Brief:
T' Fruit Fly was a nice minimum diameter rocket from HotRod Rockets. Ahoy! Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. Aye aye! It is a simple build with elliptical wings reminiscent o' those o' an insect. Avast! It has a resin nose cone and streamer recovery which should make it easier t' recover this light rocket.

Construction:
T' first step in construction is t' insert t' thrust ring. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' instructions call for t' use o' a spent 13mm casing. I had only one that had been sawed up but checkin' t' length, ya bilge rat, me hearties, thar be enough t' get t' rin' where it was supposed t' go. It be glued with white glue.

Next came t' cuttin' o' t' fins. Begad! A template is provided on a piece o' stiff cardstock which is a pleasant change from light bond paper. Arrr! T' template was cut out and t' outlines o' 4 fins were traced onto t' balsa sheet. The cardstock meant that t' template kept its shape as well for t' 4th fin as it did for t' 1st. Ya scallywag! T' fins were then cut out with a razor knife.

One o' t' fins was selected t' serve as t' anchor for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Ya scallywag! A small notch was cut out o' t' top and bottom o' this fin.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide. It too be printed on cardstock like t' fin template. Well, blow me down! While that be handy and appreciated for t' template, it was less handy here. Avast, me proud beauty! There were no real problems, arrr, arrr, it just did not wrap as easily as paper would have. It was cut out, wrapped around t' BT, and t' marks were transferred. Blimey! T' wrap guide joint was used as a mark for t' launch lug.

After t' fin lines were extended with an angle iron, arrr, each was given a tick mark 1/4" from t' aft end to mark t' back o' t' fins. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' fins were then applied usin' yellow glue and a double joint.

T' instructions say t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' base o' t' fin with t' notches in it. Arrr! Instead o' doin' that, I glued t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® along side o' t' notched fin with t' long end hangin' down. Arrr! When that dried, me hearties, I wrapped it around t' bottom and glued it along t' base on t' other side. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! This prevented t' frustration o' tryin' t' tie a good knot and hide t' knot in the fillets.

Filletin' was done with white glue. Begad! It was applied t' t' joint and smoothed out with a finger. While this was bein' done, me hearties, I took t' opportunity t' apply t' launch lug as well.

T' sewin' elastic was tied into t' Keelhaul®©™® and t' knot was firmed up with a bit o' white glue. Aye aye! T' provided streamer looks t' be a Sky Gripper from Hartle Engineering. I used one o' t' provided tape strips t' affix it t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. T' cast resin nose cone proved t' be quite loose. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! I applied several wraps o' cellophane tape around t' base and then used a razor knife t' trim back t' excess. It then fit t' BT well. Ahoy! Blimey!

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Fruit Fly began with priming. I decided nay t' try and fill t' balsa in what, ya bilge rat, perhaps, arrr, ya bilge rat, is a vain hope. Well, blow me down! Begad! I am hopin' that a little o' t' grain will show through on t' final paint job t' give the "impression" o' t' vasculature found in insect wings. Ahoy! It may or may nay work but I decided t' give it a try.

I used some cellophane tape t' cover up t' part o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord that would be exposed t' most o' t' paint stream. Blimey! Begad! T' rocket be then put in t' booth and given a coat of Kilz. Avast! Blimey! T' nose cone was sprayed separately hangin' from its harness. Begad! I wish I had waited t' install it.

While waitin' for t' primer t' dry, arrr, I got a suggestion from CharlaineC on TRF about t' veins in t' insect wings. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! She suggested that I glue pieces o' thread on t' fins t' simulate them. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It seemed like such a sensible idea that I decided t' give it a try.

Before applyin' t' veins, me bucko, I first needed t' sand down t' Kilz. Aye aye! This was done with #400 sandpaper until t' fins were smooth. Arrr! I then took out some black rayon thread and fixed t' end near t' root with a spot o' CA. Aye aye! When t' CA had grabbed, shiver me timbers, I proceeded t' stretch out t' thread along t' fin in a "random curved" manner, ya bilge rat, tackin' it down with more CA. Well, me bucko, blow me down! When I reached t' endpoint o' a fin, I used a razor t' slice off t' excess.

I tried t' give three veins per side o' a fin. Avast! Blimey! My first impression was that it looked pretty tacky right but then I remembered feelin' t' same way when usin' thread t' give some relief t' a nozzle on a Dr. Booty Discoverer Thor. After it was painted though, shiver me timbers, it looked great.

I got about 3/4 through this time consumin' operation before I had t' give up and do other stuff in order t' stay gainfully employed. Ahoy! When I got back t' it, I only had one fin left t' do and that went more smartly than I remembered. It still didn't look great, me bucko, but I was countin' on t' paint t' change things.

I couldn't think o' a good way t' mask this rocket so I decided t' take a slow approach that I thought would work. I decided t' mask and do one fin at a time, me bucko, hopin' that I could control things that way. Ahoy! Accordingly, arrr, t' first fin was masked and then t' fin go 2 coats o' a Rustoleum copper. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' paint came out significantly darker than t' can lid indicated but I like copper.

When t' first maskin' be removed, I found lots o' bleedin' from under t' tape. This as nay along t' edges of the fins but rather, me bucko, matey, at t' fore and aft tips. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Thinkin' I would fix this later, me bucko, me bucko, I tried t' do a better job o' masking the second fin. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It too got 2 coats o' copper.

After peelin' back t' maskin' on t' third fin, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I realized that I be fightin' a losin' battle. There was way too much leakin' under t' maskin' and t' rocket looked bad. Begad! T' paint had helped with t' veins in t' fins but the rest looked bad. It was time for a new strategy.

Since finishin' is nay me forte and I did nay want t' strip things bare, I decided that t' entire body was going to be copper. Begad! T' booth was busy so I stuck t' rocket on a rod and took it out in t' yard where t' entire thing except for t' nosecone be painted copper.

T' rocket sat painted in nothin' but copper for a few weeks because I be too busy t' get t' it. Well, blow me down! Then I found I had a day before me next club launch and I just gave t' cone a shot o' metallic purple. Arrr! Avast! It would have t' do.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
When I prepped t' Fruit Fly for its maiden flight, I did want t' get it back so I started slow with a 1/4A3-3T. Some tape was used for a friction fit and t' rocket was put on t' pad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a couple o' misfires, matey, it took off just fine but t' ejection charge snapped off t' Keelhaul®©™® just before t' attachment point t' t' elastic. Ahoy! Since t' steamer was on t' nosecone portion, both parts were recovered with no other harm than t' snapped cord. Ya scallywag! A video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket flies well and will probably scream when I get it fixed up again. I need t' try it on an A but I need to rethink t' shock mount.

I like t' rocket and will repair it. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It has its niche in t' scheme o' things. Its easy t' build and need nay be a hassle t' assemble. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! That be me doing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5