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

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Avast! Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Begad! Eye catchin' design, individually numbered (mine is #16), shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, and t' contents visible through t' back. Arrr! Everythin' was present and correct, ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Well, blow me down! Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, arrr, me hearties, it seems). Ahoy! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. On me Deuce, arrr, 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. Ya scallywag!

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

Construction starts with t' fins. T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. First t' left side ones. These are stuck onto t' balsa, the fins are cut, arrr, and then t' right side decals are attached. T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, matey, arrr, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, you have t' crease t' decal, which spoils it. Aye aye! 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 .... Blimey! a rather tedious task, I found.

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

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, me hearties, matey, arrr, which came with a hobby cutlass. Avast! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! This cost less than a fiver, matey, me bucko, from me local stationary shop. Arrr! 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. Begad! Blimey!

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

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, in order t' seal them. Arrr! Ahoy! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", me hearties, me hearties, t' bird is ready t' go, and looks great! There is a lot of detail, and humour, matey, 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, me hearties, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! 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. I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, ya bilge rat, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord was launched. Ya scallywag! It went straight up, me bucko, me hearties, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, matey, me hearties, t' smoke lingered for a while). Arrr! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and fell t' earth.

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

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

OVERALL:
This is, typically for Fliskits, arrr, a VERY good kit overall. Begad! Avast! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, this kit is exceptional value for money. Begad! Arrr! 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, after three flights. Arrr! Arrr! I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Arrr! T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Ya scallywag! Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, matey, me bucko, like me, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. Avast! I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' face card also contained launchin' requirements for another Fliskits product (the HUGE Richter Recker). Aye aye! Aye aye! I pointed this rather embarrassin' (and amusing) typo out t' Jim on t' Rocketry Forum, matey, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. Begad! T' emphasis, with this bird, me hearties, ya bilge rat, is on fun, shiver me timbers, fun, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, but uncomplicated, me bucko, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Ahoy! Blimey!

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, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!