Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Thrustline Aerospace |
Brief:
Single stage futuristic, jet fighter styled model rocket.
Construction:
Single glassine wrapped paper body tube, balsa nose cone, me bucko, arrr, two main
"wing" fins, two "vertical stab" fins, two canard fins, and
two aft sub fins. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Carved balsa canopy. Blimey! Aye aye! Standard modroc motor mount with 2
laser cut black fiber board centerin' rings and 24mm paper tube w/ engine clip
to fit standard 2.75" long "D" motors. 18" Mylar parachute.
Keelhaul®©™®
thread and 1/4" wide elastic shock cord attached t' MMT.
T' instructions were very complete and easy t' follow. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Numerous pictures to explain t' important steps. T' fin templates are printed on heavier card stock and a tube markin' wrap was included.
It be a challengin' build due t' t' number and size o' t' fins/wings. You must pay careful attention t' alignment when gluin' on t' various fins/wings. Well, blow me down! T' parts included are o' high quality.
T' only "gotcha" would be t' canopy. Well, blow me down! Three pieces o' balsa sheet are glued together t' make a block. A template is included t' so you can mark t' canopy's basic profile. Begad! It is a bit o' work t' shape t' canopy, ya bilge rat, but if you take your time and follow t' tips given in t' instructions, you will be rewarded with a fine lookin' piece o' hand shaped balsa. This is definitely a "builder's" kit.
Finishing:
No special techniques required for finishing. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Pick you favorite. Avast, me proud beauty! I filled the
wood and tube spirals with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. A couple o' coats of
Rustoleum gray primer, sandin' in betwixt coats. Final finish is two coats of
Krylon gloss black, leavin' stripes o' t' flat primer, me bucko, matey, accented with yellow
stripes on t' gray borders. T' finished product is sort o' an
"X-Plane" theme.
About t' only thin' missin' would be nice set o' decals. Ahoy! A pre-formed canopy would make t' build go faster.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Flight prep is standard stuff. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A motor clip retains t' motor. Arrr! A handful of
"dog barf" wadding, arrr, fold t' chute, and pack it in. Aye aye! Begad! Launch lugs are
1/8" diameter.
T' first flight was on an Estes C11-5. It left t' pad with authority on the C11. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There be a slight 5mph breeze that day. Aye aye! Blimey! At approximately 300 feet it started t' weather vane into t' wind at about a 45 deg angle. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' delay be a bit long and made for an excitin' dive before t' chute opened. Definitely a rocket for calm days.
T' second flight was on a D12-5. Much better flight. Nay as much weathercocking.
Recovery:
T' shock cord be t' popular Keelhaul®©™®
thread attached t' t' MMT, extendin' out past t' end o' t' body tube where
it is attached t' an elastic shock cord t' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! T' mylar chute is
attached t' t' nose cone eyelet with a snap clip swivel. Avast!
Recovery
went well. It comes down slow but all t' fin surface does make for a lot of
drift. Ahoy! Arrr! Even with a late ejection on t' C11-5, shiver me timbers, t' rocket suffered no damage
durin' t' recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' main thin' with this rocket be t' look. It has t' "cool" factor
in abundance.
No real cons. T' complex fin alignment and canopy carvin' makes this a builder's kit. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Nay for t' inexperienced.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: In the early days of rocketry if you wanted a rocket that looked like a jet, it was a Centuri kit for you. Thrustline's F-19 Night Fighter is a futuristic fighter aircraft styled rocket that once again delivers the kind of feel that could be found with these kits. The F-19 boosts on a single 24mm motor and recovers by parachute. Construction: All of the component of the ...
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