flammable, of course), rolled the streamer around a pencil, then placed the streamer inside the body tube. There is little room for the streamer and wadding, so care must be taken. Motor retension: scotch tape on the motor, due to the fact that there is no engine hook for the model. The flight was almost perfect, with a slight wobble on the ascent. I attribute this to the wind, but I will have to fly it again to observe. It just about disappeared from sight on a B6, so I can't say if ejection was at or after apogee. The long, silver streamer makes for easy spotting in the air, and the rocket returned unharmed. A very nice flight for a cute little rocket.

Recovery:
My only complaint about the Aardvark rockets is the mylar streamer is very large and takes up a lot of room in the body tube. Because of this, it is tempting to be skimpy on the wadding to make sure everything fits. My streamer after one flight showed signs of scorching. I think that had I added enough wadding, I could have prevented this.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This rocket is a nice alternative to the Quest, Custom and Estes brands. The parts are average to above average, the looks are unique, and the streamer makes for a nice rocket that can be flown on an athletic field.

What I generally like about Aardvark rockets are the fact that you have to cut your own fins. I was a bit surprised that this kit came with pre-cut fins. This, of course, makes for a nice little kit to share with beginning rocket builders.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5