CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, me hearties, me bucko, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Ahoy! My first cluster be Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Ahoy! Begad! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, arrr, matey, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Ahoy! 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, me bucko, arrr, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Like other Fliskit kits, me bucko, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Eye catchin' design, matey, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Everythin' be 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, ya bilge rat, me bucko, covered with a card shroud. Arrr! Arrr! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Blimey! Ya scallywag! 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! Well, blow me down! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Ahoy! Aye aye! On me Deuce, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down! Arrr!

T' instructions are very concise, arrr, and very clear. Aye aye! Arrr! At no point was I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, and thar are hints and tips for construction, throughout the documentation.

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

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Well, me hearties, blow me down! This be about 1mm short, me hearties, arrr, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, so is mostly unnoticeable. Begad! In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, 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, t' take t' central bodytube. Well, blow me down! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Ownin' a Deuce, ya bilge rat, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Ya scallywag! Begad! After t' fins have been left t' dry, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, arrr, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Aye aye! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Well, blow me down!

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, matey, shiver me timbers, which came with a hobby cutlass. Aye aye! Avast! This cost less than a fiver, me bucko, from me local stationary shop. Well, matey, blow me down! I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, 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! Avast!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. 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. Begad! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, arrr, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. After takin' a photo on t' pad, shiver me timbers, the Pheord was launched. Arrr! Aye aye! It went straight up, me hearties, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' smoke lingered for a while). Ahoy! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, matey, and fell t' earth.

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

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

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

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