A local hobby shop was goin' out o' business and I bought everythin' that be left for $100. Blimey! I figured it t' be about $300 worth o' stuff. Ya scallywag! In that, arrr, I gained a Custom Razor and since I like tube-fin rockets I went ahead and built this one.

This kit is designed as a Skill Level 1 for t' beginner and starter. Yes, you build it, matey, but it is nay necessary t' paint it as it comes with gloss yellow tubes and a black plastic nose cone. So I just built it t' way t' kit was originally intended.

See me Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

T' Razor comes with a plastic nose cone, a single 9" body tube, six (6) 1 7/8" tube fins, an 18mm motor mount with a motor retainer clip, ya bilge rat, a short (12") piece o' elastic shock cord and a plastic 12" parachute. There are some water transfer decals for t' finishin' touch.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions for t' kit were thorough and allowed for any skill o' builder t' be successful in assembly o' t' Razor. They include diagrams t' ensure accuracy. Ya scallywag! They also included finishin' (although that is only puttin' on t' decals) and flight instructions.

As mentioned, I planned t' build this rocket smartly and with no plans t' paint it since t' body and fin tubes were already gloss yellow and t' nose cone was black. I literally assembled this rocket in 5 minutes. Avast! Blimey! All except t' shock cord and parachute. I used Quick Grab glue on this model (additional comments about Quick Grab glue) for everythin' except gluin' t' 3-fold shock cord mount into place.

I decided nay t' use t' 12" piece o' elastic because I feel it is too short, shiver me timbers, so I added 18" o' 1/16" Keelhaul®©™® t' it. Ahoy! I used t' Keelhaul®©™® in t' 3-fold method o' shock cord attachment. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I also replaced t' parachute with a 18" x 3" plastic streamer just t' help in recovery. Ahoy! It is such a light rocket that I would rather see it drop faster.

Even though t' kit is designed so that you don't have t' paint, t' tube spirals are very evident. Begad! T' black water-transfer decals include tube stripes, t' numbers 1 through 6 for each tube and t' word "Razor".

Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Aye aye! It's fast and easy, matey, like a skill level one should be but also has too short o' a shock cord and this would have been a good candidate for a streamer (like Custom's Serval came with).

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Custom recommended t' followin' motors: 1/2A6-2, ya bilge rat, A8-3, me bucko, shiver me timbers, B4-4, ya bilge rat, B6-4, me bucko, C6-5, and C6-7.

T' first day I could fly t' Razor was perfect! No wind and so I loaded it up with a C6-7 for its first flight. Ahoy! I had added a piece o' Rogue Perma-waddin' so preparation was easy. At ignition, this little guy was out o' here and it went very high, in fact I lost track until t' trackin' smoke. Blimey! Blimey! It was clear that it was still goin' up upon ejection. Ahoy! T' streamer deployed and it be recovered close by.

T' next opportunity I had t' fly was also very nice, ya bilge rat, so I loaded up t' Apogee C10-7 and let her rip! Wow, zoom off t' pad and straight up, except for a little tight tail swing. Ya scallywag! It was way up thar and I could track t' position by t' nice amount o' trackin' smoke in t' C10. Begad! It arced over and ejected and then I heard t' ejection a split second later. Begad! Begad! T' streamer was folded/rolled and got caught in t' shock cord and t' rocket fell t' t' ground with no damage. Well, blow me down! Arrr! However, t' poor Rogue Perma-waddin' just isn't cut out t' handle t' powerful Apogee motor ejection charges!

T' third flight, shiver me timbers, in t' same day, was also on an Apogee motor, t' C4-5. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This time I used some waddin' and t' remains o' t' Perma-wadding. Again, me hearties, ignition and a straight flight (no wiggle this time) and you could hear t' extra time in t' burn. It was at apogee, arrr, perfect, me hearties, when t' ejection charge fired. Avast! I followed t' rocket down only t' find it missin' t' nose cone and steamer. Arrr!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 points. It is definitely a fun flier after changin' t' shock cord and addin' a streamer. You can fly it on 1/2A's, me hearties, A's and B's, but I be takin' it t' its limits. Ahoy! Make sure you have a calm day and a large field with C motors and have some fun!

Overall, me hearties, t' Razor is good first rocket for someone lookin' for a Tube-Fin. Arrr! It is fast t' assemble and gives nice flights. Begad! Make t' modifications though, matey, because otherwise I fear you'll only be gettin' a couple o' flights on it before bangin' t' body tube, matey, breakin' t' shock cord or losin' it on a parachute. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Ahoy! Blimey!