Brief:
Single stage, 3" diameter body tube, single 24mm motor mount, standard parachute recovery (although two twin chutes are used).

Construction:
The parts list:

• 3" x 14" body tube
• 11" nose cone with 75mm base in rocket
• 24 mm motor tube and engine hook sized for standard E engines (or D with included adapter)
• 3/16" x 2" launch lug
• Heavy cardboard centering rings for motor mount
• 4 Laser cut balsa fins
• 2 12" parachutes
• 1/4" x 48" main shock cord (body to nose cone)
• 2 1/8" x 24" shock cords for parachutes
• Sweet decal sheet

Ok, so having been a HPR nerd for some time I decided it was time to find a few kits I could build with my son and actually launch in nearby parks. I was careful in avoiding the mass-produced junk produced by the corporation whose name rhymes with testes. However, when poking around I encountered a paradox I haven't quite yet resolved. I found the "Mercury Engineering" web site whose name immediately conjured up wonderful "Mercury" visions of Alan Shepard, Gus "hatch blower" Grissom, The Right Stuff, Redstones... But also "Engineering" visions of pocket protector slide rule packing nerdy engineers. These rockets were really cool, and engineers are specifically screened to rule out any coolness factor (trust me, I am one). I assumed the "Engineering" part of the name was honorary, much in the way Elvis's black belt in karate was.

When the reasonably priced kit arrived in record time, I realized I was probably wrong. The instructions were wonderfully detailed and professionally printed with illustrations that were probably to scale. The carefully packed kit contained quality components. I especially loved the parachutes, which appeared to be a coated nylon and laser cut to boot. Are you getting the picture here folks? Clearly this was a seriously type A personality putting these kits together who was cut from same polyester as the rest of us "enginerds". But it was a really cool rocket we couldn't wait to build. As for the paradox, my best guess is that somehow this engineer slipped through the anti-cool screening along with a very short list engineer exceptions well documented by Scott Adams of "Dilbert" fame who discovered that engineer Elmer Moline of Calgary had a second date at age twenty-three, engineer Anita Fluman in California who actually has rhythm, and most startling...engineer Hugh Hunklebein in Illinois who doesn't care how his television remote control works as long as it does. Let's add the "Mercury Engineer" to the list.

Construction was straightforward, following most conventional techniques. No alignment issues, fit issues, or other "gotchas" surfaced. Quality wood glue was recommended throughout, which I am sure is the best way to produce a lightweight sturdy rocket. So of course, we frequently substituted epoxy, which had a couple advantages perhaps unique to my situation: a maximum set time of 5 minutes (the approximate attention span of my son) and seriously annoying any women of the female gender in the house that were simultaneously offended by the odor and the fact that we were using this smelly goo on the same table they intended to eat dinner at. Good times.

Finishing:
The rocket had a really cool paint scheme and sweet decal. However, I estimated that this would take a few minutes beyond the 5-minute attention span I was dealing with so we opted for our patented bumblebee finish which we could complete with paint we had handy and a few strips of masking tape. Never fear, my son discovered the decal made an excellent embellishment to the back of my teenage daughter's shirt and had the added benefit of really annoying her. Nothing went to waste.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight and Recovery:
Mutant Daddy's maiden voyage used the manufacturer recommended E9-6. The flight was great, straight, and turned a few heads. Recovery preparations were carefully described in the instructions, but borrowing from my HPR materials, I fashioned a nice Kevlar® heat shield, bypassing the recommended wadding. The twin chutes deployed on cue and untangled for a smooth ride home. After a few flights of similar success, I couldn't resist launching the Mutant on a 24mm E40 reload. The rocket took off like a rifle shot, held a beautiful trajectory, and was recovered without incident or any structural integrity issues. Nonetheless, a note to my son and any other impressionable readers: Do as the manufacturer recommends, not as I do!

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
I'm sold. Great price for a fairly substantial rocket, quality components, easy build, sturdy rocket, and great flights. You'll have fun with this one.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5