Brief
Delta winged pop-pod boost glider made of "Art-cor".

Construction
The materials came packed in the shipping box along with foam peanuts - the "minimalist" packaging approach I guess. Some small parts were loose in the box and could have been overlooked. The instructions were complete and mostly accurate. They warn correctly about most glue not working on the "Art-cor" material, which is like foam-core, but is a little thinner and has a plastic surface. I used epoxy for all glue joints because not much else will work for joining to the Art-cor material. Plastic glue and CA will dissolve it, wood glue won't stick to it.

The pop-pod comes pre-constructed, with the "weight" being an expended engine casing. The wings are already cut out and folded, leaving fairly simple construction. The nose cone has the shoulder cut off, and had been taped onto the end of the body tube. I could have done a neater taping job. I would also have left the shoulder and just removed the bottom of the nose cone.

The instructions recommend taping the edges of the wings to prevent delaminating, and I found that colored electrical tape worked well and looked good. The instructions and diagrams did not completely match the included parts for the elevator/tail, but it was obvious what was intended anyway. An elevator stop and trimming for glide are left to the builder to work out, so this kit is not for the beginner.

Finishing
Little finishing is needed, however I gave it a little spritz of bright colored spray paint to make it easier to see against snow on the ground. The Art-cor accepted paint readily, and needed no primer.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight
Recommended Motors: C6-3, C6-5
Motors used: C6-3, C6-5

This needs the shorter C6-3 delay. This was a little difficult to trim, but glided very well once a good trim was achieved. It seems just a little heavy for a C motor, but boosts straight. It is described as "the biggest glider you can do on a C". Reasonable enough. The transition to glide was "exciting" the first couple of flights until a good trim was achieved. Then it glides very well, and looks good doing it.

Prep for flight is simple: The motor is taped into the pod, the streamer is wrapped around the pod and the pod is inserted into the glider. A paper clip attached to the pod holds the elevator down during boost.

Recovery
This looks pretty streamlined, and tends to glide pretty fast. Once a good trim is attained it can glide for a very reasonable duration.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary
Pros: Looks good, quick flight turnaround
Cons: Some "rough" materials

The heavy aluminum tape made a very simple and flexible way to add nose weight to a glider. The "art-cor" material (like foam-core, but with a plastic surface) is nice for making large surface area wings quickly and cheaply. It probably won't see much use in contests, but there is something to be said for qualified flights :)

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5