Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits ![]() |
Brief:
A skill level 1, Minimum Diameter, 4FNC (4 Fin & Nose Cone), Sport Model.
Construction:
This model kit comes in t' usual Fliskits packaging; a clear plastic bag, with
eye-catchin' face-card, and transparent back, me bucko, me bucko, so parts can be clearly seen. Aye aye! As
usual, this product is individually numbered mine is #74.
T' kit consists, me bucko, mainly, me hearties, o' one high quality 228mm * 18mm card body tube, a balsa nose cone, and a sheet o' best quality 2mm balsa for t' fins. Arrr! Ahoy! In addition, t' kit consists o' an 18-inch elastic shock cord, matey, arrr, a nice long black crepe streamer, ya bilge rat, a decal sheet, a fin pattern sheet, matey, and t' usual other bits and bobs (launch lug, me bucko, matey, engine block etc.) Also o' note, is a very good hints and tips sheet that covers t' usual Flight Preparation (in much clearer detail and more depth than youd find in a Questes kit), ya bilge rat, and basic construction skills such as tips on fin attachment.
T' instructions are up t' t' high standards that are expected of Fliskits.. They are VERY clear, contain clear diagrams; and, matey, when combined with the Hints and Tips sheet, cover every stage o' construction and t' techniques needed for it.
As long as t' instructions and hints are followed thar are no gotchas, even for a beginner. Avast, me proud beauty! Everythin' fit perfectly, with the exception o' t' nose cone, which required about 30 seconds o' sandin' t' get the fit I wanted (I like me nose cones t' fit a little on t' loose side). Blimey! Ya scallywag! That was personal preference, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, though; t' original fit would have worked.
Actual construction be a breeze for somebody, like myself, whos built a couple o' LPR rocket kits previously. Avast! I imagine it would be challenging, matey, but straightforward, t' somebody buildin' their first kit. Avast! I built it over t' course o' an evenin' whilst watchin' t' telly, me bucko, me bucko, and chattin' t' a couple o' mates who'd popped round for some adult beverages.
T' tools required are t' very basic
ones. Aye aye! Eg: wood glue, model knife, arrr, pencil, arrr, arrr, arrr, sandin' sealer, etc. Arrr! All o' which an
absolute beginner would find in a local Hobby/Craft Shop. T' only thin' an
absolute beginner might have trouble with be t' expended engine needed to
insert t' engine block.
Finishing:
Finishin' is simple, and is greatly helped by t' quality o' t' parts. Blimey! Begad! The
balsa is very easy t' fill and sand. Blimey! T' spirals on t' body tube are virtually
non-existent; a couple o' coats o' primer, matey, a bit o' fine sanding, matey, and
theyre gone!
T' kit contains an idea for decoration on t' face-card, ya bilge rat, however the instructions tells you that this is only a suggestion, and t' use your imagination. Aye aye! Aye aye! I painted mine 'sunshine yellow' all over, and attached a couple of t' excellent decals. Aye aye! T' decals, me hearties, me hearties, again, me bucko, are a collection o' ideas, leaving the constructor t' decide on their personal choice.
I finished off by sprayin' t' whole thin' in a couple o' coats o' clear.
Finishin' took a few days, but I wanted t' make sure that t' coats were dry before sandin' and applyin' another. Begad! Im glad I did take t' time, me hearties, it was worth it.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
Recommended motors are: A8-3, B6-4, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and
C6-5. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Armed with at least one o' each, I went t' launch on a lovely, almost
calm, summer evenin' after work.
First flight was on an A8-3. Avast! T' rocket shot off t' pad, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, gained some serious air, me bucko, and ejected at a perfect apogee. Arrr! T' generous streamer brought the model down a couple o' meters away from t' pad. T' whole flight be just visible.
After re-preppin' (very quick - 1 sheet o' wadding; t' streamer takes a bit o' rolling, shiver me timbers, but thats nay difficult), me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, it was ready for its second flight on a B6-4. Aye aye! This didnt hang around. Begad! Begad! Within 1.5-seconds, t' thin' be well out o' sight. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! A few seconds passed, ya bilge rat, we heard t' pop, me hearties, and saw t' large, black, streamer open up. Begad! We were able t' see t' whole descent, and were able to follow it into t' next field. Ahoy! T' recovery crew (my mate Derren, ya bilge rat, and his Bike), were able t' find it with no problem. Begad! Blimey! An awesome flight, me hearties, one o' me all time faves.
After t' success o' t' last flight, t' Flea was loaded with a C6-5. Begad! We all stood back, me hearties, as we knew this was goin' t' be a fast one, matey, me bucko, and we wanted a better angle t' see it. Lucky we did as t' Flea stripped a fin about 4m off the pad, and went into a C powered corkscrew! Blimey! Nobody be hurt or in any real danger, as t' puppy plunged into t' ground (under power) about 6m away from the nearest person and did that very sad, ground based ejection pop, characteristic o' a flight failure like this.
T' lost fin be never found - how a bright yellow piece o' balsa can go missin' in a field o' freshly cut grass is beyond me!
Upon examination, arrr, arrr, it was quite obvious
that t' fin joint be nay strong enough. Ahoy! A fault which lies with me, and the
fact I only put one white glue fillet layer on each fin joint t' save
weight instead o' me usual 3+ layers.
Recovery:
T' streamer included is superb. Aye aye! Blimey! I got this kit t' replace me Estes Viking,
which had suffered a RIP a few launches before (I only found t' nosecone and
streamer, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, after a C launch). Aye aye! Blimey! This streamer is at least twice t' size o' the
Vikings, ya bilge rat, and, me bucko, bein' black, stands out more than t' Vikings orange
one. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' shock cord attaches t' t' inside o' t' body tube with t' age-old
3-fold method. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' other end is tied t' t' screw eye in t' base o' t' nose
cone. Blimey! Blimey! A length o' cotton is then tied t' t' screw eye, and t' other end of
the cotton attached t' t' streamer. Blimey! Blimey! A simple system, matey, me bucko, but perfectly acceptable,
and effective enough. Well, blow me down! Blimey! No damage was found in betwixt t' successful flights.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
This kit is a very good example o' its type; a simple, arrr, minimum diameter, high
flying, sport rocket. Blimey!
One o' t' main pros o' this kit is its simplicity, matey, and ease o' build. However, I would nay recommend it t' somebody who is a complete rocketry novice, ya bilge rat, with no access t' anybody who's built/flown a rocket before. Ya scallywag! In that case I would recommend gettin' a Ready T' Fly starter set; you get the pad/controller, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a ready built rocket t' learn how t' fly with. Ahoy! If you've got access t' somebody who knows what they are doing, ya bilge rat, me hearties, or have got few starter set flights under your belt then this be t' kit for you! It would be an ideal kit for classroom/scout group situation.
There arent any real cons with t' kit, t' design is so simple, and tried and tested, that theres nothin' that can go wrong. Begad! T' disaster I had was o' me own making, ya bilge rat, and Ive learned an important lesson from it: Dont skimp on t' fin attachment!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Specs:
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Sponsored Ads
![]() |
![]() |
M.S. (April 27, 2005)