Brief:
The Predator is a nice looking large rocket. It is an upscale of the old Estes Rampage. It came with a single 38mm motor mount, but a 3 motor cluster is available.

Construction:
All of the parts were in good order. It came with long 38mm motor mount, 4" body tube and payload section. The fins are 1/4" plywood and the centering rings are pressed particle board. The launch lugs are 1/2" copper tubing.

The shock cord is a 15' nylon strap. The nose cone is a well made and all of the parts fit together very nicely.

The instructions were sparse at best. You need to have some experience with high power rockets to build this one.

I did not like the method for attaching the shock cord.

The instructions wanted me to epoxy the cord to the motor tube. I chose to install an eye bolt in the top centering ring and attach the nylon strap with a quick link. The payload section is attached to the shock cord with an eybolt as well.

The 38mm motor mount tube is a very tight fit for the motors. It might need some sanding.

The kit did not come with motor retention. I added some T-nuts and hooks on the bottom centering ring to add retention.

The parts are very well made and fit very well. The strong fins are glued to the motor mount and two centering rings. This makes for very strong contruction.

Finishing:
The rocket is easy to finish. The fins and body tube sand well and finished up nicely.

The kit came with one "Predator" decal. I chose red, black and silver for the paint and the rocket looks pretty nice.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The website tells you to fly the Predator on an H242. I could not get a short delay for my H242, so I chose an H180 with a short delay.

The preparation was easy. I added recovery wadding to the body tube, folded the parachute and friction fitted the nose cone to the payload section.

I did wrap the shock cord with masking tape after every fold of the nylon strap. This hopefully would absorb some of the shock.

I set the rocket on the 1/2" rod and a few minutes later the H180 roared to life and sailed to about 1000'. The short delay was just about right and the rocket floated back to earth.

Recovery:
The decent seemed a little fast, but the rocket was recovered with no damage. I want to add some additional shock cord. The 15' just seems to short.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Pros.

Good design and quality parts. The construcion is strong and the price is pretty good too.

Cons.

No motor retention and the shock cord attachment was changed. The instructions are not the best in the world.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5