Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Art Applewhite Rockets |
After flyin' a number o' Art Applewhite's kits on 13mm - 24mm, I have moved up one notch t' a Stealth 29mm. Begad! Will I fly this in me front yard? No, matey, but I'm expectin' t' same fun, low altitude performance as I have had with t' other variations.
T' Stealth design is actually shared in many ways with t' Qubit and Scimitar. Arrr! Blimey! T' Qubit has a straight lower edgy, arrr, t' Scimitar has a half-moon lower edge and t' Stealth as a saw-tooth edge. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' Stealth comes in a few colors, me bucko, but why would anyone get anythin' other than black? After all, me bucko, it be t' "Stealth".
T' kit includes t' instructions, me hearties, ya bilge rat, arrr, a 29mm motor mount tube, a cardstock template for three sides that are made o' 1/4" foamboard, me hearties, and lastly a single triangle piece o' foamboard for t' bottom o' t' rocket.
CONSTRUCTION:
T' instructions are printed on 3 pages o' 8½ x 11" paper. Avast! They are photo-illustrated which makes t' easy t' build rocket, me hearties, even easier!
T' major steps include cuttin' out t' template and markin' t' three sides. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Then, me hearties, t' three sides are cut per t' instructions usin' a hobby knife. Ya scallywag! Avast! Use a NEW blade for this task.
T' three sides are glued together with Elmer's Glue All (I used Elmer's White Glue). Arrr! Blimey!
T' bottom is pre-marked for t' launch rod hole and motor tube hole. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Cut these out then glue t' bottom into place.
T' motor tube is glued into place.
Done!
Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. Avast, me proud beauty! Simple with good instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
FLIGHT/RECOVERY:
Art Applewhite recommends t' "Ellis Mountain G35 or any 29mm single use motor or Aerotech RMS-29/40-120 reload."
Art Applewhite warns, "Do nay use a motor with t' ejection charge installed as this will melt and burn t' foamboard and eject t' motor."
Art Applewhite indicates t' Stealth should weigh 2.3 ounces. Blimey! My Stealth weighed 2.2 ounces.
I decided t' fly it for t' first time on an EconoJet F20-4. Begad! I took off t' paper cap and poured t' BP into me BP bottle for use in another charge. I then tapped t' motor t' ensure all BP be out. Arrr! I made a small thrust rin' with about 3 wraps o' maskin' tape and friction fit it into t' motor tube.
I was alone, so I tried t' set up t' take a picture at t' same time as I pressed t' launch button. Whoa! Didn't expect that. Aye aye! Missed t' photo completely.
T' loudness o' t' F20 was great, but only seemed exaggerated by t' design o' t' Stealth (is that possible). Aye aye! T' Stealth exploded off t' pad, then on t' way up (straight) started a spinnin' motion. Begad! Lots o' smoke as it tipped over and headed for t' ground. Ahoy! Begad! Upon inspection t' tip o' t' rocket is slightly crushed.
My second flight was on an Ellis G35-6 with t' BP removed. Aye aye! Got this one on t' camera! Very, ya bilge rat, very, arrr, cool! T' G35 just kept pushin' t' rocket upward. Nice long burn. At t' top, shiver me timbers, matey, it too turned over in a lot o' delay smoke. Ya scallywag! Avast! Recovered very close t' t' pad!
For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, me hearties, me hearties, I would rate this rocket 4 ½ points. Awesome flights which allow F and G motors t' be used in much smaller fields! Don't know what t' do about t' tip damage though. Well, matey, blow me down! Maybe it should be filled with clay or epoxy.
I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Avast, me proud beauty! I have had a good experience with every one o' Art Applewhite's kits. Avast! They are a unique niche in rocketry and can allow higher powered motors in smaller fields. Arrr! They would make great demo or school project rockets as well! Go for it!