Brief:
This is a downscale version of Fat Cat Rockets Ring Leader. It's distinguishing feature is the round tail fin and the 3 canards.

Construction:
1 38mm body tube
1 24mm motor mount tube
2 plywood centering rings.
1 thick walled plastic nose cone
2 lengths of Kevlar® cord
3 plywood rear fins
3 plywood canards
1 18" nylon parachute
instructions

This kit comes with well thought out and easy to follow instructions including templates for the fins.

Before putting this kit together I had decided to add a motor retainer. Further, after looking at the instructions I also decided to modify the nose cone attachment, and as a last minute decision, decided to do without the canards.

I followed the instructions except I added a modified Aerotech motor retainer cut down for 24mm short engines. I cut a notch in the forward centering ring to allow it to slip over the engine retainer and cut an entire section of the rear centering ring out to allow the retainer to move. The motor mount was then installed normally. (see picture)

The nose cone was modified by tying shock cord, (not supplied with kit) through the center of a water bottle cap and then gluing the bottle cap on the in side of the nose cone. The reason for this modification is that I hate using Kevlar® for a shock cord.

This kit went together extremely well, all parts fit as they should have, and if anything this rocket is over-designed by a long ways. I used CA and epoxy as glue and the fin alignment template was a extra touch of class added to an already well designed kit.

Pros: for this kit is just about everything.

Cons: for construction, NONE.

Finishing:
Following a somewhat hard and fast rule about rocket kits, I don't finish them until after their third flight which this rocket did several hours before sitting down to write this.

There are no decals with this kit, but a good model painter with a little imagination should be able to turn this rocket into a real looker.

Standard materials used to build so should take paint well including the nose cone. The launch lugs will have to be taped of to do a good job on this bird. the lugs are a tight fit on our 1/4 inch rod and paint on the inside would only add to that.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motor for the Lil Leader is either a D12-3 or a E15-7 and at least the D12-3 is an excellent choice for this rocket. If you use a rocket altitude prediction program, be careful with this one. Both of the programs I use indicate a 5 second delay for the D12 but on all three flights ejection was at apogee.

Flight 1 D12-3 Good flight, est alt 500 ft., est speed 120 mph, est speed at ejection 0 mph

(descent was slow and graceful on the 18" parachute supplied with the kit, but in any type of wind will drift a fair distance. I went to a 12" chute which works fine for this rocket.)

Flight 2 D12-3 Good flight, est alt 500 ft., est speed 120 mph, est speed at ejection 0 mph

Flight 3 D12-3 Good flight, est alt 500 ft., est speed 120 mph, est speed at ejection 0 mph

All in all, This is a good little rocket to fly. there was little to no windcocking even in 20KPH winds and flew straight and true on all three flight. I had hoped to get at least one flight on an Aerotech E15-7 but I can't get any in this neck of the Country at this time.

Recovery:
The shockcord on this rocket is/was Kevlar®. I modified that at the time of construction to use both Kevlar®, which is attached to the motor mount and flat elastic attached to the nose cone. This rocket does not have a baffle so wadding must be used. The first flight of this rocket showed the the well constructed parachute was more than necessary and can be exchanged for a smaller chute in windy conditions.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This rocket is over designed and made to last. with it's thick body tube and outer ring fin, anything but a core sample situation will do little more than scratch the paint. It should really scream on an E15.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5