Brief:
T' FlisKits ACME Spitfire be a long awaited item from their line o' models and was recently introduced at NARAM 45 in Evansville, Indiana. Begad! Ahoy! Well, I just had t' be first in line t' get a couple o' these kits, one t' save and one t' build. I had seen this model debut at NSL 2003 earlier this year as a prototype and it’s a real head-turner. Aye aye! T' kit resembles somethin' you would see in a Farside comic or Warner Bros Roadrunner/Coyote cartoon.. As bent up as it is, matey, me hearties, matey, this 24mm beauty, matey, if you can call it that, is a real stable flier and I see a large followin' for this model down t' road.

Construction:
T' kit comes in t' standard, colorful FlisKits package and includes a BT70 outer body tube and an inner 24mm body tube, which also is used as t' motor mount and nosecone mount. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In addition, it comes with a large assortment o' templates (four o' which are used for cuttin' t' body tubes) along with nosecone, launch spacer, shiver me timbers, and tail skirt templates. Aye aye! Blimey! Clay for nose weight and a guide pin are also included, along with t' infamous FlisKits very high quality laser-cut black fiber Centerin' rings — seven rings in all! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is listed as a Level 3 kit, and with t' quantity o' parts and templates, me hearties, it is listed appropriately. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! High quality balsa and heavy duty 3/8-inch shock cord is also included and a website is given that contains down-loadable colored “Skins” for t' model. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Finally, ya bilge rat, a very detailed and comprehensive set o' instructions, complete with illustrations, me hearties, shiver me timbers, compliments t' kit.

Construction, although complex, is actually very simple and goes very fast! A motor block is used for 24mm motors, however, arrr, me hearties, I would nay recommend usin' t' E9 in this kit nor is it listed by t' manufacturer—the model is way too heavy and wind resistant. Blimey! For you higher power guys, I am willin' t' bet it would fly great on D15 or E18 RMS and will test it. Ahoy! Back t' building; once t' motor stop and hook are in place, me hearties, me hearties, shiver me timbers, you start by addin' Centerin' Rings and body tube sections.

A separate cuttin' template wrap is supplied for each o' t' body tube sections and FlisKits method o' keepin' t' tubes in alignment is both simple and effective. A centerin' rin' is used at each body tube joint, givin' additional support t' t' model. Note that if you wish t' use t' “Skins” provided on t' website, you print t' colored lower tail template wrap and nosecone on card stock usin' t' PDF file from their website. Arrr! Blimey! Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Otherwise, t' kit contains a plain white nosecone and tail-cone wrap. What I decided t' do be t' use t' provided wrap, arrr, me bucko, then print t' tail and nose on label paper as a Skin and use them as such t' cover t' two templates with color on both ends. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I also printed each o' t' stock Skins found on t' site on Avery label paper. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' kits, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, for cost reasons, do nay include colored Skins and that is fine by me. Aye aye! Blimey! I see many people gettin' innovative with their own ideas and I even have a few o' me own for another Spitfire down t' road.

Most o' t' time durin' construction was spent buildin' t' body tube. You need t' cut them out usin' templates, matey, easy enough, and then they need t' be assembled one at a time, matey, me bucko, usin' alignment marks you drew earlier. This method works great and t' main body tube was done in no time. Ahoy! Cuttin' t' templates, me bucko, then cuttin' t' tubes took more time than building. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Once completed, shiver me timbers, you can build t' nosecone and add weight t' t' model. Arrr! Clay is provided for nose weight, but is added t' t' body tube top instead o' t' nosecone—this keeps t' nosecone light and prevents that separation a heavy nosecone can suffer from after a few launches. Aye aye! Begad! T' design keeps t' stress low and components light.

If you decide t' use t' Skins, me bucko, matey, you apply them t' t' fins and tail before gluin' on t' fins. I used Epoxy t' insure t' fins were attached well t' t' tail. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Also, I opted t' use Epoxy when coatin' t' inside o' t' nosecone, me hearties, which adds strength. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Follow t' directions and assembly is a breeze. One thin' t' note, I did fit t' nosecone guide pin, me bucko, then cut it a bit longer, ya bilge rat, 5/8-inches, t' make sure it would engage in t' slot on t' nosecone. Well, blow me down! Also, take note t' cut and install your upper launch lug in t' correct direction on t' lug spacer. Ahoy! Ahoy! They tell you twice t' do it with t' grain on t' leadin' edge and they even provide drawings and notes on t' template. Arrr! Aye aye! Still, I got it wrong and had t' cut another spacer from t' plentiful supply o' balsa.

Finishing:
Finishin' for me be a breeze—I printed t' “Skins” from t' website and applied them like labels. Avast! Begad! T' model was clear coated t' waterproof it, then some final touches were made. Aye aye! I edged each fin, arrr, then built t' standard 16-inch parachute supplied with t' kit. Begad! Ahoy! I also wound up usin' t' stock 3-fold paper mount for t' shock cord as it had worked well and is still holdin' up fine in me Deuces Wild!. One thin' t' note—you get a 3/8-inch wide, very stout shock cord for this model—plenty strong and wide enough t' prevent zippers. Ahoy! T' other end be tied t' t' “eye” hook on t' nosecone and t' “Spitfire” be ready for t' field.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Launch time be here and I decided t' use a C11-3 for t' first flight. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' model was prepped and tissue added t' t' bay. Once all packed, shiver me timbers, I headed for t' field, ya bilge rat, at a local school and set up me pad for a launch. Begad! After everythin' was ready, I thought, me bucko, it was a shame no one was around t' see this as I had seen t' Spitfire demo launched many times by t' manufacturer and t' looks he always got from t' crowd were amazing. Well, T' good thin' was this one be mine, all mine and I got t' push t' button. Arrr! T' Acme Spitfire left t' rod in a hurry, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, straight up with no wiggles—what a ride!

Recovery:
T' model slowed vertically t' a hover, me hearties, then t' parachute deployed right at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! It never nosed over, just up…stop…pop…and down for a landing, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, very cool! Blimey! I cannot wait t' try it at our club launch this weekend and am glad I finally had t' chance t' own one. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! I packed up t' car and headed home t' prep for t' weekend and will update me flight logs then.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' FlisKits ACME Spitfire is an amazingly stable, absolutely cool model that is a MUST-HAVE for everyone’s silo. Avast, me proud beauty! T' looks on peoples’ face when you approach t' launch line will be priceless and now that it’s a real “FlisKits” model, t' LCO will say, “oh, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I see they’ve been at it again—yea, me hearties, you can launch it.” And FlisKits has been at it again, burnin' t' midnight oil t' brin' you probably t' most unique model rocket kit ever t' be mass produced—T' FlisKits “ACME Spitfire!”

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5