Brief:
Single-stage scale-like High Power rocket kit.

Construction:
This was my second kit from PML, and my biggest rocket yet. The parts were typical of PML kits: sturdy, paper-phenolic airframe, heavy-duty plastic nose cone, G-10 fiberglass fins, and assemblies for the "Kwik-Switch" mount and ejection piston. All parts were present and in good shape.

I found the instructions easy to follow and well laid-out, like the other PML kit I've made. The only thing you have to watch out for is aligning the fins properly. Since the Endeavour has a split-fin design, care must be taken to make sure the front and rear fins are perfectly aligned. As I added each set of fins, I first set the forward fin, making sure it was perpendicular to the airframe, let the epoxy set, then set the rear fin in place while holding my drafting rule along the fin to ensure proper alignment. I built the kit stock with no modifications, other than adding threaded inserts for the PML motor retainer.

Finishing:
The only special attention that PML kits require when finishing is filling in the spiral grooves, which seem to be more pronounced on the phenolic tubes than on normal paper tubes. I made the mistake of not filling in the spirals on my Ariel, and I decided from the start that I wouldn't make that mistake with the Endeavour. I used Elmer's Fill-n-Finish to fill the grooves, then sanded the tubes smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. The result is a vast improvement over my Ariel.

I had a hard time deciding what colors to paint my Endeavour. My kit came with a blue and orange parachute, so I decided to use a Denver Broncos color scheme. Since I live in Denver, this made a lot of sense. First I sprayed the entire rocket with two coats of Krylon primer, then I painted the body with Krylon Gloss Blue. I painted the nose with Krylon Orange. The results were very attractive, but it needed more orange near the rear of the rocket to "balance" the colors. So I cut two two-inch strips out of Monokote self-stick adhesive vinyl and applied them around the body above the fins. The finishing touch was a small Broncos emblem which I cut out of a bumper sticker and stuck to one of the fins.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
One of the neat things about this and many other PML kits is the "Kwik-Switch" motor mount. In just a few seconds, you can change between 29mm, 38mm, and 54mm motors. In the case of the Endeavour, however, I probably wouldn't fly it on anything smaller or larger than a 38mm. But it's nice to have that kind of versatility in motor selection right out of the kit.

I've flown the Endeavour twice, first on an AeroTech I161-S then on an AeroTech I211-M. These were successively the largest motors I've ever used, and result in impressive flights on the Endeavour. The I161 boosts the Endeavour to about 1,800 ft., while the I211 puts it to about 2,600 ft.

Flight preparation couldn't be much easier. Just drop in the nylon shock cord, followed by the piston and the parachute and the rest of the shock cord. PML says that no wadding is needed, but it makes me feel better to use a little bit of wadding on top of the motor mount to bear the brunt of the ejection charge flame. The Endeavour comes with no motor retention in the kit, so I chose to use PML's PMR system. Taking into consideration the Kwik-Switch motor mount, this seemed to be the easiest and most flexible method, though not necessarily the cheapest. Both flights were rock-solid stable and impressive. I plan to fly her next on an I284!

Recovery:
The stock 54" parachute seemed the perfect size for a rocket this large and heavy (about 4 1/2 lbs.). Both flights were recovered without a bit of damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Beautiful, impressive, stable bird. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite rockets. I rate this kit at an overall 4 1/2 points, deducting only a half-point for the care that must be taken when aligning the split fins, and the slight annoyance at having to fill the spiral grooves.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5