Note: This kit was reviewed when produced by Seattle Rocket Works which has transferred rights t' LawnDart Rocketry.

T' Nike Smoke be a NASA research rocket used t' test wind conditions in the upper atmosphere. Avast! Several hundred o' these 19-foot rockets were launched by NASA durin' t' 60's and 70's.It used t' Army's Nike booster, arrr, a workhorse on many research rockets and military missiles. Begad!

This is me second Nike Smoke model rocket. Aye aye! My first be a Centuri kit that I built in t' 70's and it was an excellent flyer. T' Seattle Rocket Works one is a bit smaller . Ahoy! Ahoy! . Ahoy! Ya scallywag! . Arrr! it uses a BT-5 body tube and is about a fourth as large as t' Centuri kit I once had. Avast! Ahoy! It can literally fit in t' palm o' your hand.

I won t' Seattle Rocket Works kit as a prize for flyin' in me first contest. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! (don't ask me how I placed)

INSTRUCTIONS:

One o' t' first things I noticed about this kit be t' instructions. Aye aye! Blimey! They were rolled up and held together by a paper rin' with t' Seattle Rocket Works logo on it, like a linen napkin in a fancy restaurant. Well, blow me down! But I be really impressed by t' straightforward thoroughness o' these illustrated instructions. Begad! Avast! They didn't leave much t' chance. Arrr!

EASE OF BUILD:

This rocket may be small, me bucko, but it is nay easy t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a real scale model and comes with impressive scale drawings. Ahoy! You could build this kit for points, but I'm nay into that so I built it for fun. 

I'm a typical middle-aged BAR (Born-Again Rocketeer) and I have big, shiver me timbers, clumsy fingers and need bifocals. So, arrr, t' diminutive size o' this rocket was a particular challenge for me. Ya scallywag! Fortunately, t' parts came in a handy ziplock bag, ya bilge rat, or I would have lost some o' them. Avast!

My old Centuri kit had a plastic nose cone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, which made it a bit easier to assemble. Begad! Aye aye! T' Seattle Rocket Works kit has a balsa nose cone, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but you must glue a paper fairin' t' it. Avast! This was nay as difficult as I thought it would be. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

T' balsa fins are t' old-fashioned kind. You have t' cut out a cardboard template, shiver me timbers, trace t' fins and cut them out o' a piece o' balsa sheet with a knife. This was refreshing, shiver me timbers, most kits are plastic or pre-cut wood these days.

Sandin' t' fins be a bit difficult, me bucko, me hearties, me hearties, due t' t' small size o' t' fins and the large size o' this builder's fingers. Arrr! I managed t' put a passable edge on them, but scale modelers will want t' spend extra time t' put those famous razor-sharp Nike edges on them.

T' launch lug was a bit o' a drawback. Blimey! In t' photo it shows t' launch lug conspicuously placed near t' CG (center o' gravity). Well, blow me down! This would be okay for fun flying, but would wreck a scale model. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I seriously doubt any real Nike-Smokes were ever launched with a ten-foot piece o' sewer pipe welded to the side o' them. Avast, me proud beauty! Scale modelers will probably chuck t' launch lug into the parts bin and launch this little rascal with a rack.

I cut two small pieces o' launch lug and attached them fore and aft with balsa standoffs, me hearties, which looked better than t' recommended placement. Avast! The instructions claim that no standoffs are needed even though t' nose cone is larger in diameter than t' body tube, but I decided t' take no chances.

Seattle Rocket Works included a piece o' clay with t' kit for nose weight in case t' balance is too far aft. Begad! Ahoy! I chucked this in t' parts box. Ya scallywag! Clay is fine for nose weights in plastic nose cones or boost gliders, shiver me timbers, but it doesn't work for me with balsa nose cones. If I need nose weight, shiver me timbers, I will unscrew the screw eye and add some metal washers. Arrr!

QUALITY:

Sturdiness is difficult t' measure in a kit this small, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but it looks like it should hold up well. T' completed kit looks very sharp and t' decals add to the scale-model look. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' white body and nose with fluorescent fins looks very good and should help with retrieval. Avast, me proud beauty!

This rocket comes with a crepe-paper streamer. They are okay, ya bilge rat, matey, but I prefer plastic streamers as they are a bit more sturdy.

CONSTRUCTION RATING: 4 ½ points

FLYING:

Another nice thin' that came in t' box with this kit be t' packing material . Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! . Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! . Blimey! Aye aye! fire-retardant cellulose insulation. Aye aye! Aye aye! I am familiar with this stuff, havin' bought a whole bale o' it for about $4.00 at t' home warehouse. It works better than t' flame-retardant toilet paper (although it would nay be an acceptable replacement for toilet paper's primary function). Arrr! Ya scallywag! A nice touch that indicates Seattle Rocket Works are real rocket flyers, nay toy makers.

I launched t' Nike Smoke on a windy day, me bucko, with gusts over 15 mph. (T' range closed early that day, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, due t' t' high winds) Motor was a 1/2 A3-2T. Liftoff was fast and flight was about 300 feet, at least. Trackin' was difficult due to small size and findin' this little rocket was also a challenge, me hearties, me hearties, matey, with foot-high weeds in t' recovery area. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket be returned undamaged and ready for additional flights in t' future.

Seattle Rocket Works rates this rocket up t' a A10-3T, matey, me bucko, me bucko, but I wouldn't advise this much thrust unless you want t' lose it. Begad! Ya scallywag!

Overall, arrr, this was a nice flyer for a little rocket, matey, well suited t' smaller flyin' fields. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

FLYING/RECOVERY RATING: 4 ½ points

OVER ALL RATING:

I rate this rocket, overall, at 4 ½ points.It is an excellent scale model and I only made some minor suggestions for improvements. Avast! Arrr! It flies very well and me only problem is the diminutive size, but some people like miniatures. I really liked this particular rocket, ya bilge rat, though . . Well, blow me down! . Ahoy! I may scale it up someday. Perhaps a 1/2 scale with an I motor... Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Quotes (from R.M.R):

"...I must say I'm impressed...T' instructions are detailed and well organized...Certain other famous kit manufacturers would probably market this for 3 times t' cost...this tiny, arrr, highly detailed bird will certainly grab attention..." 

"T' instructions and data sheet were very nicely drawn and printed, very complete, and professional looking...T' finished product looks really good...Overall I was very impressed by t' kit, matey, arrr, instructions, matey, and finished product. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! For such a small model, matey, arrr, every detail is taken very seriously..."

"...overall this kit is excellent...perhaps t' finest quality microscale kit I have ever seen. Avast, me proud beauty! I have seen a lot...I highly recommend this kit." 

"I sent me order off t' Seattle on Monday and received t' rocket on Friday. Quick turn-around...It comes packed in cellulose waddin' with a certificate suitable for framin' ;-)...I haven't had a chance t' build it, but the instructions look clear and it appears t' be a fine little rocket." - Joel Roth 

Relinquished by Scott Johnson @