Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | DG&A High Power Rocketry |
Photos courtesy o' DG&A
Brief:
Anyone heard o' BSD? Well this kit is equal t' t' quality o' that now popular company. Danny Cantu, matey, arrr, arrr, t' owner, arrr, has designed a line somewhat challengin' t' build and extremely fun t' fly kits, from t' 29mm Predator up t' t' special edition limited production Armageddon and Sonic Blast (3 K1100's no problem). Aye aye! This kit is designed for a 38mm I161-J570. Well, blow me down! It has standard parachute deployment on t' main body and t' sustainer section as well. Well, blow me down! This is a solid kit with clearly illustrated directions with pictures and t' most important thin' o' all, Danny's phone number if you have problems. Ya scallywag! I have opted t' make a few modifications in t' kit from normal, but really does nay effect t' overall design.
Construction:
This is a 4 inch kit that comes with a parts list o' t' main components. Blimey! They are t' 34" booster tube, 24" airframe tube, 10" payload bay, and 34" 38 mm motor tube. Blimey! I extended t' motor mount due t' me recovery design. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! It has a 4 inch nose cone. Aye aye! It also comes with t' main fins, me hearties, upper canard fins, shiver me timbers, 4 centerin' rings, matey, 1 bulkhead, matey, 8 nozzle fins and 8 win' supports. All are 1/4 inch plywood, shiver me timbers, me hearties, very beefy. Begad! Arrr! This kit has a shock cord strap which you attach t' shock cord to, and has t' hardware for t' standard eyebolt attachments. Aye aye! Blimey! It also comes with 1/2" launch lugs, but I have opted t' use rail guides instead, ya bilge rat, since I have a rail.
T' instructions are very easy t' follow with pictures. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! T' only gotcha I found was t' parachute attachment method. Avast! I did nay quite understand t' directions. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I am incorporatin' Stu Barrets' anti-zipper design, me bucko, so I have me own plans. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Go t' InfoCentral at ROL under construction and you will see Stu's article on this. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! I also added tubular nylon for t' shock cord, me bucko, about 18 feet o' it. All I had t' add t' t' kit for this was 1 extra coupler and 1 extra 12" payload section I got with t' kit from Danny. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' assembly directions are straight forward. Ahoy! Blimey! Lots o' sandin' on those huge wings. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! Danny includes pre-marked tubes for t' fins and alignment guides, arrr, matey, plus a wrap around win' guide for t' nozzle. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! This kit is extremely sturdy and constructed o' high grade components. Aye aye! I opted only t' fiberglass t' payload section, arrr, just for a little added strength. I used t' basic 30 minute epoxy from me hobby store. Aye aye! You can use 5 minute epoxy on a few steps, me bucko, but I prefer t' stronger 30 minute.
Finishing:
T' fins require some fillin' in t' grain, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and since they are so big, shiver me timbers, I used Duplicolor auto paint. Blimey! Blimey! Epoxy primer would be better, ya bilge rat, but I don't have a spray gun. Begad! Blimey! Kilz also works good too. Those fins have over 16' o' fillets, shiver me timbers, me bucko, go slow and get them right. Begad! Blimey! Makes PML's Pterodactyl look like a baby on fillets. I chose t' bevel t' fins somewhat. Ahoy! Blimey! This kit should fly great even in a little wind with those big fillets. Very nice lookin' rocket! Blimey! This kit comes with its own decals. This kit has a basic 2 color paint scheme but you can design your own if you wish.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
This kit goes great on I161's. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! I estimate about 1200-1500 feet. Avast! I use 1 chute with t' long shock cord. Begad! Begad! Blimey! I use me PML 55 inch chute I have, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, works great, settles it down softly. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! Danny's 2 parachutes that are included in t' kit will work great also. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! I added blind nuts t' t' aft centerin' ring, me hearties, just in front o' t' nozzle. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! I use extra long screws t' screw into them, ya bilge rat, and cover t' screw with a pre-cut launch lug so I know how far t' screw needs t' go in. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Do this before you glue t' motor mount into t' main tube. Positive motor retention works.
Recovery:
I used medium delays for t' lower flights, and plan t' use long delay's on t' J350 or J570 flights. T' fins are plywood, but a little layer o' glass on t' edges may help. Begad! If it needs that, ya bilge rat, I will make t' edges a different color t' set it off. Aye aye! Wind does nay effect those big fins.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
PRO-strong kit, ya bilge rat, arrr, good for t' middle experience modeler, people who have nay had t' cut tubes for fin placement may get a little lost, arrr, but t' great directions will tell you how t' do it right. Begad! Nice big fins, great futuristic lookin' rocket. CON-I would switch t' birch plywood t' increase t' ease o' finishin' t' fins.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
The Armageddon is a large, unique looking, high power kit produced by DG&A Rocketry. The components include: three 3.9 inch body tubes, 2 couplers, 1 54mm motor mount tube, 4 large fins, 4 canard fins, 1 nose cone, 4 centering rings, 1 bulkhead, 1 60 inch parachute, one 9/16 inch thick nylon webbing shock cord with pre-sewn loops, 8 nozzle fins, 8 fin reinforcement strips, 2 launch ...
Very heavy kraft paper, aircraft ply fins, Single stage HPR. The kit comes with: four BT's, two couplers, four fins, eight nozzle fins, four canard fins, eight fin detail pieces, four CR's, 1 MMT. one nose cone, one 74" chute, one shock cord and ½ launch lugs and other hardware. The kit was shipped in a large thick walled box. When you open the box you can't help but say "WOW!" Lots ...
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