Manufacturer: | U.S. Rockets ![]() |
Brief:
This is a single stage, arrr, 54mm motor mount, arrr, 2.6" high power rocket. Begad! This
rocket would be a great rocket for people with previous experience with high
power kits.
Construction:
There were two (2) very nice 2.6" tubes, arrr, they were a bit thicker than LOC
tubes, very heavy duty. Well, blow me down! There were three (3) 3/16" plywood fins, a
coupler, me bucko, motor tube, me hearties, launch lug, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, parachute and a very, ya bilge rat, very nice solid balsa
cone. Ya scallywag! There be a 1/2" by 10 foot long elastic shock cord, with a 18"
military surplus chute. Arrr! T' rocket split in t' middle, ya bilge rat, so you have a payload
compartment t' put electronics or what ever you want in it. Begad!
Construction was pretty straight-forward and simple. T' instructions were not well written and were a little scarce o' information on some key steps. However, with me experience, I did nay really refer t' them much. Begad! I decided that t' 54mm motor mount be way too big for what I be goin' t' be usin' it for. Well, blow me down! So I added a 29mm motor tube and mounted it inside t' supplied 54mm motor tube.
T' fins are through-the-wall and you will need t' cut and mark t' slots off yourself. Ahoy! There was a 1/2" launch lug that I replaced for a 1/4" lug. Aye aye!
T' nose cone was great, me bucko, it was balsa, ya bilge rat, which you don't see much anymore, ya bilge rat, I put 2 coats o' finishin' resin on t' cone (my first attempt at doin' this), and it turned out great, it adds some strength t' t' cone while makin' a great finish. Ahoy!
T' completed rocket is pretty rugged for t' materials used. This rocket could survive some very hard landings. Well, blow me down! You will need epoxy (set times o' your choice) for construction. Ahoy!
T' shock cord I mounted t' a steel cable attached t' t' centerin' ring, I thought this be much better then t' recommended method. Avast! Blimey! T' recommended method was a Estes style mount, which is great for Estes rockets, matey, matey, matey, but when you get up t' mid or high power rockets, me hearties, matey, they just don't work.
Finishing:
Finishin' be easy, I put two coats o' primer on, then painted t' payload
section with Testors Dark Gloss blue, then fadin' t' blue t' Testors Gloss
Black. Arrr! Blimey! T' results were great. Avast! T' spirals are nay deep at all, me bucko, so thar be no
real need t' fill them. Avast, me proud beauty! Decals did come with t' kit, arrr, but I opted nay t' use
them, shiver me timbers, me bucko, as I thought t' kit without t' decals looked better. Blimey! Also, t' decals
were rather cheap, they were printed on cheap clear sticky decal material. Ya scallywag! The
printin' quality was terrible. They were all words in flat black. Aye aye!
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
For t' first flight I used a Aerotech G104-short. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rocket does weigh a
bunch, due t' it needin' a bit o' nose weight (also t' addition o' t' 29mm
motor mount). Arrr! Blimey! T' kit did nay come with any nose weight, it did tell you were
the CP was. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! So I used that t' balance it out with t' biggest motor I would
use. Avast! Blimey! With t' extra weight, I swapped out t' 18" chute for a 24"
nylon chute.
T' boost was very fast and straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Despite t' 20mph plus winds, recovery was fine with t' 24" chute, me hearties, it came down just at t' right speed.
There is no motor retention that comes with t' kit, so you have t' add your own, I just used tee nuts and made some clips up for it. This rocket does require wadding, but you could easily make a baffle or use a Nomex® heat shield if you wanted to.
Recovery:
T' shock cord was plenty long for t' rocket. As I said above, I put a
24" chute in it, ya bilge rat, as t' 18" be too small. Avast, me proud beauty! It came down at t' right
speed with that. Arrr! Avast! Upon recovery thar was no damage at all t' it!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' rocket kit is very nice, shiver me timbers, thar are a few things that could have been
better, matey, a bigger chute would have been better, along with some better
directions. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' rocket flies great though, arrr, which makes up for those things.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Editor's Note: T' Warp-2 is part o' a 3 rocket family, ya bilge rat, me bucko, all usin' t' same body but with different motor configurations. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! The Warp-1 is a single 29mm, which t' author modified his Warp-2 into. T' Warp-2 is t' 54mm and t' Warp-3 is a cluster o' three (3) 29mm motors.
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