| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2014-01-06 |
| Manufacturer: | Rocketarium |
| Style: | Scale |
Brief
Great lookin' rocket with eight fins and a boat tail. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! It also has a unique cable tunnel balsa piece that attaches t' t' body tube.
Components
T' kit comes with two (3?) pieces o' 1/8" balsa wood. Ahoy! Blimey! T' wood is sturdy though soft. Also included are several templates: fins (4 large forward fins, and 4 smaller aft fins), a fin guide for fin placement on t' body tube, t' cable tunnel assembly, and t' boat tail cone. T' kit has an elastic shock cord, a plastic nose cone, matey, a 15" plastic parachute, and a large block o' clay/putty. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' directions are thorough and straight forward. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A large picture o' t' completed rocket provides a backup for any misguided parts assembly.
Construction
I enjoyed buildin' this kit. Aye aye! Begad! T' instructions are good and clear. Blimey! Blimey! No special tools are required. You need t' be careful before cuttin' t' balsa that you have laid out t' templates t' fit on t' wood. Begad! I mistakenly forgot t' cut t' cable tunnel assembly from t' stock and had t' use some extra balsa from an Estes Designer kit. I also used a stiffer card board (#110) for t' boat tail shroud. Avast! Arrr! T' shock cord is attached usin' an Estes-type attachment. Make sure t' cord attachment is at least 2" inside t' body tube t' allow for t' nose cone. Aye aye! No problems here.
Finishing
In order t' balance t' kit, me bucko, all o' t' clay/putty provided should be put into t' nose cone. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I did this and covered it with West systems epoxy. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! Given t' plastic nose cone, I think epoxy should be used, but 5 minute epoxy is likely fine. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' nose cone feels pretty heavy after all this, shiver me timbers, but I checked t' CG and CP after completin' construction and t' weight appears right. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!
I finished t' fins by paperin' them usin' techniques I saw on t' Rocketry Forum. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! (http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?42250-Balsa-technique-question&highlight=double+glue+joints). Well, blow me down! Arrr! This adds strength and acts as a filler/finish for painting. As I mentioned, t' balsa was soft though thick, arrr, so paperin' these fins was very useful. Paperin' is a technique I like... Aye aye! t' me it's easier than Elmer's wood filler, shiver me timbers, and I don't get t' warpin' I usually get from t' filler. Begad!
After paperin' and addin' t' cable tunnel assembly piece, shiver me timbers, I glued everyin' together with Titebond wood glue. Then I paint a first coat with Rustoleum gray filler primer. Aye aye! After this I sand with 400 grit paper. Ahoy! I paint again with Rustoleum white flat primer, and wet sand with 400 grit paper. Begad! Ahoy! Finally, I painted it forest green body, ya bilge rat, black fins, and red cable tunnel. Avast! I'll post a picture when complete.
Flight
I cut t' parachute usin' t' 12" template rather than t' suggested 15". Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I also cut a 2" spill hole. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This was a good idea, arrr, as t' first flight occurred on a somewhat windy day. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Usin' a D12-5, t' flight was flawless, descended smartly and landed close t' t' pad. Arrr! Blimey! There was no damage t' t' rocket.
Summary
A great rocket with a unique profile. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!
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