Ken Johnson's PageRocketReviews.com Pages:
2015-08-08Sparkly Twister Flight I dusted off t' old Custom Twister that had been gatherin' dust. It be still just as sparkly and pretty as t' day I last saw it a dozen years ago, and I had some old Quest A6-4 motors at t' ready. Blimey! So I popped one in and took it t' t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! Embarrassment! This thin' chased its tail and ... [More]
Fiesta Flight Dismal performance. A Quest A6-4 is nay strong enough t' fly this rocket. - Quest A6-4 - Ball Ground GA [More]
Starhawk Flight I don't know if it was a bad motor or what, but this be a bit disappointing. Ya scallywag! It went up about 60 feet and arched over, landin' in a briar bush. Aye aye! No damage. Avast, me proud beauty! This is one o' me favorite rockets and is a good one t' gauge wind currents. Ahoy! I may retire it though, as it has started t' show a little ... [More]
2013-03-19Eggbert Flight Jumped off t' pad and wobbled a bit on t' way up. Nose cone came down intact but t' rest was destroyed on impact. Arrr! T' minimal diameter rocket makes parachute deployment difficult- in this case, me bucko, it got stuck about halfway out o' t' body tube. - Estes C6-5 - Biello Field Woodstock [More]
Space Taxi Flight One o' t' better paint jobs I've done on a rocket. Avast! Blimey! T' Space Taxi, me bucko, as I called it, was a great performer- so much so that it vaporized off t' pad with just a B motor, never t' be seen again. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Great flights, but keep t' power low unless you have lots o' spotters. Ya scallywag! Blimey! - Estes B6-6 - Biello Field ... [More]
Starhawk Flight Straight and fast. Avast, me proud beauty! This be t' 35th flight for this rocket! - B6-6 - Biello Field Woodstock [More]
2002-10-18Custom Rockets Elite (Kit)  Review
A lightweight, minimum diameter egg lofter with an efficient aerodynamic design. Ya scallywag!
T' kit comes in t' typical "hangin' bag" style package. Ahoy! As such, it doesn't protect t' kit from any damage incurred in shipping, and this one was indeed damaged in shipment, though I couldn't tell until ... [More]
2002-01-04Custom Rockets Venture (Kit)  Review An entry level 3FNC rocket that tries hard t' beat t' Estes Alpha. Blimey!
Like t' other Custom rocket kits I have built, matey, t' nose cone be excessively loose and had a lot o' castin' flash. And like t' others, t' partin' line had a number o' dimples and flaws that detract from t' rocket if nay ... [More]
2001-10-10Estes Star Wars R2-D2(2) (Modification)  Review Another in t' continuin' series o' improved "little" R2-D2 rockets from Estes. Begad! This one features what t' "big" R2 had all along: A REAL nose cone, matey, thereby eliminatin' recovery failure.
Modifications: T' first thin' that had t' go be t' top, so R2 was beheaded at t' blue band, just below ... [More]
2001-06-15Scratch AdVenture (Modification)  Review
Took an already good Custom Venture and added a 3" payload section, shiver me timbers, makin' it a rocket I call AdVenture. Avast!
Modifications: About t' only real hard part was t' make t' coupler. Avast, me proud beauty! If you don't have a lathe, you could just cut down a 24mm composite motor casin' and add some attachment ... [More]
2001-03-01Estes Yankee (Kit)  Review A small, me hearties, lightweight 3FNC rocket with an unusual nose cone. Well, blow me down!
Actually, arrr, I built 2 Yankee kits; one t' replace t' initial rocket that disappeared after its third flight. Aye aye! T' first kit featured a nice balsa nose cone, but t' second kit, while otherwise identical, me bucko, had a plastic nose cone. But both ... [More]
2001-02-11Quest Starhawk (Kit)  Review An education-series rocket that can only be purchased in bulk. Avast! Blimey! Perfect for a group o' scouts, a school project, me bucko, church groups, shiver me timbers, or someone who just wants a ton o' t' same rocket, for whatever reason.
