| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Manufacturer: | Thrustline Aerospace |
Brief:
Single stage futuristic, me bucko, jet fighter styled model rocket.
Construction:
Single glassine wrapped paper body tube, balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, two main
"wing" fins, two "vertical stab" fins, two canard fins, me bucko, and
two aft sub fins. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Carved balsa canopy. 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. Well, blow me down! 18" Mylar parachute.
Keelhaul®©™®
thread and 1/4" wide elastic shock cord attached t' MMT.
T' instructions were very complete and easy t' follow. Ahoy! Numerous pictures to explain t' important steps. Ya scallywag! T' fin templates are printed on heavier card stock and a tube markin' wrap was included.
It was 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. Arrr! Three pieces o' balsa sheet are glued together t' make a block. Aye aye! A template is included t' so you can mark t' canopy's basic profile. It is a bit o' work t' shape t' canopy, 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. Ya scallywag! This is definitely a "builder's" kit.


Finishing:
No special techniques required for finishing. Avast! Aye aye! Pick you favorite. Begad! I filled the
wood and tube spirals with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish. Arrr! A couple o' coats of
Rustoleum gray primer, sandin' in betwixt coats. Aye aye! Final finish is two coats of
Krylon gloss black, leavin' stripes o' t' flat primer, accented with yellow
stripes on t' gray borders. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' finished product is sort o' an
"X-Plane" theme.
About t' only thin' missin' would be nice set o' decals. Blimey! Blimey! A pre-formed canopy would make t' build go faster.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Flight prep is standard stuff. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! A motor clip retains t' motor. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! A handful of
"dog barf" wadding, me bucko, fold t' chute, and pack it in. Ahoy! Launch lugs are
1/8" diameter.
T' first flight was on an Estes C11-5. Aye aye! Blimey! It left t' pad with authority on the C11. There be a slight 5mph breeze that day. At approximately 300 feet it started t' weather vane into t' wind at about a 45 deg angle. Well, me bucko, blow me down! T' delay was a bit long and made for an excitin' dive before t' chute opened. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Definitely a rocket for calm days.
T' second flight be on a D12-5. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Much better flight. Arrr! Nay as much weathercocking.
Recovery:
T' shock cord be t' popular Keelhaul®©™®
thread attached t' t' MMT, ya bilge rat, matey, extendin' out past t' end o' t' body tube where
it is attached t' an elastic shock cord t' t' nose cone. Begad! T' mylar chute is
attached t' t' nose cone eyelet with a snap clip swivel. Aye aye! Begad!
Recovery
went well. Arrr! It comes down slow but all t' fin surface does make for a lot of
drift. Even with a late ejection on t' C11-5, t' rocket suffered no damage
durin' t' recovery. Aye aye!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' main thin' with this rocket be t' look. Aye aye! It has t' "cool" factor
in abundance.
No real cons. T' complex fin alignment and canopy carvin' makes this a builder's kit. 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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