Brief:
This kit looks very retro. I'm expecting Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian to come crawling out of the hatch at any moment. It is the first kit from a brand new company called Pemberton Technologies. Although it's called 3FNC, it's not your ordinary 3 fins and a nose cone rocket.

Construction:
I don't usually list the components of a kit in a review, but there are so many good ones in this kit I had to list them.

The kit includes:

• 3" PML Nose Cone
• PML BT
• PML 29mm MMT
• Ejection baffle ring
• Card stock transitions
• Wire motor retainer
• Centering rings
• Basswood fin stock
• Fin pods
• 18" nylon chute
• Brass launch lugs
• Nose weight
• Eye screw and hardware
• Tubular nylon shock cord
• Fin pattern sheet
• Fin alignment guide
• Fully pre-assembled steel lead cable
• Waterslide decals
• Nomex® chute heat shield
• Bod wad recovery wadding (Bag of dog barf)
• A set of instructions in full color

The instructions are very impressive to say the least. The pictures are so detailed that you could almost build the rocket without reading a word! They are written with great care and detail but are lighthearted and fun to read. Don't get ahead of the directions when you are building it. There are steps that need to be done in specific order. Since this rocket is different from any other rocket, I recommend reading them start to finish before starting. You'll get a good sense of how it goes together and you have fun reading them. In fact, I've never laughed so much reading directions!

They give you two shroud templates in case you screw one up.

With the Nomex® heat shield, Top Flight parachute, and even motor retention, this kit has everything you could possibly need to launch except for a motor. The nylon chute and the Nomex® chute protector are a sweet touch to the recovery system, but the chute is on the small side for this rocket. Fin pods are a nice touch and really add to the retro look.

The instructions explain that you absolutely must coat the basswood fins in thinned epoxy or it will shred. This is a difficult and time consuming process. I opted to take my chances and soak the fins in thin CA glue. I can't say for sure that it is just as strong but it should be. What I can say for sure is that its ready to sand within an hour, the sanding goes much quicker and it ends up being lighter. A word of caution: These are large fins and will take quite a bit of CA. I strongly advise doing this outside if you choose to go this route.

The kit comes with brass launch lugs. A lot of people like these and I have used them in the past, but I decided to use regular cardboard ones because it reduces the weight and they provide a strong bond. Brass needs to be roughed up to get a good bond and even with that, adhesives just don't stick to brass. This is not a problem with the kit, just a personal preference.

I added an extra 50 grams of nose weight so I could fly bigger motors. Mine came in at 490 grams completed.

Finishing:
After sanding the fins smooth, the kit was a breeze to finish. Since there was only a few inches of body tube, I opted to fill the spirals with spot putty. A few coats of primer sealed it up. I used Rustoleum Metallic Silver to paint the whole rocket. I then applied the decals and she was complete. The decals are nice quality and went on nicely but don't keep them in the water longer than necessary because the colors will run.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The whole recovery system concept on this rocket is as innovative as I have ever seen. I found the recovery assembly difficult to pack. The steel leader kept getting in the way of the motor tube during assembly, but this is something I'm sure I'll get used to doing. The first flight was on an F25 to about 1,900 feet and straight as an arrow.

Recovery:
The recovery went flawless, but it landed a bit hard and one of the fins stuck in the ground. The CA must have done its job because there was no damage at all. I received several complements on the kit and the flight. Since I usually design odd things like this, everyone assumed I designed it. A few people had to know where I got it when I told them it was a kit. I did not use ant wadding in it, but there was no burn marks on the chute. You have the see the ejection design to appreciate it.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The quality of this kit and it parts is as good as it gets. Add to that the uniqueness of the design and the extras like the Nomex® chute protector, and you got yourself a top shelf product. (And imagine, this is only their first kit!)

CONs: I don't like paper transitions. I didn't feel that this would detract from my rating because it's only a personal preference. A balsa transition would have been better, but you can't have everything.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5