Brief:
Single staged sport rocket with parachute recovery.

Construction:
This is the redesign of the Holverson Designs Tangent. The nose cone, fins and fin can have been replaced by pre-colored expanded polystyrene versions. The shock cord is far longer than any supplied by Estes for similar rockets.

Instructions are simple for this beginners rocket. Only white glue is needed for assembly. The new foam fins may end up being fragile, but should be easy to repair. The fin canister is protected from exhaust and ejection by glued on paper rings. The activity sheet included with the instructions is a nice touch to teach beginning rocketeers a bit about what they are doing.

Finishing:
No finishing necessary, but the fins and nose show some texture under the pre-applied paint.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are A8-3, B4-4, B6-4 and C6-5 with a standard wire retainer. I've flown it on all except the B4-4. Prepping the rocket is simple. I used lots of wadding to protect the seemingly fragile parachute. So far no damage after 3 flights. The flight profile is nice and straight with little spin.

Recovery:
The shock cord looks to be holding up well, and is quite long. The delays on the recommended motors are very nice. One fin has been cracked already, but should easily fixable.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a nice beginning rocket that requires at least a bit of construction. The activity sheet lets the beginning modeler learn something of rocketry in general. A definite step up from the RTF stuff Estes sells.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5