Brief:
It's an unusual cone rocket. Aye aye! No fins, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but t' nose weight makes it stable.
Pre-printed paper cone, so you don't need t' paint it. Avast! Aye aye! Very simple t' prep.
Construction:
You have t' be ready and willin' t' roll cones out o' light cardstock. There is
also a short piece o' nestin' body tubes, and some foam board for t' base and
mid-section bulkhead.
If you're nay used t' rollin' cones, me bucko, matey, this rocket is goin' t' be frustration
personified. Begad! On t' other hand, me hearties, rollin' cones out o' cardstock is a handy skill
to have for model rockets. Aye aye! If you're nay sure about cone rolling, photocopy the
cone patterns onto light card stock and practice.
T' double cone used for t' nose cone is especially tricky. Avast! You have to
put in on thin, me hearties, ya bilge rat, or you'll get lumps when you roll it, but thin white glue grabs
paper very quickly. Ahoy! You pretty much have t' do it in one motion. Practice on
some photocopied patterns until you're good at it. If I did it again, ya bilge rat, I might
do it as two nested cones t' make it easier.
After you do t' double-thick nose cone, t' rest is a snap.
Finishing:
What finishing? It's already printed. Ya scallywag! Begad! That's one o' t' cool things about it. Blimey! Arrr!
Construction Rating:
4
out o' 5
Flight:
I only got t' fly this once. It flew very straight up and reasonably high on a
D12-3. Arrr! T' ejection was right at apogee. Well, blow me down! T' rocket tumbles down very safely.
Even though I taped t' motor in very well, t' motor still ejected.
Recovery:
If I were t' build another one, ya bilge rat, arrr, I'd put a much longer shock cord on it, matey, and I'd
put in a stronger motor retention system. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Either t' motor mount rebounded and
pierced t' cone, or t' ejected motor flew through t' cone. Aye aye! Begad! Whatever the
case, matey, t' cone was seriously damaged and t' upper section o' t' motor mount
was badly damaged.
I
think with a half motor hook attached t' t' lower motor tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, and a longer
shock cord would definitely improve this rocket. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!
Flight Rating:
3
out o' 5
Summary:
It's a fun rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! It's unusual and flies very straight. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! This be t' kind of
rocket that is perfect for school demonstrations (as long as you figure out how
to retain t' motor). Well, blow me down! T' variety o' preprinted cones keeps it from being
borin' or repetitive. Ahoy! Do nay tackle this rocket if you have an aversion to
rollin' paper cones, matey, matey, me bucko, though.
Overall Rating:
4
out o' 5
