| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2019-07-14 |
| Diameter: | 4.00 inches |
| Length: | 69.50 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Fusion Rocket |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief
After wadin' through a sea o' mundane "Dad" presents this past Christmas (literally socks and underwear), shiver me timbers, arrr, at t' end o' it all me wife retrieved one final gift hidden deep in t' back o' a closet: a Fusion Rocket Arrow X. Avast! Well, blow me down! It was me Red Rider BB Cannon moment - t' box be even marked "FRAGILE" so it must be Italian...
I'd recently renewed me Tripoli membership and recertified Level 1 after havin' been out o' t' hobby for several years, and I was ready t' move on t' somethin' bigger for L2. Begad! After learnin' Scott Binder was back in business under his new Fusion brand, I had figured on pickin' up a Thor. It had been at t' top o' me wish list years ago, but then I saw t' new Arrow X on his website and be hooked. I loved t' stylin' and added details like t' fin doublers and nozzle.
Components
All t' components were high quality: heavy duty plastic nose cone and cardboard body tubes, arrr, with laser-cut plywood fins and centerin' rings. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Rings fit nice and snug after a little bit o' sanding. Aye aye! A 50" Top Flite chute and plenty o' tubular nylon shock cord is included. All t' hardware is there: rail buttons, arrr, quick links, me hearties, me bucko, plastic rivets, shiver me timbers, and motor retention. Begad! Scott also includes a camera mount kit and template for cuttin' out a viewport, which is a nice touch. Blimey! Guess I'll need t' invest in a GoPro at some point.
Construction
Instructions came in a full color glossy booklet that was so nicely done that it'd be almost impossible t' screw it up. Aye aye! Ahoy! I say "almost" because I did screw it up: instead o' bevelin' t' leadin' edge o' t' small trailin' fins, arrr, I beveled t' outer edge. Don't ask me how, as they're clearly marked with an arrow pointin' you in t' right direction. Begad! Begad! Scott was nice enough t' send me a replacement set, which I later learned he be in t' middle o' dealin' with some serious health issues. Ya scallywag! Kudos t' him for stellar customer service.
T' included electronics bay is a bit o' an odd design if you're used t' LOC-style bays and requires a little forethought: that is, if you assemble it per instructions you could have a really hard time drillin' through t' bulkheads for wirin' and BP charge holders. I did this before final assembly.
I was somewhat disappointed t' see t' nozzle is just craft paper over a couple o' plywood reinforcin' rings, but t' brushed aluminum decal wrap that finishes it all looks quite convincing. Arrr! Blimey! It's for display only as you can't really use it with t' provided retainin' clips.
Finishing
Finishin' was easy for bein' such a large rocket. Aye aye! If anythin' I made it harder than necessary by paintin' and sandin' too much as I didn't know how those body tube grooves would show beneath t' vinyl wrap. Turns out I needn't have worried.
I used Krylon primer and paint, me bucko, but it didn't fill in t' grooves well enough. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! They're fairly deep and remained just noticeable enough t' bug me, but I should've used wood putty instead. Arrr! I'm picky about finishing.
I haven't applied a full body wrap before, ya bilge rat, so it took some gettin' used to. Aye aye! Fortunately t' adhesive doesn't fully set until t' decal's been pressed down firmly, shiver me timbers, so after many stops and starts and do-overs I finally got a smooth finish. Just be sure t' carefully mark a sight line and keep everythin' even as you roll it on, otherwise it's easy for t' edges t' end up off-kilter.
Flight
Sprin' flyin' weather in Ohio is typically dismal; most launches end up bein' cancelled for rain or impassable field conditions. Begad! This year, nay so much! Sprin' was mild and mostly dry, so Tripoli Mid Ohio enjoyed one o' t' best flyin' seasons they've ever had. Ahoy! Aye aye! Unfortunately I missed most all o' it as we spent t' sprin' preparin' t' sell our house, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but I was able t' make it t' t' last launch o' t' year on May 18th. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and low 80s temperature, which are nay conditions we see often at TMO launches.
After missin' only one question on t' L2 exam, matey, I prepped a J350 reload and loaded it up on t' rail after inspection by t' LSO, matey, shiver me timbers, Gary Dickinson. Continuity check, ya bilge rat, 5-second count, and it took off with a roar. I'd seen plenty o' J-class motors at our launches but it's definitely more o' an attention grabber when it's on your own bird and t' biggest thin' you've ever flown before was an I300.
Open Rocket predicted a 3000' apogee and I'd say it got every foot o' that. Ahoy! Then came t' wait...
In t' past I've always checked winds aloft but for some reason didn't this day. Avast! They must have really been cranked up because when t' chute deployed just past apogee t' rocket started drifting. Begad! And drifting. Aye aye! And drifting...holy crap, was it GAINING altitude? Either way, it wasn't comin' down. It turned into a hot air balloon and just kept goin' and going, past t' field boundary, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, across t' highway, arrr, over t' next farm, shiver me timbers, finally comin' down behind a stand o' trees about two miles away.
My son and I took off. After over an hour o' stompin' around in marshy woods, shiver me timbers, I finally walked up a rise another 1/4 mile or so behind us just t' see if bein' on higher ground would help. Avast! Ahoy! And honestly, matey, prayin' that God would lead me t' find this stupid rocket because nay only be me L2 hangin' on it, I was usin' a borrowed motor casing. God must look out for fools and rocketeers (but I repeat myself), arrr, because t' wind picked up right then and a neon green 50" chute billowed up out o' t' weeds on t' other side o' t' hill!
It was recovered literally without a scratch, other than t' ones on me legs. Begad! Stuffed t' 'chute back in, brushed off t' mud, ya bilge rat, and it was ready t' go. Begad! I felt a little like t' end o' "T' Right Stuff" when Chuck Yeager is walkin' away from a smokin' hole in t' desert:
"Sir, arrr, over there...is that a man?"
"YOU'RE @#$% RIGHT IT IS!"
We drove back t' t' launch site blastin' t' theme from T' Right Stuff. Arrr! I think everybody got t' joke.
Recovery
Big rocket flyin' on big motors with a big chute = electronic recovery, or at least a Jolly Logic chute release. Blimey! Aye aye! Won't make that mistake again.
Summary
Great kit, highly recommended. Aye aye! I was very happy t' see Scott is stayin' in business after his health scare. Aye aye! Once I'm in a position t' build again, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, it'll be time t' pick up a Thor!
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