Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out to 52.5 inches in length with a diameter of 4 inches. A 3FNC for those who like to cluster 24mm motors.

Construction:
The kit, which was packaged in it's shipping box and not bagged, consisted of two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard centering rings, three motor retention hooks, one PVC nose cone, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, a paper sheet of fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, and an eye bolt and nut. The smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, as was the parachute.

The kit instructions, as well as the construction of the model, were all very straightforward. I used 5-minute epoxy throughout the build. The three motor mount tubes, after the hooks were inserted and secured, were epoxied together and then fitted into the centering rings. The unit was then installed into the lower main airframe tube. The fins feature a through-the-wall to the motor mount set-up. The shock cord mount was different from anything I've seen in a kit before. Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out of one side. To the remaining material, the eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on the backside. Here's where I got a bit skittish. I understand the need to save weight in a rocket this size that is designed to be powered with 3 BP motors, but I strengthened this setup. I epoxied a couple of strips of 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installing the mount, obviously) in hopes of beefing it up.

Finishing:
As I mentioned in the parts rundown, the fins feature a paper covering method, one that I had not used before. And frankly, I don't know that I'd use again. The method was really very simple, but I didn't like the way they finished out. Maybe it's that fact that the root, leading, tip chord, and trailing edges of the fins are not covered, and no matter how much you try, they just don't blend in with the rest of the fin. OK, OK, maybe it's just me... The decals supplied with the kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire to replicate the manufacturer's scheme, you'll need to custom cut the fin stripes. Also, the blue-fade-to-white featured at the top of the body tube as seen on the Mercury Engineering website is not included as a decal. So, I just got out the old trim Monokote and fashioned something similar, a light blue band over a navy blue one. That combined with the white body tube, reminds me of the Toronto Argonauts uniform. (You have to follow the CFL to get that one.)

Construction Rating: 3 ½ out of 5

Flight:
For the first flight, I used a cluster of three Estes D12-3 motors. As one would expect, the liftoff was slow--you could almost hear the rocket grunt as it tried to take to the sky. But it did, popping the parachute right at apogee. I immediately loaded the Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. This is the way to go--forget the D12s. With the E9s the rocket had a nice, smooth, slow liftoff and attained a surprising (to me, anyway) altitude. Again, deployment was right at apogee. Very satisfying!

Recovery:
The only damage was to one of the fins--the point chord edge and trailing edges come together had some damage. However, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Given the size of this model, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, I would not recommend anything smaller that the 36-inch parachute included with the kit.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
When the kit first arrived and I opened the box, my oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screaming for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, no Junior, you're missing the point. The kit is aimed at those who want to fly a big rocket, but may be limited in space as well as budget. The Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR building techniques are really required to build and fly the Integrator, but I have to admit, I am wondering how she'd fly on three E15-7s... The tubes, nose cone, motor mount tubes, and hooks are all first rate quality, as are the parachute and shock cord. And yes, the balsa used for the fins is of a very high quality too. If I had to build the Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 3 ½ out of 5

Brief:
This is the same model as the 3x24 cluster edition . The difference is a single 29mm mount. If you are looking for a big rocket and big thrills that won't break the bank, your search is over.

Construction:

Instructions for this model were straight forward, no surprises. I used 5min. epoxy for all joints. I was unsure about the fiberboard shock cord mount.It seemed that might be a weak point, so I epoxied a piece of 1/8' ply to the back side, drilled then attached the eye-bolt. I used Kevlar® shock cord that extended just to the end of the body tube then attached the 60"elastic shock cord to it. My other concern was the paper fin covering. It turned out fine though, I did use the glue stick method. It worked well. I also added positive motor retention with threaded inserts, screws, and a drawer repair bracket. It was an easy build for me. This was my first mid power kit.

Finishing:
Finishing was an easy job. I got good transitions on the paper fin covering. I sealed the open edges with thin CA. I filled the tube grooves with thinned Elmer wood filler, then sanded the whole unit. I started with 2 coats of Valspar white primer. Sanded with 220, then painted with 2 coats of Valspar white. I washed ,then sanded the nose cone, and painted with Valspar plastic paint. I applied the water slide decals with no problems and finished with 2 coats of Krylon crystal clear.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The recommended motors are an F45-5, F42-4, G40-4, and G80-7. Winds were calm.

Maiden flight was with a G76-4G. It was a perfect shot, nice and straight. It went to about 900ft.

#2 was on a F40-7W maybe 500ft.Delay was to long for comfort, but we survived.Paper covering peeled partially away on one fin tip. No problem thin CA to the rescue.

#3 was a G76-4G. This seems to be the perfect motor for this big rocket.

Recovery:
I used a piece of Kevlar® extending just beyond the body tube to attach the elastic shock chord to. The 36" parachute was fine. All three shots it landed within 100ft of pad. Descent was nice and slow. On a windy day you might have to walk a ways.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a easy building rocket. The only thing I might change would be the balsa paper covered fins. Lite ply would be better. All parts were good quality. It's nice to have a big rocket that you can see all stages of a launch clearly. Slow take off. Nice straight ascent. Apogee and chute deployment. I think it's a great kit.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5