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

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, me hearties, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Aye aye! Arrr! Like other Fliskit kits, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Eye catchin' design, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, covered with a card shroud. 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, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it seems). Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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. Arrr! Blimey!

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

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

Next, me bucko, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. This was about 1mm short, arrr, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, me hearties, ya bilge rat, so is mostly unnoticeable. Begad! Blimey! 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, shiver me timbers, t' take t' central bodytube. Avast! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Begad! Ownin' a Deuce, matey, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Ahoy! After t' fins have been left t' dry, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Begad! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Aye aye!

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 knife. This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. Aye aye! Well, arrr, blow me down! I'd consider a piece of kit, shiver me timbers, like this, 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. Arrr!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!