The written instructions where clear and allowed for easy assembly. They lacked a few helpful illustrations, however, I have come to understand that Rogue is doing a re-write to make them even easier to follow. No special tools were needed.

See my Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

During assembly, I took the opportunity to try a new glue called Quick Grab. It promises to be crystal clear, waterproof and paintable. It was. It was. It also claimed to be fast drying, 40 second grab with light load support after 10 minutes and full load after 24 hours. It did this, too. It did this, too. In fact, the only problem with the glue is that it gets a skin quick and therefore has "stringers" of glue that you have to control. It did well on fillets and in attaching the tube fins, however it is very thick so it didn't do as well when gluing motor blocks or centering rings. I would still recommend it for smaller models (A - D motors) since it gives you fast drying time and is much cheaper than CA. That being said, Rogue recommends CA or white glue.

Assembly was straight forward and relatively quick. I would suggest that once you test fit your first tube fin, you mark the tube all the way around to allow to line up the tops evenly. Also, be sure to continue the line around the edge on each of the tubes so that all the slants line up and look correct. Using a fast drying glue is best while attaching the tube fins, because you will most likely have to hold them in place until they "grab". Using masking tape could help hold them in place while drying, however, avoid a rubber band because it has a tendency to rotate the tubes at high tension points of the rubber band.

If the kit is subject to damage it would be the bottom tips of the tube fins. In my opinion, these tube fins are not any more susceptible to damage than regular balsa fins so strengthening them by coating them with CA or epoxy would just make good sense.

The shock cord is mounted to the motor mount and is strung through the tube to attach to the nose cone, parachute and Perma-Wadding. The nose cone is balsa. Be sure to seal the nose cone with CA, epoxy or balsa sealer. I had to do a little sanding on the shoulder of my nose cone to make it fit into the body tube (no big deal).

With the quality of the recovery system, Nylon chute, Kevlar® shock cord, and Perma-Wadding, I would have liked to see a swivel added for attachment. It would have been the icing on the cake.

Finishing the model was unique too. I wanted to simulate the picture by making the "high-thrust magneto-impulse engines" stand out. Therefore, I choose red for the inside since I believe when "magneto-impulse engines" get running at fullcapacity, they heat the surrounding metal as it's structural integrity is compromised due to the incredible forces of inter-space travel through "hostile territory". To do this, I shielded as much of the existing rocket as possible and took several passes at spraying the paint right inside the tubes. Unfortunately, I also wanted the bottom of the body tube red and didn't shield the inside of the motor mount. Be sure to do that or enjoy a new definition of "friction fit". I choose white for the outside and a silver nose cone.

The Hex Courier™ came with a nice water-transfer decal sheet giving you the ability to match the picture on the instructions or to spell out something on you own. The transfer sheet had two of every letter and four of every number that could be placed together to spell something. I chose to go away from the example and spelled out Hex Courier™. The decal sheet has the decals for it to say "United States Courier Corps".

Prepping the model for flight is great because you simple slide the Perma-Wadding into the tube, fold and wrap the chute, push in and top it off with the nose cone. Then add your motor. Fast and easy.

At a local club's sport launch we prepared to fly. After receiving two nice comments carrying the model to the launch area we were ready to go with an A8-3. Three, two, one . . . whoosh! Hmmmm. Hmmmm. One complete loop, a perfect ejection and back to the ground with no damage. Tried again with a C6-5 and this time got two complete loops. Definitely unstable.

After a day or so, I added some weight to the nose cone and tried again with a C6-5. This time a perfectly straight flight . . . beautiful!

It is important to note that Rogue Aerospace gets a 5 star for how they have handled this situation. They have sent a letter to all those that had previously purchased the Hex Courier™ and explained that there may be a stability problem. They offered them a replacement kit with shorter tube fins, or told them how much to shorten them and provided a gift certificate for any trouble. This is excellent customer service!

Due to my experiences, this kit rates a 3 1/2 points, but despite the stability problem of my model, future Hex Courier's™ have been modified to be stable and therefore these new kits will no doubt be a 4+. I would recommend that you give Rogue Aerospace's Hex Courier™ a mission of your own.