Brief:
That Tube Rocket is a basic tube finned rocket for Micro Maxx motors. Ahoy! The Micro Maxx Yahoo group is an excellent resource if you want t' find out more about these motors and rockets. Aye aye! T' fins are made from 6 short sections o' body tube glued to t' main body tube. Blimey! This makes t' rocket easy t' assemble and potentially more durable than a conventional rocket with balsa fins. Well, blow me down! T' kit arrived 6 days after I ordered it. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It came double boxed and sealed in a plastic bag.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• basswood nosecone
• 1 4.625" Body tube
• 1 1.375" Body tube
• 7 1" x 5/16" Body tubes (fins)
• 2 1.5" Coupler tubes
• 1 1/8" plastic launch lug
• 2 gram lead weight
• 20" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 9" x 1" Mylar streamer

All t' parts were present and good quality. Well, blow me down! T' sequence o' the instructions be logical and thar were excellent line drawings provided where needed. Assembly required only glue, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a knife, ya bilge rat, and sand paper.

T' fins are assembled first from t' seven 1 inch pieces o' 5/16" body tube. Begad! Blimey! T' plastic launch lug is glued inside one o' t' tube fins with a little medium CA.

Next t' shock cord is tied t' t' motor block which is made from a 1/2" length o' coupler. Aye aye! This be t' only cuttin' required for this kit. T' motor block is glued inside t' long body tube usin' t' second coupler as a guide. Blimey!

T' only snag came when fittin' t' nose cone t' t' shorter body tube. The shoulder o' t' nose cone required some minor trimmin' t' fit inside t' body tube. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' shock cord is threaded through t' second coupler and tied t' the lead weight. Ahoy! T' lead weight and coupler are glued inside t' short body tube. T' streamer is attached t' t' shock cord with Scotch tape.

Once t' glue on t' fins are dry t' unit is slipped over t' lower part of t' body tube and glued in place t' complete t' construction. Well, blow me down!

Finishing:
T' instructions suggest that several coats o' primer be applied. Given the smooth finish o' t' basswood nosecone and t' draggy nature o' t' tube fin design, matey, I felt it would be a waste o' time and add too much weight t' use primer and filler on t' rocket. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Also t' finish o' t' body tubes is a nice shiny white already so a light coat o' clear lacquer is all I used t' finish the model.

T' completed rocket is very light, only 6 grams with motor. Arrr! Blimey! It is so strong that it should be possible t' eliminate t' streamer altogether. Aye aye! Blimey! The rocket falls slowly enough with t' payload and main body connected by the shock cord.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Flight preparation is similar t' other rockets with streamer recovery except you use far less wadding. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! For t' first flight I friction fitted a Micro Maxx II motor with just enough maskin' tape t' go 1/3 o' t' way around t' motor. Avast! I pinched off a pea sized piece o' dog barf and poked it into t' body tube. The accordion folded mylar streamer follow t' waddin' into t' body tube along with half t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Begad! T' payload section with t' remainder o' t' shock cord top o' the rocket and it was ready t' fly.

For those who have flown Micro Maxx rockets before, t' followin' will sound familiar. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey!

I snapped an ignitor into t' Quest Micro Maxx silo-style launch pad, carefully threaded t' 0.047" launch rod through t' launch lug and rested the motor nozzle on t' igniter. Ahoy! Insertin' t' launch interlock key caused the controller t' beep annoyingly, me bucko, me bucko, 5, arrr, 4, 3, 2, 1, shiver me timbers, nothing. Avast, me proud beauty! At first I thought t' 9 volt battery must be dead. Begad! Ahoy! It had been in t' controller for a while and they never last long. New battery and 3, shiver me timbers, 2, shiver me timbers, 1, me bucko, nothing. I give up. I grabbed me 12 volt ridin' mower battery, me bucko, me Pratt Hobbies SixPack Launch Controller, shiver me timbers, 25 foot 3 prong extension cable, shiver me timbers, and a short 2 prong extension cord terminated with two micro clips. Begad! Arrr! I stripped off t' plastic shell from t' igniter wires careful nay t' disturb t' tape and paper, shiver me timbers, me hearties, made a 90 degree bend in t' wires, me hearties, attached t' micro clips and lowered t' rocket carefully onto t' igniter wires. Well, arrr, blow me down! Finally 3, arrr, 2, ya bilge rat, matey, 1, me bucko, whoosh!

T' rocket jumped off t' pad faster and flew higher than any other Micro Maxx I've flown. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! I momentarily lost it against t' clouds but regained sight of it when t' ejection charge popped t' shiny streamer at apogee. Ahoy! It fluttered down gently but got caught in a tree limb. Avast! This is why I prefer flyin' saucers. Fortunately I be able t' reach it with t' 11 foot Christmas light hanger pole I got on sale at Wal-Mart shortly after t' New Year. Begad! Blimey! It was a quarter o' its original pre-Christmas price and it's been worth every one o' t' 500 pennies it cost me. Ahoy! Blimey!

T' second flight was much like t' first except it missed t' tree and landed 30 feet from t' pad. Ahoy! T' t' third and final flight started out the same but I was tryin' so hard t' snap a take off picture that I never saw it again. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I heard it when t' ejection charge went off and from t' sound it must have been over t' jungle that is me neighbor's yard. Arrr! Aye aye! It is lost forever. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! It was good while it lasted. Blimey! I'll paint t' next one day-glo orange and launch it in a larger field.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Pros:

• Easy t' build and fly
• Flies and recovers very well

Cons:

• Easy t' lose

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5