Brief:

I wanted a 3" BSD THOR ever since they first came out. Ahoy! Blimey! I really like the idea o' havin' smaller, ya bilge rat, high performance rocket. After doin' a couple of scratchbuilt HPR rockets, I felt that buildin' a kit would be a nice break from designin' rockets and chasin' parts for them. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

This rocket is 3" in diameter, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and stands 64" tall. Well, blow me down! Avast! It has six fins and is dual deployment capable. Avast! Begad! My completed rocket weighed 5lbs 1oz ready to fly when configured for dual deployment. Ya scallywag! Avast!

Construction:

T' 3" BSD THOR comes in two variations, me hearties, one in 38MM and t' other in 54MM. Blimey! I chose t' 38MM version because it was a little easier on t' wallet. Begad! Ahoy!

T' basic kit includes t' followin' components:

• 1 x 3" plastic nosecone
• 1 x 17" airframe tube
• 1 x 10" airframe tube
• 1 x 24" airframe tube
• 1 x 17" 38MM motor tube
• 3 x 6" airframe couplers
• 2 x 4" airframe couplers
• 2 x 3" bulkheads
• 3 x 3" t' 38MM centerin' rings
• 6 x 1/8" plywood fins
• 2 x 1" nylon straps 45" long w/ grommets
• 1 x 25' section o' 9/16 tubular nylon
• 1 x 30" parachute
• 1 x Decal set
• 1 x Instructions manual and fin template

T' kit also included one ¼ x 20 eyebolt, shiver me timbers, one 3/16" quick link, two 6-32 T-nuts, two 6-32 screws, shiver me timbers, two motor clips, ya bilge rat, me hearties, eight reusable plastic rivets and two rail buttons. I be impressed with all t' components. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! They were of good quality. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! BSD seemed t' think o' everythin' one would need t' complete and fly this rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! My only complaint is that one o' t' decal sheets seemed to have been stepped on. Blimey! Blimey! They were crinkled, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and thar be dirt and fuzz in between t' vinyl decal and backin' sheet. Blimey! Blimey! This be a minor annoyance that proved t' be no big deal.

I started by buildin' t' motor mount first, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, epoxying the front and middle centerin' rings t' t' motor tube. At this point, arrr, me bucko, I decided t' replace t' nylon recovery strap with 5' o' tubular Keelhaul®©™. Well, blow me down! I did this because a 3" airframe is too small t' get in and replace a nylon cord if it became heat-damaged. Avast! Well, matey, blow me down! After that be complete, t' motor mount was installed in t' booster section airframe. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I cut t' fin slots, and ran in to my first gotcha. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' instructions say t' cut t' slots 3/16" wide, however the fins are only 1/8" thick. I carefully cut in 1/8" wide fin slots in t' positions and spacin' called out in t' directions. Well, blow me down! Next I installed all the fins, me hearties, which went smooth. Blimey! Ahoy! I left off t' aft centerin' rin' so that I could do internal fillets on t' lower fins. Avast! I installed machine inserts in the rear-centerin' rin' so I could use me PML motor retainer instead o' the supplied motor retention. I felt that t' PML retainer would be an easier solution for retainin' t' variety o' 29 and 38MM motors that I would be flying this rocket on. Blimey! This was me personal preference, and is nay a din' on t' kit or its components.

When all t' filletin' be complete, I tried t' install t' rear-centering ring, arrr, and ran in t' another gotcha. Ahoy! I had cut in t' lower fins 3/16" from the end o' t' tube per directions. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' was ¼" thick, me bucko, so it would nay seat flush with t' end o' t' bodytube. Ya scallywag! T' solution ended up bein' cuttin' groves in t' t' backside o' t' aft centerin' rin' to let t' fin in t' it, matey, and allow it t' seat flush with t' end o' t' body tube.

With t' booster section complete, me hearties, I moved on t' to electronics bay and payload section. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' hold t' payload section to the electronics bay with 8-32 screws instead o' t' supplied plastic rivets. Again, me hearties, this was due t' personal preference, ya bilge rat, is nay a din' on t' kit or its components. Avast! Begad! I don't have t' fingernails or patience t' use plastic rivets. Avast! Begad! I drilled screw holes in t' airframe and couplers, and hardened t' edges with thin CA. After t' CA was dry, an 8-32 tap be run through each hole t' thread it. Ahoy! This creates nice smooth clean threads in t' cardboard. T' rest o' the build focused around settin' up t' electronics bay for use with me Missile Works RRC2 altimeter.

