Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Performance Rocketry ![]() |
Brief:
T' best and worst part o' this kit is that it is minimalist. When you get the
box, ya bilge rat, thar are nay a lot o' parts. Ahoy! I have it together now and it is probably my
favorite rocket in me fleet. Blimey! This thin' is a tank and it looks great. Blimey! It is the
only rocket I have that might survive comin' in ballistic. Avast, me proud beauty! That is why I used
it on me L2 test.
Construction:
T' parts list
That's all that comes with t' kit. Begad! Blimey! I like this because it lets me do things my way. Begad! Begad! Blimey! All t' parts are fiberglass and VERY strong.
Parts I added:
I used 5 and 30 minute epoxy for t' build. Also I used some Elmer's Ultimate Glue in t' fin can and nose weight.
I only have one con with buildin' this rocket. Avast! All t' parts fit tight--too tight. Aye aye! T' inner diameter o' t' fin can varied. Ahoy! Avast! You can see ripples in the fiberglass on t' inside. Well, blow me down! Begad! I had t' do some serious sandin' t' get almost every part t' fit, which I guess is better than too loose but it did require a ton of sanding. Ahoy! Once sanded down, ya bilge rat, everythin' went together nicely and fit snugly. There is also some additional sandin' you should do: sand t' points you will be gluin' t' add some bite so t' epoxy holds better.
This is a quick buildin' rocket after t' sandin' is done. I didn't like the
fact that thar were only 2 centerin' rings as I always like 3. Begad! I know the
fiberglass rings are super strong, ya bilge rat, but they are very thin so me brain started
imaginin' them bending. Begad! I added a plywood centerin' rin' I had layin' around,
which is probably overkill but what t' heck. Ya scallywag! I put t' bottom centerin' ring
in first and t' middle one in t' fin can also unglued t' keep it centered.
Once I had t' lower one epoxied from t' bottom, me hearties, I removed t' middle rin' and
poured some epoxy in on t' bottom one from inside t' fin can. Well, blow me down! Next, I moved
up and glued in t' middle plywood rin' 3 inches from t' top o' t' fin can.
After that be in place, I made a good batch and lined t' walls o' t' fin can
with epoxy. Avast! Quickly I slid t' coupler in till it sat on top o' t' plywood
rin' in t' fin can. Begad! Took a few paper towels t' clean up t' slop. Blimey! Ahoy! This dried
and I poured in some ultimate glue inside t' coupler on t' points where the
Coupler met t' plywood rin' on t' inside. Begad! This glue expands nicely and is
rock solid. It made a pretty much solid bond which brought t' rin' coupler fin
can and MMT together. Avast! Nothin' will knock that MMT loose next t' a nuclear bomb.
I drilled and placed an eye loop in t' third rin' gluin' t' threads t' hold
it. Aye aye! Ahoy! Then, I glued that last rin' in about 1/4" from t' end o' t' MMT.
Lastly, matey, I put some epoxy on t' inside o' t' body tube an inch or two from the
end and on t' outside o' t' coupler then slid t' BT down on t' rin' and
coupler with a nice squishy sound.
Before I put t' bulkhead in t' nose cone, I wanted t' test t' stability.
Chute, shock cord, and a J350 went in and I checked for t' CP. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I emailed the
Performance Rocketry t' ask about t' CP but I never got a response after
several weeks. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I punched t' dimensions and materials into Rocsim 8.0 and got
the CP, which from t' looks o' this rocket, me bucko, it feels about right. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I marked
that on t' tube and from t' balance test could tell we needed a little weight
in t' nose. Begad! Blimey! I started droppin' one ounce fishin' weights in t' end till it
balanced out. Begad! Blimey! This is where that Ultimate Glue really works. Begad! Blimey! With t' weights
in there, shiver me timbers, I dropped in a good amount o' Ultimate Glue and let it dry. That
stuff expanded right up and over t' weights till they disappeared. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I love that
stuff. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Then I glued t' bulkhead in and added an eye loop. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!
That is about it for construction. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't add an electronics bay. Aye aye! Loki and Aerotech Js come with delays, and that is what I planned on flyin' in this bad boy. It can easily handle a K, me hearties, but I have larger rockets for them. Avast, me proud beauty! There are a few ways I thought t' do it. Begad! T' nose cone is hollow and could accommodate an electronics bay. Well, blow me down! For dual deployment, you could also get another coupler, some bulkheads, ya bilge rat, arrr, and try cuttin' t' tube. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down!
Finishing:
T' texture o' t' tube is a bit rough but holds paint well. Begad! I put a coat of
primer on then a nice dark green. Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals went on nicely. Ya scallywag! Begad! I'm an Army vet,
so I love t' look o' this one.
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
My first flight on this rocket be me L2 cert. Avast! Bein' me certification flight, shiver me timbers, I
rechecked everythin' about 50 times before I went t' t' LCO table. Avast, me proud beauty! I played it
safe and loaded a J350 into t' MMT with t' Slimline adapter. Blimey! Begad! This baby roared
off t' pad and flew nice and straight. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It arched over a bit and t' medium
delay popped t' chute very close t' apogee, maybe just a little past. Begad! The
chute was a bit caught up but eventually deployed close t' ground. Ya scallywag! T' rocket
hit t' ground still movin' pretty fast. Begad! Since this was me L2 cert flight, ya bilge rat, I
was a bit worried, me bucko, but when I got t' t' rocket, thar be nothin' but a small
scratch in t' paint. Blimey! I took it t' t' prefect and got me certification
paperwork signed. Begad! It wasn't perfect but I'll take it.
Click here t' see a video o' t' flight.
Recovery:
Since this rocket does nay include a recovery system. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I'll pretty much leave
this blank. Begad! I will say that t' nose cone fit into body tube is good with just
the right amount o' friction.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
PROs:
CONs:
If you like doin' it your way and you want a very strong good looking rocket, then this is it. Avast, me proud beauty! It went together pretty quick and it painted pretty well. Well, blow me down! I have flown it a few times and it flies straight as an arrow and really rips off t' pad on a J.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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unknown (October 19, 2006)