CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, ya bilge rat, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Arrr! My first cluster be Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, ya bilge rat, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Aye aye! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, matey, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. It only takes about 5-6 days for me t' get me goodies! All goods are well packaged for transport; me Pheord package had a bashed corner, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but t' kit inside be unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, me bucko, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Begad! Like other Fliskit kits, shiver me timbers, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Eye catchin' design, individually numbered (mine is #16), me bucko, and t' contents visible through t' back. Everythin' be present and correct, ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and o' t' usual best quality associated with Fliskits products.

T' kit is essentially a 18mm body tube, surrounded by five fins, covered with a card shroud. There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, it seems). Arrr! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, ya bilge rat, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Begad! On me Deuce, arrr, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

T' instructions are very concise, ya bilge rat, and very clear. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! At no point was I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", matey, unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Ahoy! Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, me hearties, and thar are hints and tips for construction, ya bilge rat, throughout the documentation.

Construction starts with t' fins. Begad! T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Ya scallywag! First t' left side ones. Aye aye! These are stuck onto t' balsa, me hearties, the fins are cut, and then t' right side decals are attached. Begad! T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. Arrr! In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, matey, you have t' crease t' decal, matey, arrr, arrr, which spoils it. Arrr! Begad! I got round this by usin' t' blade of me hobby knife t' 'pick' at t' edges o' t' stickers, arrr, arrr, until I had enough backin' paper free t' get a grip .... a rather tedious task, I found.

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Arrr! Aye aye! This was about 1mm short, me hearties, me hearties, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, me bucko, so is mostly unnoticeable. Aye aye! In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, and received an almost immediate reply from Jim who says he’s lookin' into it immediately - theres a good example o' t' high level o' customer service t' be expected from Fliskits.

Attachin' t' fins is next. Well, blow me down! T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, ya bilge rat, t' take t' central bodytube. Blimey! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Well, blow me down! Ownin' a Deuce, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Begad! After t' fins have been left t' dry, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Begad!

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, which came with a hobby knife. This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. Blimey! I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, t' be essential in buildin' a model with this much cutting involved; and is a very handy item t' have for general template cuttin' etc. Ahoy!

Now onto t' 'antenna'. Avast! Blimey! These are made o' five 150x1mm lengths o' steel wire, which require bendin' into shape, shiver me timbers, with a pair o' long nosed pliers. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! The steel used is VERY strong (again, shiver me timbers, reflectin' t' high standards o' Fliskits component quality), matey, and was a bit o' a devil t' bend. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This said, I managed to bend one joint t' wrong way, and in tryin' t' correct this snapped t' wire (DOH!). Well, blow me down! I calculated that this 'antenna', ya bilge rat, could be bodged onto t' model, and carried on with a broken 'antenna'. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' 'antenna' are then attached along the sides o' t' fins, and a launch lug attached. Aye aye! T' snapped 'antenna' came in handy here, matey, as it meant thar be a side o' a fin with no wire, makin' gluing on o' t' launch lug easy. Arrr!

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, in order t' seal them. Avast! Blimey! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", matey, me bucko, me bucko, t' bird is ready t' go, arrr, and looks great! Blimey! There is a lot of detail, and humour, in t' artwork; and is a good colour t' show up in the sky. Blimey! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, me hearties, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Ratin' should be 4.75 but 1/2 be t' smallest I can deduct

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:
T' Pheord is designed t' fly on B6-0 and C6-0 engines. Aye aye! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Aye aye! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Begad! After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord be launched. It went straight up, me bucko, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, me bucko, me bucko, t' smoke lingered for a while). Avast, me proud beauty! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

Descent be stable, matey, shiver me timbers, straight, ya bilge rat, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', me hearties, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, bouncin' once. A very quick, matey, and fun, flight. Ahoy! I then launched it on a C6-0. This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Ahoy! You get a much higher flight, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, much better smoke trails, matey, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. T' Pheord still landed only a few meters from t' pad, so there’s no danger o' loosin' it - even on the smallest field. Begad! I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), matey, whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, another superb flight and recovery. I've included some photos o' this flight.

Flight/Revovery Rating: 5 out o' 5 - add a bonus point when flyin' on a C

OVERALL:
This is, shiver me timbers, typically for Fliskits, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, a VERY good kit overall. At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, this kit is exceptional value for money. Estes kits cost more than that, over here, matey, before you add delivery costs! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, or noticeable wear, ya bilge rat, matey, after three flights. I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Begad! T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, like me, me hearties, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. T' face card also contained launchin' requirements for another Fliskits product (the HUGE Richter Recker). I pointed this rather embarrassin' (and amusing) typo out t' Jim on t' Rocketry Forum, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. Aye aye! T' emphasis, with this bird, arrr, is on fun, fun, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, but uncomplicated, shiver me timbers, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5 If you dont have one - get one! If enough people get one, shiver me timbers, Jim will be able t' reprint t' face card, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!