Manufacturer: | Aardvark Rockets |
Brief:
Scale kit o' t' Swedish Missile.
Construction:
This rocket is a single tube equal t' and/or surpassin' other tubes on the
market.
T' kit came standard with 8 premium quality Baltic Birch High Ply count fins and 3 (yes 3) awesome centerin' rings out o' t' same material. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! One ring was already pre-drilled for t' lower shock cord mountin' eye-bolt. T' motor mount tube be thick wall 29mm motor mount tube that be equally superior in quality t' t' airframe. It was more than adequate in length t' clear t' fin roots in t' front o' t' forward fins and still allow for much space for a parachute. Arrr! T' nosecone is made o' custom turned hard balsa. Nice touch and great quality. Aye aye! T' nose weight was taken care o' with a beefy screw-in eyescrew that was epoxied into a small pre-drilled hole. Avast! Ya scallywag! Nay too big, but big enough to ensure that t' nosecone did nay split. Ya scallywag! T' kit came packaged very well. Begad! Well, blow me down! Thick plastic with a nice header. Aye aye! All o' t' parts had been sealed in separate compartments inside o' another piece o' t' same packaging. You could easily see t' entire contents. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Far superior t' other manufacturers!
T' instructions were on a total o' 5 pages. I am an experienced builder, but enjoyed t' instruction detail t' ascertain what Aardvark had in mind durin' construction. Arrr! T' wordin' was precise and little confusion was possible, even for me 13 year old son that helped on t' project. Begad! Begad! There were illustrations where clarification be needed and nay simply thrown in t' make the instructions longer or t' account for poor wording. Ahoy! T' assembly order was extremely well thought out and thar be even a revision date at t' bottom of each page. I thought that this be a nice touch. Ahoy! Since me tube came pre-slotted, thar be no need for templates. Blimey!
T' only gotcha that I could find durin' construction be t' lower shock cord mount that is through t' upper centerin' ring. Begad! Avast! T' wordin' be complex although it seemed as though I should understand it easily. Ahoy! Aye aye! I called Dr. Kenneth Johnson o' Aardvark and he emailed me a clarification drawin' that is now included in t' new instruction set. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! This be a definite plus and made perfect sense when coupled with t' text instructions.
T' shockcord, me bucko, i believe, me hearties, is made o' a Mule Tape like product that is flat braided Keelhaul®©™ ® .. Begad! Blimey! I am most impressed with this addition t' t' kit. Coupled with a decent 36" chute, arrr, it was VERY reasonable t' add this t' t' kit price.
T' fins were nay beveled (unfortunately). Blimey! Blimey! This is nay such a bad thing though, as those that I have had in t' past from other manufacturers were miserable failures. Begad! I prefer t' bevel myself anyway. Arrr! Blimey! T' fin slots were decent and cut accurately enough. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' fin tabs were t' perfect length and t' tabs were well thought out t' assist in hidin' t' slots. Arrr! Blimey!
There was enough "warnings" and thought provokin' statements in the instruction set t' make even an experienced builder like me consider simple modifications for such things as motor retention. Blimey! These were well placed and worded in t' instructions.
I still have t' state, once again, that t' fins in this kit were most awesome! With only minor sandin' and finishing, me hearties, arrr, they came out like an automotive paint job that only t' finest quality materials can provide. Begad!
All tools and materials needed t' complete t' kit were clearly indicated in the second page o' t' instruction kit. Aye aye! I did choose t' add a slim line retainer. Ahoy! Aye aye!
Finishing:
T' tubes did nay require any fillin' and were only roughly sanded. Begad! Arrr! T' fin
fillets were accomplished with a call t' Aardvark, ya bilge rat, once again. Avast, me proud beauty! Dr. Avast! Johnson
would nay specifically recommend any single name brand but I inferred that the
"true" recommendation was Evercoat Formula 27 filler. Begad! Kinda like
Bondo. I was impressed with this product. Went on smooth and sanded easily.
Took t' primer and stuck t' everythin' without any sags. Begad! There were no decals
included with this kit although Dr. Well, blow me down! Johnson offered t' send me out a
"SAAB" logo if I was stuck on it. Arrr!
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
My first flight was a test o' t' kit. Well, blow me down! I put it up on an H97 for t' first
flight. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! It was probably one o' t' better flights o' me summer. Well, blow me down! Straight as an
arrow and really fast! I don't like screamers, shiver me timbers, but this was most enjoyable on
the blackjack motor. Arrr! I have now flown it twice on G80s and even on a G33. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! This
is now one o' me favorites. Well, blow me down! Nay t' mention that it gets looks and many a
question from onlookers. Arrr! I used t' proverbial "dog barf" wadding
without any problems. Begad! Avast!
Recovery:
T' shock cord quality makes me trust it that much more. Begad! It is far and above
the quality o' anythin' I have seen and was longer that I needed and typically
use. There is even a recommendation on re-use o' parachutes from rocket to
rocket. Arrr! Nice touch again. Aye aye! I would only like t' see welded or cast eyebolts, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but
there is no way t' add those without additional cost t' an already quite
affordable kit. Begad!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
It is really nice t' deal with a company that does what it can t' help the
little guys out. Arrr! T' initial shipment was damaged by UPS and Aardvark sent me
out a new airframe almost immediately. They even asked me t' measure me fin
roots t' ensure that t' slots were identical. Blimey! Begad! Now, arrr, THAT is a nice touch. Avast, me proud beauty! T' my
surprise, along with t' new airframe came a decal sheet with compliments and
an apology for me trouble. Nay any trouble here!
I think that we will be seein' many more o' these kits out on t' flight line. Arrr! If you want t' purchase a really top quality kit, you should really look into Aardvark!
I will post me article about t' new exotic kit once it arrives. Ya scallywag! I guess that when you purchase another kit from t' same source before t' first one is even completed, it says a lot about how I feel!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
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