Brief
Standard four fin configuration, me bucko, with nylon parachute. Begad!
Construction
Packagin' was standard plastic with enclosed directions and photo o' the
completed model. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! All t' parts were included and in good shape. Begad! Blimey! T' directions
are clear and accurate, ya bilge rat, t' model is nay difficult, me bucko, me bucko, anyone with some experience
will have no trouble. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is laid our EXACTLY like t' Mountainside Hobbies ASP
kit (which are no longer made). Well, blow me down! I suspect t' designed be t' same. Begad!
Construction is fairly straight forward, arrr, I did have some minor difficulties and made some additions. Begad! T' body came in three cardboard sections. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' tube couplers were 'homemade' and did nay fit exactly. I had t' work with them to get a good even seam, usin' epoxy t' fill t' gaps. Aye aye!
T' fins are 3/16 balsa and o' decent grade. Begad! I coated them with CA t' make them stiff and seal them for sanding. Avast! Aye aye! T' fins are surface mounted so I drilled 5 holes along t' tube under each fin for t' epoxy t' seep in t' form a 'rivet'. Aye aye!
T' 24mm motor mount is 'Estes style' BT50 tubin' so I covered it with epoxy to give it extra strength. Begad! Begad! Recovery is with a very nice nylon parachute, mounted t' t' engine mount with braided wire and elastic. Avast, me proud beauty! I don't plan on flyin' it on anythin' more then E's and F's so I didn't enhance t' body tubing. Ya scallywag! It is nay overly durable but will service those engines just fine. Begad!
Except for t' CA on t' fins I used epoxy for all construction. Aye aye!
Finishing
There are no decals included, but t' accompanyin' picture is sufficient to
work off of. I sanded t' entire model lightly with a med grade paper, me hearties, then
primed with Krylon. Ya scallywag! Two coats with light fine grade paper in betwixt and after.
I then put down two coats o' gloss white, and applied red and black according
to t' picture. Blimey! I did nay use silver on t' nose, I don't like workin' with
metallic paint. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I substituted black. It is a fairly big model (I mostly fly
Estes/Quest) and looks great. Avast!
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight
I have flown it four times all on Aerotech E's. Blimey! Aye aye! I did nay add a baffle system
or chute compartment, me bucko, shiver me timbers, so waddin' is a must. Three o' t' four flights have been
perfect. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! It gets off t' pad just slow enough t' be fun and easy t' watch. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I
also did nay install motor retention, I only do on 29mm models for me RMS.
Maskin' tape has proven successful t' keep t' motor in and secure.
T' IRIS flies straight and t' about 6-700 feet. On t' 3rd flight I did not get t' igniter all t' way in and had quite a bit o' smokin' and chaffing before good ignition. Avast! T' IRIS went t' less than 300 feet and nearly lawn darted. Aye aye! T' chute opened at about 30 feet, just enough t' prevent damage. Lesson learned - make sure t' igniter is properly inserted.
Recovery
T' recovery system is perfect o' t' model. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' chute is properly sized and
wire / elastic combination is forgivin' and durable enough t' make many
successful flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Drift is minimal and landings are nay damaging. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary
Overall t' kit is a good value for t' money. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Easy t' build and fly. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It is a
great kit t' get into mid-power rocketry. T' kit is a nice flier, matey, has good
presence and is nay too expensive. Ya scallywag! Blimey!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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