Brief:
This is a scale-like rocket. The Lance Beta uses 8 fins instead of the normal 3 or 4. It is single staged and recovers with a red nylon parachute.

Construction:
This was my first high powered rocket and the instructions were easy to follow. There were several diagrams to aid me as I built the rocket. This is a very sturdy rocket and can be flown many times. The only problem was the upper set of fins need quite a bit of reinforcement since they are surface mounted. All the parts fit together fine in this rocket. The only part that required sanding besides the fins were the two plastic centering rings.

A few bullets about the kit:

• One body tube
• A plastic nose cone, seems to dent easily
• A Gorilla Shock Cord recovery system attached through the upper centering ring
• Gorilla-Lok Motor retention - locked by a plastic screw on cap. It screwed into bottom centering ring.
• Bottom fins are through-the-wall but the upper weren't
• Two launch lugs were made of cardboard and attached to the sides of the fins
• Two plastic centering rings
• 7 foot (approx) strap nylon shock cord
• Multiple page instructions - clear with several illustrations

Finishing:
This kit comes with a load of different decals. They vary from orange stripes to US Army decals. Basically you just paint the rocket white and stick the decals you'd like to the body tube. So the decals wouldn't peel as much, I covered with a final coat of Krylon clear spray.

Construction Rating: 4

Flight:
On the first flight of this kit I used a F62-4 Darkstar motor, produced by NCR. The only problem was the motor didn't easily fit into the motor tube. I ended up just peeling off the sticker, so it wasn't a big problem. I used quite a few sheets of Estes wadding to prevent the 'chute from melting. The flight itself was straight and the ejection charge fired as the rocket arced over.

Recovery:
The recovery went well. It descended at a perfect speed into the soft cornfield. Upon examination I noticed the parachute was slightly scorched, but not too badly. For the next flight I plan to add a swivel to the chute to prevent spinning of the shock cord.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary:
This is a great rocket for a person new to mid/high power rocketry. The only major downfall to this kit is you must use NCR motors because the motor mount is 28.5 mm rather than the usual 29 mm, so Aerotech motors won't fit into the tube. Otherwise this is an excellent rocket.

Overall Rating: 4