Brief:
The 10" Thumper is a single stage high power rocket capable of dual deployment.

Construction:
The kit comes in a enormous box containing:

• 48" fiberglassed body tube pre slotted for the fins
• 14" long body tube, coupler and end plates for the electronics bay
• Four 3/8" Baltic Birch plywood fins with beveled leading edge
• Two 3/8 Baltic Birch plywood centering rings
• 98mm motor tube, 30" long
• Fiberglass nosecone with bulkhead and U-bolts
• Two 1" x 20' tubular nylon shock cords and all miscellaneous hardware needed

PROs: This kit has very good and easy to follow instructions with lots of clear pictures. The instructions are also online at their website. Very straightforward assembly with no surprises. All parts fit together very nicely and seem quite sturdy. This is a big rocket so there is no need to worry about working in tight spaces. You have very easy access to all areas.

CONs: Didn't find one.

Finishing:
PROs: It doesn't come with decals.

CONs: This isn't really a con but there is definitely not much resin used on the body tubes. It will take a little extra time to get a really smooth finish if thats what you want. This is also a big rocket. I kept running out to paint, sandpaper, and epoxy. I used a total of 11 cans of spray paint and 32oz of epoxy

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The manufacturer recommends K motors and up. I chose an AeroTech M1850W for the first flight. This would also be my NAR Level 3 certification on the maiden flight.

The rocket preps very easily. There's lot's of room in there to pack parachutes easy to reach and install ejection charges. I was able to use a 75mm motor by using an Aero Pack adapter and motor retainer.

The rocket required some nose weight to get the CG forward to the specified location in the instructions.

The flight was loud and straight to 6000' with no wobbling or spinning.

Recovery:
Two pieces of 1" x 20' tubular nylon came in the kit. I used both of those on the drogue parachute side and added a piece of 1" x 50' tubular nylon for the main parachute. It was very easy to reach, attach, and check the shock cords.

The Thumper does not come with a parachute. I choose a SkyAngle XL protected with 33" x 33" Nomex® for a descent rate of 20fps.

It was a perfect flight no damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
The 10" Thumper is a strong very easy to build and fly rocket. It is very highly recommended for a level three project. I saw a 10" Thumper attempting a Level 3 flight that had a recovery failure when the main didn't deploy. The rocket fell to what would seem a sure death. About a hour later I was surprised to hear the announcer saying they were relaunching. The rocket survived to fly again and certify Level 3. I feel they offer a high quality rocket at a fair price.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5