Brief:
Single stage retro sci-fi rocket with mylar chute.

Construction:
The kit includes:

• 1 Paper body tube BT-55 size
• Balsa nose cone
• Screw eye
• 2' of 1/8" shock cord
• Tri-fold paper shock cord mount
• Motor mount (centering rings, 18mm tube, 2.75" engine hook)
• 1/8" launch lug
• 5 Laser cut balsa fins (two lower stabilizers, two wings, and a rudder)
• Wooden dowel for probe on rudder
• Water slide decal set

This is a straight forward modroc build with a retro sci-fi design. My build was a beta test so a couple minor details might change, but if they do it will be for the better.

The instructions are clear and concise. Anyone with any modroc experience at all will have no trouble following them. A first time builder would want to pay close attention and follow them exactly as written rather than to try to "figure out" or try their own steps or techniques. Tools used were a hobby knife, 100 and 320 grit sandpaper, masking tape and yellow glue.

The laser cut fins have small uncut connections to the balsa sheet to keep them in place. This requires a bit of careful cutting with a knife, but only straight down pressure is needed.

The five fins are of different sizes and the smaller ones clustered close together with the launch lug all on one side of the opposing "wing" fins. I found it difficult to get my big fingers in to do fine work with the larger fins already in place. If this is a problem for you, you can simply change the order of the fin placement and do the smaller, closer ones first.

The wooden dowel for the probe on the rudder is hard wood. Shaping it requires coarse grit paper. Dragging it across the paper while twisting it in your fingers assures an even shape.

The hard wood dowel doesn't want to stay on easily with a single glue bond. Use the double glue method of putting a small bit of glue on it and the rudder tip, let them halfway dry, apply more glue on both parts and they will adhere better and more quickly.

The shock cord is elastic which can dry out over a long time. I did not replace it with Kevlar® thread, because I've had no better luck with those in modrocs.

Finishing:
I just followed my regular modroc technique: sanding sealer, sanding, more sealer, more sanding, priming, painting, and decals. The relatively large wing and rudder fins require care when sanding--do not push too hard. I found it helpful to hold them on a table top with the rocket just over the edge to have a hard smooth surface to push against while sanding.

The decals are very cool but I didn't put them on because I have terrible luck with water slide decals. This isn't the kit's fault.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
My 2 flights were on B6-4s. It seemed to arc very slightly to the rudder side but it was hard to tell whether this was due to asymmetrical fins or weather cocking. It uses a motor hook but use at least a small bit of masking tape on the motor for a good gas seal anyway. I had seen the alpha version fly before (on Bs and Cs) and this one flew the same graceful path.

Recovery:
Shock cord anchor is the Estes tri-fold paper type, which is perfectly adequate for this small a rocket. The alternative, a Kevlar® thread on the engine mount would be harder to repair than simply putting in a new tri-fold anchor.

Recovery was gentle on the included mylar chute. Mylar tends to crinkle from heat, so use adequate wadding.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
A very nice design with good flight characteristics. Looks cool just sitting on the shelf too.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5