Brief:

T' Fliskits Triple Threat is a unique kit offerin' 3 small UFO rockets, each with a different shape. T' UFF Persephone is circular, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' UFF Athena is pentagonal, matey, matey, and t' UFF Odysseus is hexagonal. Ya scallywag! T' kits are made out o' card stock and balsa, each with a 13 mm motor mount. Begad! Blimey! Definitely for t' experienced builder. Blimey! Begad!

Construction:

• 3 sheets o' balsa t' cut out fins (1/16")
• Fin templates on sticky paper, featurin' pre-printed designs for each rocket.
• Shrouds for UFO's on card stock
• Wire for landin' gear
• 3 BT-5 body tubes
• 3 launch lugs
• Set o' instructions for each rocket
• Fin alignment guide

T' instructions were quite impressive with quality instructions and illustrations. Ya scallywag! T' construction includes cuttin' out t' shrouds, me bucko, scorin' the paper for folds, me hearties, and gluin' t' shrouds together t' form t' UFO body. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! The fins are made by cuttin' out t' fin shapes out o' t' sticky paper. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! The Persephone features 3 fins, arrr, shiver me timbers, thus 6 sides. On one side, I be instructed to leave a border around t' fin shape. Begad! Then all I had t' do was remove t' paper from t' back o' t' adhesive and stick t' fin on t' t' balsa sheet. After the fin paper has been "stuck" t' t' balsa, I simply used a straight edge and an X-acto knife t' carefully cut out t' fin, ya bilge rat, me bucko, disposin' o' t' extra border. Once t' fins were cut, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I flipped them over and "stuck" the other fin portion t' t' exposed balsa side. T' instructions for t' fins is identical for each rocket, although t' Athena has 5 fins and t' Odysseus has 6 fins.

T' body tube also has a sticky body wrap which is easy t' apply. Begad! Once the body wrap is on t' tube, me hearties, I simply glued on t' fins and corrected t' fin alignment usin' t' fin alignment card included with t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' only "gotcha" that I ran into was t' motor blocks. Begad! Blimey! There weren't any. In the instructions, thar be an inventory list mentionin' motor blocks, ya bilge rat, yet they are nay mentioned in t' instructions. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After an e-mail t' Jim Flis (response in less than 24 hours, great service!), I was instructed that t' kit does not require motor blocks, and that they would be correctin' t' instructions on their next printing.

Next, matey, I took t' necessary shrouds for each rocket and glued them on t' fins. Begad! Begad! Blimey! On t' Persephone, a smaller shroud sits inverted on top o' t' bigger shroud. Ahoy! This must be done carefully so that thar be no gap betwixt t' shrouds. Ahoy! On t' Odysseys, ya bilge rat, part of the shroud folds underneath t' main shroud and fastens t' t' bottom o' the UFO fin structure. Blimey! Blimey! On t' Athena, thar are flaired "wings" which move towards t' center o' t' rocket and are glued on t' t' body tube.

Next step, ya bilge rat, t' wire landin' gear. Avast, me proud beauty! Fliskits provides a guide for bendin' the piano wire into a specific shape. Avast! Well, blow me down! I am nay an expert wire bender, me bucko, but I tried to follow t' shape on t' first piece o' wire. One important step is t' place a hook at t' bottom o' t' wire so that it can fit snuggly underneath t' fin. After me first attempt at wire bending, I simply designed a simpler shape for me t' bend. It looks close t' t' Fliskits design, ya bilge rat, but is nay as complicated. Blimey! I used CA glue t' attach t' wires, then I glued t' launch lug in place using wood glue. I made sure that t' fins had extra fillets as well as other parts of t' rocket (where shroud meets fin, for instance). Well, blow me down! That's it. Arrr! Rockets complete. Avast! Outside o' cuttin' t' balsa fins, these three rockets can be constructed while hangin' out in your own livin' room. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! No sandin' required!

Finishing:

There is no finishin' required as t' rocket comes with pre-printed shrouds and pre-printed fin templates. Ahoy! This is what I like about it. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! No smelly paints, ya bilge rat, no sanding. Avast! They are nice rockets t' build while watchin' t' telly. Begad! I give construction a 4, only because I think t' wire configuration is unnecessarily complex and thar was confusion about t' motor blocks. Begad! Aye aye! But this would nay stop me from buyin' another Triple Threat!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:

I flew t' Persephone twice, me bucko, once usin' an A10-P and once with an A10-0. Arrr! On the first flight, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' Persephone kind o' tumbled back t' t' ground. Begad! Aye aye! On t' second flight, matey, as advertised, t' rocket flips over and gently glides t' t' ground, landin' on t' wire landin' gear. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' Athena I flew on an A10-0 and it, too, flew very well, me hearties, shiver me timbers, flippin' over at apogee and "glided" t' t' ground. T' largest rocket, ya bilge rat, matey, t' Odysseus, I also flew twice, usin' t' A10-P and the A10-0. Both times, arrr, t' rocket flew t' apogee but failed t' flip over. Avast, me proud beauty! It did, however, return steadily, comin' straight down as easily as it ascended. Ahoy! Cool!

Recovery:

T' PRO's o' t' Triple Threat be t' ease o' flight. Begad! Simply add a little tape around t' motor for friction fit, pop it in, add igniter wire and plug and you are ready for action. Arrr! No foldin' o' parachutes or stuffin' t' body tube with wadding. Avast! They recover so nicely and gently, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' only damage these rockets should ever sustain would be a CATO or havin' a clumsy nephew or dog destroy/step on them. Ya scallywag! It also allows us t' use t' A10-P motors Estes originally released for t' Blurzz Cars (not me cup o' tea..)

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:

• 3 rockets for t' price o' 1. Arrr! You can't beat that, shiver me timbers, no matter how you look at it.
• Also, no paintin' required. Arrr! Great for constructin' while sittin' at home in t' evenin' without havin' t' head outside with a can o' paint.
• Great flyers. Begad! Only goes about 50 feet, me bucko, arrr, but here in New England, shiver me timbers, it is nice to fly a rocket and actually get it back.
• A Novelty. Begad! 3 UFO's with cool glide-tumble recovery landin' on wire landing pads! Cool!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5