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