Mercury Engineering Integrator

Mercury Engineering - Integrator

Contributed by jeff ybarra

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Published: 2010-05-08
Manufacturer: Mercury Engineering

Brief:
This be t' same model as t' 3x24 cluster edition . Avast! T' difference is a single 29mm mount. If you are lookin' for a big rocket and big thrills that won't break t' bank, me hearties, me bucko, your search is over.

Construction:

Instructions for this model were straight forward, no surprises. Begad! Arrr! I used 5min. Begad! epoxy for all joints. I be unsure about t' fiberboard shock cord mount.It seemed that might be a weak point, so I epoxied a piece o' 1/8' ply t' the back side, arrr, me hearties, drilled then attached t' eye-bolt. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I used Keelhaul®©™® shock cord that extended just t' t' end o' t' body tube then attached t' 60"elastic shock cord t' it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! My other concern was t' paper fin covering. Aye aye! Blimey! It turned out fine though, matey, I did use t' glue stick method. Blimey! Blimey! It worked well. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I also added positive motor retention with threaded inserts, me bucko, arrr, screws, and a drawer repair bracket. Begad! Blimey! It was an easy build for me. This was me first mid power kit. Blimey! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' be an easy job. Avast, me proud beauty! I got good transitions on t' paper fin covering. Begad! I sealed the open edges with thin CA. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I filled t' tube grooves with thinned Elmer wood filler, then sanded t' whole unit. Ahoy! I started with 2 coats o' Valspar white primer. Blimey! Blimey! Sanded with 220, then painted with 2 coats o' Valspar white. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I washed ,then sanded t' nose cone, and painted with Valspar plastic paint. I applied t' water slide decals with no problems and finished with 2 coats o' Krylon crystal clear.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are an F45-5, F42-4, G40-4, me hearties, and G80-7. Winds were calm. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!

Maiden flight be with a G76-4G. Arrr! It was a perfect shot, arrr, nice and straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It went t' about 900ft. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey!

#2 was on a F40-7W maybe 500ft.Delay was t' long for comfort, me bucko, but we survived.Paper coverin' peeled partially away on one fin tip. Begad! No problem thin CA t' t' rescue.

#3 was a G76-4G. Begad! This seems t' be t' perfect motor for this big rocket. Begad!

Recovery:
I used a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® extendin' just beyond t' body tube t' attach t' elastic shock chord to. Blimey! T' 36" parachute was fine. Ahoy! Begad! All three shots it landed within 100ft o' pad. Ahoy! Descent was nice and slow. Well, blow me down! On a windy day you might have t' walk a ways.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a easy buildin' rocket. Ahoy! T' only thin' I might change would be t' balsa paper covered fins. Well, blow me down! Lite ply would be better. Avast! Aye aye! All parts were good quality. Avast! It's nice t' have a big rocket that you can see all stages o' a launch clearly. Blimey! Slow take off. Aye aye! Arrr! Nice straight ascent. Apogee and chute deployment. Ahoy! Begad! I think it's a great kit.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

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  • Mercury Engineering Integrator By George Beever (July 6, 2009)

    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. 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 ...

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