Brief:
A high altitude, 38mm minimum diameter, fiberglass, mach capable rocket. Very high quality parts.

Construction:
2 fiberglass 38mm diameter body tubes. One main tube and one payload section. Includes a fin can made of high impact plastic and fiberglass. Approximately 8ft of 3/8" Kevlar® strap, and a Kevlar® reinforced Nomex® heat pad. A Rocketman drogue chute and quick links as well as other hardware. A fiberglass nosecone cast in polyester resin.

The instructions were clear, easy to follow, and included color photos for most of the steps. The assembly order was logically organized. The kit was obviously thought out very well and fin alignment was not an issue as the included fin can was well made and fit the tube with no problem. However, in the instructions it says the you may need to center the fin can with tape. The reason for this is the fin can was made universal, in order to fit a number of tubes, but I found this unnecessary. The fin can is tough as nails. The nosecone is retained by plastic removable rivets.

Finishing:
Finishing was easy and the tubes take primer very well. All you have to do is sand off the seam marks on the fin can with some 80 grit sandpaper to make it smooth. It kind of chews up the plastic, but all of that is removed after you sand and prime a few times. No decals were included.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
It preps easily, but you may have a hard time getting the chute into that tube as well as the shock cord. No wadding is required since Nomex® was provided with the kit. I used an Aero Pack 38mm retainer and a 29mm adapter. The retainer is included, but the adapter is not. I flew "Cosmic Wind" for the first time at METRA on Saturday November 5,2005. She flew on a H97J motor as I didn't want to fly it on a "punch" motor right away. When the countdown reached zero, Cosmic Wind soared off the pad slowly but built up speed as it flew. I was surprised that the motor has enough punch to get her off the pad that fast.

Recovery:
The shock cord is Kevlar® strap that is very durable. The recovery is fast but that is the idea. I also bought a streamer for those really high flights, all I have to do is point the rocket slightly downrange so it doesn't hit anyone--it will fall really fast then. I found no damage on recovery so the Rocketman Drogue did it's job.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
This rocket is great if you like the ease and toughness of a fin can and the altitude of a minimum diameter rocket.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5