Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
Length: | 14.50 inches |
Manufacturer: | Custom Rockets |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Ring/Tube/Cone Fin |
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. In that, 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, but it is nay necessary t' paint it as it comes with gloss yellow tubes and a black plastic nose cone. Aye aye! Begad! So I just built it t' way t' kit be originally intended.
See me Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page
T' Razor comes with a plastic nose cone, ya bilge rat, a single 9" body tube, six (6) 1 7/8" tube fins, an 18mm motor mount with a motor retainer clip, a short (12") piece o' elastic shock cord and a plastic 12" parachute. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! They include diagrams t' ensure accuracy. 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. Blimey! Blimey! I literally assembled this rocket in 5 minutes. Begad! Blimey! All except t' shock cord and parachute. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! 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, so I added 18" o' 1/16" Keelhaul®©™® t' it. Arrr! Blimey! I used t' Keelhaul®©™® in t' 3-fold method o' shock cord attachment. I also replaced t' parachute with a 18" x 3" plastic streamer just t' help in recovery. Begad! Begad! 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, matey, t' tube spirals are very evident. Begad! T' black water-transfer decals include tube stripes, me bucko, t' numbers 1 through 6 for each tube and t' word "Razor".
Overall, matey, me hearties, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Begad! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It's fast and easy, ya bilge rat, 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, me bucko, matey, me hearties, A8-3, B4-4, me bucko, matey, B6-4, 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! Avast! I had added a piece o' Rogue Perma-waddin' so preparation was easy. Arrr! At ignition, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this little guy was out o' here and it went very high, arrr, in fact I lost track until t' trackin' smoke. Aye aye! It be clear that it was still goin' up upon ejection. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' streamer deployed and it was recovered close by.
T' next opportunity I had t' fly be also very nice, arrr, arrr, matey, so I loaded up t' Apogee C10-7 and let her rip! Wow, arrr, zoom off t' pad and straight up, me bucko, except for a little tight tail swing. Begad! Well, blow me down! It was way up thar and I could track t' position by t' nice amount o' trackin' smoke in t' C10. Aye aye! It arced over and ejected and then I heard t' ejection a split second later. Avast, me proud beauty! T' streamer was folded/rolled and got caught in t' shock cord and t' rocket fell t' t' ground with no damage. Avast! However, me bucko, t' poor Rogue Perma-waddin' just isn't cut out t' handle t' powerful Apogee motor ejection charges!
T' third flight, in t' same day, ya bilge rat, me bucko, was also on an Apogee motor, me bucko, t' C4-5. This time I used some waddin' and t' remains o' t' Perma-wadding. Avast! Begad! Again, ignition and a straight flight (no wiggle this time) and you could hear t' extra time in t' burn. Aye aye! It be at apogee, perfect, when t' ejection charge fired. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I followed t' rocket down only t' find it missin' t' nose cone and steamer. Aye aye!
For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, me bucko, I would rate this kit 4 points. It is definitely a fun flier after changin' t' shock cord and addin' a streamer. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! You can fly it on 1/2A's, A's and B's, but I be takin' it t' its limits. Aye aye! Make sure you have a calm day and a large field with C motors and have some fun!
Overall, t' Razor is good first rocket for someone lookin' for a Tube-Fin. Well, blow me down! It is fast t' assemble and gives nice flights. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Make t' modifications though, ya bilge rat, because otherwise I fear you'll only be gettin' a couple o' flights on it before bangin' t' body tube, arrr, breakin' t' shock cord or losin' it on a parachute. Begad! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Avast, me proud beauty!
Brief: Easy to build, nice performing tube fin rocket. It has parachute recovery and flies on 18mm motors. Construction: 1 - BT-509 yellow body tube 1 - PC-50 nose cone 6 - tube fins 1 - 12" parachute 6 - TD-6 tape disks for parachute 1 - SL-72 shroud line set 1 - EC-2 motor clip 1 - ET-20 2.75" motor tube 2 - CR-2050 centering rings ...
The Razor is a tube-finned, no-paint-necessary, easy to assemble rocket from Custom. It comes with a 12" parachute for recovery and will take a number of different engines, per the manufacturer. Since this was the first Custom kit I had built, I wasn't sure what to expect. Upon opening the kit, I was impressed with the packaging & parts. each 'section' of the rocket had its own packaged ...
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V.C. (September 1, 1999)