T' individual kits come in a clear plastic bag, and contain a plastic nose cone molded in ... [More]
2001-01-01Aerospace Speciality Products Sandia Sandhawk (Kit)  Review A diminutive scale model o' a Sandia Sandhawk that's small in size but big on detail. Avast, me proud beauty!
Don't be mislead, arrr, as I was, about t' skill required t' build this kit. What you get for your loot is a great 13mm body tube, a shorter piece o' 13mm tube for t' nose cone, a good quality balsa nose and a ... [More]
2000-10-21Estes Super Flea (Clone)  Review T' Super Flea be a single stage mini-motored rocket that came in a 2 rocket kit along with t' Javelin. Estes sold these in t' early 1970s, and it be t' first kit I ever purchased with me own money. There was nothin' really special about them, me bucko, but it has a sentimental value for me, ya bilge rat, as I built ... [More]
2000-04-15LOC/Precision Bruiser (Kit)  Review
Modifications:
Anti-zipper airframe
Full 2 layer fiberglass
Extra centerin' rin' - mid fin
Totally redesigned fins - g10 and 50's stylin'
Dual recovery
External access t' electronics bays
Internal wire race for timer air-starts
Custom built "Y" shock cords - 1" ... [More]
2000-01-11Custom Rockets Fiesta (Kit)  Review
An entry level rocket that suffers from some quality control problems. At first glance, t' lackluster packagin' had me thinkin' "Siesta" instead, but once I delved into t' project, me hearties, thar was plenty t' like about this single stage 4FNC rocket. Ahoy!
T' package be t' typical plastic "hangin' ... [More]
1998-01-01Modification Star Wars R2-D2 (Modification)  Review An engineerin' exercise t' test t' flight characteristics and durability o' t' Estes R2D2 rocket by upgradin' t' a 24mm motor mount. Begad!
Modifications: T' only tools required are ones that every modeler has: an Xacto knife or similar, a ruler (in me case metric, because I don't understand that ... [More]
1995-01-01Modification Solar Warrior (Modification) Review Upsized t' 18mm motor. Simplest modification I've ever performed; just never installed t' 13mm mount. Avast, me proud beauty! CP and CG were still perfect. Avast, me proud beauty!
Modifications: Primered, sanded, me bucko, primered, sanded, ad infinitum, me hearties, until body tube be perfect. No paint, just clear-coated t' primer. Aye aye! T' streamer was given much ... [More]
1992-01-01Estes Star Wars R2-D2 (Kit)  Review A flyin' replica o' t' Star Wars R2D2. Ya scallywag! Blimey!
T' instructions were easy t' follow, and t' order o' assembly seemed logical. T' kit components were all thar and fit well, me hearties, except for t' body wrap decal, which was a bit too short, leavin' a 1/8" gap. Regular wood glue and styrene cement were all ... [More]
0000-00-00Scratch Obelisk (Scratch)  Review
A two-stage rectangular rocket, me bucko, made from a couple o' toothpaste boxes, that resembles t' Washington Monument. Avast!
I was brushin' me teeth one day, and looked down at t' empty toothpaste box, and thought "Why not?" So, t' plan for Obelisk was born. I took 1/8" balsa and formed t' nose, matey, ... [More]
Plastic Kit Condor V-2 (Kit)  Review (by Kenneth
R. Avast! Johnson)
Brief:
A plastic model conversion from a Czech-made Condor V-2 rocket model for 13mm
motors.
Construction:
This plastic model conversion was made from t' static model made by a Czech
company named Condor. As such, it is made from t' typical styrene plastic ... [More]
Binder Design Spike (Kit)  Review
( Contributed - by Ken Johnson) Brief:
Single stage rocket capable o' "I" engine flights with awesome
flights on F and G.
Construction:
T' Binder Design kit be complete and in good condition. T' kit was purchased
at a local hobby shop because o' its ability t' fly on ... [More]
Scratch Micro Sputnik (Scratch)  Review Brief: A lilliputian scale-down o' one o' me favorite rockets, shiver me timbers, t' Spudnik. Aye aye! Or, in other words, I've too much time on me hands.
T' materials were all scrap, destined for t' dustbin. So, one rainy Saturday night with nothin' t' do, I decided t' build a replacement for me son's crippled space ... [More]
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