Finishing:

When t' build be complete, ya bilge rat, all t' bodytube spirals and woodgrain were filled with Elmer's Fill ‘N Finish prior t' primering. I chose t' go with t' stock color scheme, so t' booster section was painted yellow and t' altimeter bay and payload section were painted black. Ya scallywag! Once the paint was dry, t' decals were put on. Begad! Decalin' was a real pleasure, ya bilge rat, as BSD's decals are top notch. Well, blow me down! Once t' decals were applied, t' rocket received a clearcoat finish. Well, blow me down! T' finished rocket gets a “10" on t' gawk scale

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:

Flight day did nay go as planned. My initial plan be t' fly it single deploy on an H-128, ya bilge rat, then an H180, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and finally dual deploy on a J-350. Blimey! Avast! I smartly found out that t' 4" deep bay in t' booster section is just too small for a good length o' harness, heat pad, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and parachute too. It be also very difficult to just get in 15' o' harness, heat pad and streamer for dual deploy. Aye aye! Blimey! I scrapped t' H-128 and flew it dual deploy on t' H-180. This flight was great! I had planned on flyin' it on a J-350 next, but low cloud cover nixed those plans.

Recovery:

T' flight was good and straight, but t' recovery was nearly a disaster. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! The main and drogue harness got tangled together. Well, blow me down! T' chute managed t' get un-tangled enough t' open up and save t' ship. Arrr! I attribute t' tangling problem t' flyin' dual deploy on a smaller motor. I feel that if it had more fall time before t' mains deployed, matey, arrr, t' airframe components would be better separated, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, lessenin' t' chance o' a problem. Begad! While I'm talkin' about recovery, the parachute that BSD supplies with t' kit is too small. Avast, me proud beauty! My rocket weighs 5lb, arrr, 1oz ready t' fly. Avast! Blimey! That translates t' a 30 FPS decent rate with t' stock 30" chute. Arrr! I replaced t' stock chute with a 48" chute t' lessen the possibility o' landin' damage.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:

I really like BSD's rockets. This was me first kit from them, ya bilge rat, and it won't be the last. Begad! BSD makes it clear in t' directions that this kit is for the experienced flier, ya bilge rat, and I'd agree with that. Ahoy! Aye aye!

Some PROS:

• Included hardware, i.e. Begad! Blimey! rail buttons, ya bilge rat, motor retention is great.
• Decals are top quality! Blimey! None better!
• Finished kit flies straight and looks impressive
• Kit was priced within reach

Some CONS:

• Parachute too small
• Errors in t' directions
• Parachute bay in t' booster section could be bigger.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

T' followin' excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". Aye aye! The intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Avast! Ya scallywag! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Avast! For more information, matey, use t' link above.

• "T' 3 inch THOR be t' little brother o' t' original 4 inch THOR offered by BSD."
• "...visually identical t' t' 4 inch version, me hearties, matey, but differs in some structural details."
• "...includes either a 38mm or 54mm motor mount..."
• "T' kit compes packaged in a sturdy cardboard box, with t' smaller parts o' t' kit seald in plastic bags."
• "All t' neccessary components t' complete t' kit are included, short o' adhesives, ya bilge rat, paint, sandpaper, shiver me timbers, etc."
• "...five couplers ...the kit uses t' extra couplers t' make much of the length o' t' tube double-walled for additional strength."
• "Most o' t' steps include either a black & white photograph or a drawing..."
• "Some o' t' photographs could have been a bit better..."
• "...I discovered a problem - t' middle centerin' rin' be in the middle o' t' forward fin slots! ... Ahoy! Begad! I contacted Mark (BSD) t' dicuss this with him,... Ya scallywag! Begad! He got back t' me later that day... Begad! t' instructions were indeed incorrect,... Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! T' next day, shiver me timbers, he contacted me t' say that new instructions were in t' mail and t' ask what parts I needed t' have replaced... Well, blow me down! My hat is off to Mark for promptly recognizin' and fixin' t' problem, as well as his attitude in workin' with me on t' problem."
• "...I was surprised by how solid t' tubes felt after installin' the extra couplers as internal reinforcements."
• "... adapt t' kit for dual deployment. Begad! T' instructions include additional information t' assist t' builder with this adaptation."

This looks t' be a fine kit from BSD. It is hybrid compatible which allows for many motor options. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' manufacturer is reported t' be very helpful and stood behind his product when a mistake was found. T' only negative mentioned is that t' tubes were nay pre-slotted. Aye aye! Ahoy! This may nay even be a negative dependin' on t' builder.