The kit comes with a 24" long, 1/16" thick body tube which by means of a 3" balsa transition connects to a 12" long payload section which is topped with an 4" long balsa nose cone. Its 24mm motor mount comes with laser-cut plywood centering rings and a motor retention clip. A set of three uniquely laser-cut 1/16" plywood fins help differentiate this rocket from others. It comes with a 24" rip-stop nylon parachute, and eye-screws for attaching the 1/2"-wide 72"-long elastic shock cord. It also includes two 3/16" brass launch lugs and a rub-on vinyl ASCENDER™ decal.

CONSTRUCTION:

The title page has a color illustration and a tube-marking guide on the back. There are six pages of construction instructions and a single page of operating instructions. There are many illustrations for ensuring accurate alignment and build. The instructions are in logical order and if followed can ensure a successful build. The introduction indicates that Nordic Rocketry kits are designed "for those with some experience building" model rockets, however, if all the instructions are read and followed this kit is probably a good kit for an intermediate builder looking for some 24mm flying experience. Nordic rates the kit a skill level 2.

The instructions recommend using 5-minute epoxy to assemble the kit which is what I used.

Although assembly of the Ascender™ is straight forward there are a couple of comments that should be made.

The shock cord is attached to an eye-screw that is attached to the upper centering ring of the motor mount. I had concerns over the durability of this design when I built Nordic's Meanie™. However, after 7 flights the Meanie's™ recovery system is still holding out. The other end of the shock cord on the Ascender™ is attached to the transition bulkhead via another eye-screw.

One suggestion that is not made in the instructions, is to tuck the shock cord back through the motor tube to avoid getting glue on it when installing the motor mount into the body tube.

A technique used in the construction of this kit, is to use a T-pin to poke holes along both sides of the centerline where the fins attach. This is done to allow the glue to seep into these holes making the attachment of the fins to the body tube stronger. They act like little rivets!

I deviated from this. Using a hobby knife, I make 3/16" slits perpendicular to the fin line and widen them by wiggling my hobby knife back-and-forth to open the slit up slightly. When I glue the fins onto the body tube, I use plenty of epoxy and push it into the slits using the fin edge. Later the exposed slits are filled when making the fillets. I find this technique strong and faster than pushing all the "T"-pin holes.

Since parachute deployment is from the main body tube, step 9 gives the builder the option of either gluing the nose cone to the payload section or leaving it accessible to be able to carry small payloads such as altimeters or location beepers. I opted to glue my nose cone on and worked for a smooth finish.

To start the finishing process I tried a new technique to seal the balsa nose cone and transition. I used TRIPP's water-based wood sealer. I put enough in a coffee can to be able to totally immerse the balsa pieces. I sanded in-between and did this about 3 times. A nice and smooth finish. Nordic recommends using a wood putty to fill the grains followed by a sanding sealer.

Then after prepping for painting with Plasti-Kote primer, the Ascender was painted with an automotive teal/green lacquer paint. Turned out nice after adding the gold self-adhesive vinyl decal. I really like these vinyl decals. I really like these vinyl decals. Just be sure to follow the instructions carefully and only apply pressure on the letters AFTER you are sure the paint is fully cured. If you do this you will have a nice finish. Once complete, I hit the entire rocket with two light coats of Walmart Clear paint. Done!

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points. Even though I'm getting better working with balsa nose cones, they still to dent too easy . . . although they are very easy to repair!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I took this one out on a launch with just a couple of flying partners and put it through three flights using an Aerotech 24mm RMS casing. She flew on a D15-4, E28-4, and an F24-4. I should have used a 3-second delay on the "D" and a 6-second delay on the "F" although it worked out this time. The recommended motors are D12-3, E15-4, and E30-4.

Even though the motor mount has a clip, I use a tie-wrap to ensure I don't lose my RMS casing. I used sheets of wadding to protect the parachute. Deployment and recovery for each of the three flights was successful providing nice descent.

Because the elastic shock cord is attached to the motor mount, I thought I would add some protection from the hot exhaust gases. So I came up with my own protective sheath. I purchased some 2" wide aluminum tape and cut a piece 12" long, about 4" shorter than the top of the body tube to allow room for the wadding and parachute. I then folded the tape over on itself leaving 1/4" exposed and placed the shock cord lengthwise on the tape (in the future I'll do this before everything is assembled). Then folded the tape over the shock cord so that the 1/4" of exposed sticky portion can be folded over the top to make a sheath. Slide it all the way down over the eye-screw and pack the wadding so that just the tip of the sheath is exposed and voila' you have a protective sheath!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 1/2 points.

Overall, if someone is looking for a nice 24mm kit, with or without a payload section, with some attractive features, this kit should be a considered. I give the kit an OVERALL rating of 4 1/2 points.