CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, matey, arrr, me hearties, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Blimey! Begad! 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. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Arrr! Aye aye! Like other Fliskit kits, ya bilge rat, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Begad! Eye catchin' design, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Avast! Everythin' be present and correct, and o' t' usual best quality associated with Fliskits products.

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

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

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

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Aye aye! Aye aye! This be about 1mm short, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, arrr, so is mostly unnoticeable. 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! Blimey! T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, me hearties, ya bilge rat, t' take t' central bodytube. T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Ownin' a Deuce, me hearties, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After t' fins have been left t' dry, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Begad! Blimey!

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. Begad! Blimey! This cost less than a fiver, me hearties, from me local stationary shop. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I'd consider a piece of kit, me hearties, 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.

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

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, in order t' seal them. Begad! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' bird is ready t' go, me hearties, 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.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, arrr, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Begad! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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! Blimey! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord was launched. It went straight up, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, ya bilge rat, t' smoke lingered for a while). Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! At motor burnout, me bucko, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

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

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

OVERALL:
This is, typically for Fliskits, me hearties, me bucko, a VERY good kit overall. Aye aye! Begad! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, this kit is exceptional value for money. Begad! Estes kits cost more than that, over here, before you add delivery costs! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, or noticeable wear, me bucko, after three flights. I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. Avast! 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, ya bilge rat, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. Begad! T' emphasis, with this bird, is on fun, shiver me timbers, fun, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, matey, me hearties, but uncomplicated, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Arrr! Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

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