Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits ![]() |
Brief:
A skill level 1, matey, Minimum Diameter, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 4FNC (4 Fin & Nose Cone), matey, Sport Model.
Construction:
This model kit comes in t' usual Fliskits packaging; a clear plastic bag, with
eye-catchin' face-card, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and transparent back, ya bilge rat, so parts can be clearly seen. Ya scallywag! As
usual, this product is individually numbered mine is #74.
T' kit consists, matey, arrr, mainly, ya bilge rat, o' one high quality 228mm * 18mm card body tube, a balsa nose cone, me bucko, me hearties, and a sheet o' best quality 2mm balsa for t' fins. Begad! In addition, ya bilge rat, t' kit consists o' an 18-inch elastic shock cord, a nice long black crepe streamer, matey, a decal sheet, a fin pattern sheet, arrr, and t' usual other bits and bobs (launch lug, 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), shiver me timbers, and basic construction skills such as tips on fin attachment.
T' instructions are up t' t' high standards that are expected of Fliskits.. Well, blow me down! They are VERY clear, matey, me hearties, contain clear diagrams; and, ya bilge rat, arrr, when combined with the Hints and Tips sheet, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! Everythin' fit perfectly, ya bilge rat, 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). Begad! That was personal preference, though; t' original fit would have worked.
Actual construction be a breeze for somebody, ya bilge rat, like myself, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, whos built a couple o' LPR rocket kits previously. Ya scallywag! I imagine it would be challenging, but straightforward, shiver me timbers, matey, t' somebody buildin' their first kit. Avast! I built it over t' course o' an evenin' whilst watchin' t' telly, and chattin' t' a couple o' mates who'd popped round for some adult beverages.
T' tools required are t' very basic
ones. Eg: wood glue, model knife, shiver me timbers, pencil, me hearties, sandin' sealer, shiver me timbers, etc. Arrr! All o' which an
absolute beginner would find in a local Hobby/Craft Shop. Avast! 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. Begad! Blimey! The
balsa is very easy t' fill and sand. Arrr! T' spirals on t' body tube are virtually
non-existent; a couple o' coats o' primer, a bit o' fine sanding, me bucko, arrr, and
theyre gone!
T' kit contains an idea for decoration on t' face-card, however the instructions tells you that this is only a suggestion, ya bilge rat, and t' use your imagination. I painted mine 'sunshine yellow' all over, and attached a couple of t' excellent decals. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' decals, ya bilge rat, again, shiver me timbers, me hearties, matey, 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, me bucko, but I wanted t' make sure that t' coats were dry before sandin' and applyin' another. Im glad I did take t' time, it was worth it.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
Recommended motors are: A8-3, arrr, B6-4, and
C6-5. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Armed with at least one o' each, I went t' launch on a lovely, matey, almost
calm, ya bilge rat, summer evenin' after work.
First flight be on an A8-3. Begad! T' rocket shot off t' pad, ya bilge rat, me hearties, gained some serious air, me hearties, and ejected at a perfect apogee. Avast! Blimey! T' generous streamer brought the model down a couple o' meters away from t' pad. Arrr! T' whole flight be just visible.
After re-preppin' (very quick - 1 sheet o' wadding; t' streamer takes a bit o' rolling, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but thats nay difficult), it be ready for its second flight on a B6-4. Ya scallywag! This didnt hang around. Avast! Within 1.5-seconds, t' thin' was well out o' sight. Ahoy! A few seconds passed, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, we heard t' pop, and saw t' large, black, streamer open up. Ya scallywag! We were able t' see t' whole descent, shiver me timbers, and were able to follow it into t' next field. Arrr! Blimey! T' recovery crew (my mate Derren, and his Bike), were able t' find it with no problem. Blimey! An awesome flight, matey, one o' me all time faves.
After t' success o' t' last flight, t' Flea be loaded with a C6-5. Begad! Ya scallywag! We all stood back, as we knew this was goin' t' be a fast one, and we wanted a better angle t' see it. Lucky we did as t' Flea stripped a fin about 4m off the pad, arrr, arrr, and went into a C powered corkscrew! 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, ground based ejection pop, characteristic o' a flight failure like this.
T' lost fin was never found - how a bright yellow piece o' balsa can go missin' in a field o' freshly cut grass is beyond me!
Upon examination, it was quite obvious
that t' fin joint was nay strong enough. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! A fault which lies with me, matey, 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. Begad! 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, after a C launch). This streamer is at least twice t' size o' the
Vikings, me hearties, and, bein' black, matey, stands out more than t' Vikings orange
one. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' shock cord attaches t' t' inside o' t' body tube with t' age-old
3-fold method. Well, blow me down! T' other end is tied t' t' screw eye in t' base o' t' nose
cone. A length o' cotton is then tied t' t' screw eye, and t' other end of
the cotton attached t' t' streamer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! A simple system, but perfectly acceptable,
and effective enough. Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, arrr, minimum diameter, high
flying, sport rocket. Begad!
One o' t' main pros o' this kit is its simplicity, and ease o' build. However, me bucko, I would nay recommend it t' somebody who is a complete rocketry novice, me hearties, with no access t' anybody who's built/flown a rocket before. In that case I would recommend gettin' a Ready T' Fly starter set; you get the pad/controller, matey, 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, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, and tried and tested, that theres nothin' that can go wrong. Arrr! T' disaster I had was o' me own making, arrr, and Ive learned an important lesson from it: Dont skimp on t' fin attachment!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Specs:
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
M.S. (April 27, 2005)