Brief:
This is a single stage 24mm motor powered model rocket kit that is rated skill level 2. It uses a 12" parachute for recovery, features a needle point looking plastic nose cone, and pre-cut balsa fins.

Having built a few Rocketpad kits, I was drawn to this one because of the large wing span (19.5"). It also looks mean in all black (and even comes with a black parachute!).

Construction:
The kit uses one standard BT-55 body tube and a needle nose plastic nose cone. The fins are nice quality pre-cut balsa. It also comes with a black 12" mylar parachute. The good length of 1/4" elastic shock cord is connected to a Kevlar® cord that mounts to the motor mount. The centering rings are laser cut black fiber and the motor mount uses a metal motor hook. The parachute uses a snap swivel for attachment to the nose cone molded eye.

I received this kit in late September and assembled it so I could fly it before the weather went too cold. You start by assembling the motor mount first and then install it into the body tube. There is a printed fin marking guide that you place the body tube over and mark where the fins are glued on. I used Elmer's Wood Glue for all assembly. The pre-cut fins just needed a small amount of sanding to get all 4 fins even in size. There were picture sheets to help along the way with assembly. The instructions were fine and I had no problem putting the kit together. This kit would be easy for any one to assemble without the instructions if they were a BAR--like me! There were no CONs in the assembly of the kit and was fun to put together since it went quickly thanks to the pre-cut fins.

Finishing:
I had to get rid of some mold lines on the nose cone first, but with 600 sandpaper it ended up nice and smooth. I used a couple coats of sanding sealer on the balsa fins to get a good finish on them. Since I liked the way the rocket looked when I got the kit, I painted it all gloss black. I used 3 coats for a bright finish. The kit has no decals and I don't think it needs any. It looks kind of mean in all black! The paint filled in the grooves in the body tube. I have included a picture of the Nitewing with my very old Alpha from way back when to show the size of the rocket.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors are C11-5, D12-5, and D12-7. I used a C11-5 for the first flight (recommended). The flight was dead straight and went to a nice height--I am bad at guessing height but it was nice nonetheless. I had loaded up the rocket with about 4 sheets of Estes recovery wadding. Packing the chute was easy in a BT-55 tube. The motor retention is with a metal motor hook and was easy to use. I got brave on the second flight and used a D12-7. A quick lift off and real high flight! With the long delay, it had a good coast (because of the pointed nose cone?) and popped out the parachute at just the correct spot.

Recovery:
The recovery on all flights was fine. I did have to walk a bit to where it landed when I used the D motor though. The black parachute is easy to see on a blue sky. This rocket has one REAL COOL thing--it almost always lands on the fins straight up. The nose cone did stick into the ground but that's because the field was soft after raining the day before. The white powder on the body tube was from the ejection charge and wiped off with no problem. I have had a total of 7 launches with this rocket with 6 of them landing on the fins! On all launches, the rocket had no damage except for a small nick on one fin when it landed on a sharp rock.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This Rocketpad kit was fun and I am happy with it. I can't get over the way it lands on the fins straight up! The mean look and big wing span make this otherwise standard type rocket unique. It's also an easy build with the pre-cut fins.

P.S. I had forgot to mention that the parachute in the picture of my review was a replacement. When going out for a second time to launch, I was checking out the 'chute as I always do before a launch and my cat grabed the nice Black parachute and ripped it (well she was having fun!)! Have to cut her nails! It did work fine the first time out! Rocket eating cat? hmmmmm!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5