CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, me hearties, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Aye aye! My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, me hearties, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! 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, but t' kit inside be unharmed.

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

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

T' instructions are very concise, and very clear. Arrr! At no point be I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, me bucko, arrr, and thar are hints and tips for construction, matey, throughout the documentation.

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

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This was about 1mm short, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, so is mostly unnoticeable. In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, arrr, 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. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, t' take t' central bodytube. Begad! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Ownin' a Deuce, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. After t' fins have been left t' dry, 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. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Arrr!

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, arrr, which came with a hobby cutlass. Avast! This cost less than a fiver, matey, from me local stationary shop. Ahoy! Aye aye! I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, arrr, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, 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. Arrr! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Blimey! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, me hearties, whack t' engine into the centre tube, me hearties, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Begad! Begad! After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord be launched. Begad! Avast! It went straight up, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, arrr, t' smoke lingered for a while). Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

Descent be stable, arrr, straight, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', bouncin' once. A very quick, arrr, and fun, flight. Aye aye! I then launched it on a C6-0. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. Begad! This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Begad! You get a much higher flight, shiver me timbers, much better smoke trails, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. Begad! Arrr! T' Pheord still landed only a few meters from t' pad, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so there’s no danger o' loosin' it - even on the smallest field. I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, typically for Fliskits, matey, a VERY good kit overall. Ya scallywag! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, this kit is exceptional value for money. Begad! Estes kits cost more than that, arrr, over here, me bucko, before you add delivery costs! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, or noticeable wear, matey, after three flights. Ya scallywag! I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Ahoy! Blimey! T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Begad! Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, like me, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. Begad! I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. Arrr! 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. Avast! Blimey! T' emphasis, with this bird, is on fun, fun, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, matey, but uncomplicated, shiver me timbers, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Well, blow me down! Begad! Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Aye aye!

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