CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Well, blow me down! My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, me hearties, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Begad! Begad! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, arrr, shiver me timbers, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, matey, ya bilge rat, arrr, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Avast! It only takes about 5-6 days for me t' get me goodies! All goods are well packaged for transport; me Pheord package had a bashed corner, matey, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Begad! Blimey! Like other Fliskit kits, ya bilge rat, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! Eye catchin' design, individually numbered (mine is #16), ya bilge rat, and t' contents visible through t' back. Everythin' was present and correct, and o' t' usual best quality associated with Fliskits products.

T' kit is essentially a 18mm body tube, surrounded by five fins, covered with a card shroud. Arrr! Well, blow me down! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, it seems). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, arrr, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Begad! On me Deuce, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me. Avast!

T' instructions are very concise, and very clear. Aye aye! At no point be I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, and thar are hints and tips for construction, ya bilge rat, throughout the documentation.

Construction starts with t' fins. Begad! Blimey! T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Begad! Avast! Blimey! First t' left side ones. Avast! These are stuck onto t' balsa, ya bilge rat, arrr, the fins are cut, matey, and then t' right side decals are attached. Aye aye! Blimey! T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, me bucko, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, me bucko, you have t' crease t' decal, which spoils it. Aye aye! Blimey! I got round this by usin' t' blade of me hobby knife t' 'pick' at t' edges o' t' stickers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, until I had enough backin' paper free t' get a grip .... Ya scallywag! Blimey! a rather tedious task, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I found.

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This be about 1mm short, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, arrr, so is mostly unnoticeable. Well, blow me down! Blimey! In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, me bucko, and received an almost immediate reply from Jim who says he’s lookin' into it immediately - theres a good example o' t' high level o' customer service t' be expected from Fliskits.

Attachin' t' fins is next. T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, me hearties, arrr, t' take t' central bodytube. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Blimey! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Avast! Blimey! Ownin' a Deuce, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. After t' fins have been left t' dry, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, me hearties, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely.

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, which came with a hobby cutlass. Ahoy! This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' be essential in buildin' a model with this much cutting involved; and is a very handy item t' have for general template cuttin' etc. Begad!

Now onto t' 'antenna'. Ya scallywag! These are made o' five 150x1mm lengths o' steel wire, shiver me timbers, which require bendin' into shape, shiver me timbers, me hearties, with a pair o' long nosed pliers. Avast! The steel used is VERY strong (again, reflectin' t' high standards o' Fliskits component quality), and was a bit o' a devil t' bend. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! This said, me bucko, matey, I managed to bend one joint t' wrong way, ya bilge rat, and in tryin' t' correct this snapped t' wire (DOH!). I calculated that this 'antenna', could be bodged onto t' model, and carried on with a broken 'antenna'. Ya scallywag! T' 'antenna' are then attached along the sides o' t' fins, arrr, arrr, me bucko, and a launch lug attached. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' snapped 'antenna' came in handy here, as it meant thar be a side o' a fin with no wire, arrr, me bucko, makin' gluing on o' t' launch lug easy. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, shiver me timbers, in order t' seal them. Blimey! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", t' bird is ready t' go, and looks great! There is a lot of detail, and humour, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, in t' artwork; and is a good colour t' show up in the sky. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, me bucko, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Ya scallywag! Begad! Ratin' should be 4.75 but 1/2 be t' smallest I can deduct

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:
T' Pheord is designed t' fly on B6-0 and C6-0 engines. I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Aye aye! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Ahoy! After takin' a photo on t' pad, matey, me hearties, the Pheord was launched. Blimey! It went straight up, ya bilge rat, arrr, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' smoke lingered for a while). Aye aye! Avast! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, ya bilge rat, and fell t' earth.

Descent was stable, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, straight, matey, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', bouncin' once. Arrr! Begad! A very quick, ya bilge rat, and fun, me bucko, me hearties, flight. Aye aye! Begad! I then launched it on a C6-0. Avast, me proud beauty! This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. Avast! This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Avast! Aye aye! You get a much higher flight, much better smoke trails, me hearties, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' Pheord still landed only a few meters from t' pad, matey, so there’s no danger o' loosin' it - even on the smallest field. Ahoy! I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), me hearties, whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, another superb flight and recovery. I've included some photos o' this flight. Ahoy! Blimey!

Flight/Revovery Rating: 5 out o' 5 - add a bonus point when flyin' on a C

OVERALL:
This is, typically for Fliskits, me hearties, a VERY good kit overall. Avast! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, me hearties, this kit is exceptional value for money. Well, blow me down! Estes kits cost more than that, ya bilge rat, over here, before you add delivery costs! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, me bucko, shiver me timbers, or noticeable wear, shiver me timbers, me hearties, arrr, after three flights. Begad! I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Avast, me proud beauty! T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Ahoy! Blimey! Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, me bucko, like me, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. T' face card also contained launchin' requirements for another Fliskits product (the HUGE Richter Recker). Ahoy! I pointed this rather embarrassin' (and amusing) typo out t' Jim on t' Rocketry Forum, me bucko, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. Aye aye! T' emphasis, with this bird, arrr, is on fun, shiver me timbers, fun, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, shiver me timbers, but uncomplicated, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5 If you dont have one - get one! If enough people get one, Jim will be able t' reprint t' face card, ya bilge rat, matey, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!