Brief:
T' LOC Norad is a kit which has t' looks and feel o' a military missile and is one o' t' medium range kits from t' LOC line o' models. Aye aye! It sports a three inch body that transitions t' two inches, uses a four fin configuration and stands over three feet tall. Aye aye!

Modifications:
Fiberglassed Fins, Reinforced Shockcord Mount. Begad!

Construction:
In t' bag you will find a three inch lower body tube pre-slotted for fins, a 3" t' 2" plastic transition, arrr, ya bilge rat, a two inch body tube, ya bilge rat, me bucko, plastic nosecone, long 29mm motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, arrr, a single centerin' ring, ¼" elastic shock cord, 24 inch nylon parachute, matey, heavy paper ¼" launch lug and a single page o' instructions. All components are o' typical LOC quality, from the 1/8" aircraft ply used for fins through t' heavy paper body tubes. Aye aye! I was disappointed only in t' shock cord and it's side wall mounting; everything else be perfect.

Fifteen-minute epoxy was used throughout t' construction, me bucko, which begins with t' assembly o' t' motor mount. A single, shiver me timbers, very long paper motor mount comes with t' kit and t' first step is to cut t' center out o' t' plastic transition coupler. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! It is marked for 29mm and I used an Exacto knife t' cut holes on both sides o' t' transition. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The body tube is slipped through t' transition coupler and epoxied on t' top side. Begad! They also want you t' glue t' single centerin' rin' on t' bottom. I wish they would have provided two CR's so t' fins could be wedged between them, but t' single rin' on one end and support o' t' upper tube by running it through t' transition shoulder works fine. I installed t' tube in the transition and did nay install t' lower centerin' rin' until t' fins were epoxied and inside fillets were added.

Once t' mount is installed, you glue each fin t' t' motor mount. For a smaller kit, it came equipped with through-the-wall fin mounting, shiver me timbers, a nice touch on LOC's part. I tapered t' leadin' edge o' each fin prior t' installation and followed t' instructions t' t' letter. For a single sheet o' instructions, shiver me timbers, it takes you easily through each step, me hearties, which certainly made buildin' easier. Ahoy! Ahoy! After the fins were installed, arrr, I glassed t' inside fin area t' t' body tube and motor mount for added strength, me bucko, then fillets were added t' t' inside o' these joints. Once completed, me bucko, t' bottom centerin' rin' was epoxied in place.

T' upper body tube is glued over t' transition shoulder next and, me bucko, since I decided t' glass t' entire rocket, I removed the very top layer o' glassine from t' upper tube so it would easily soak up the glassin' resin. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' entire model be fiberglassed usin' 2 oz cloth and epoxy finishin' resin, ya bilge rat, extra cloth was sanded off and fillets were added t' each fin. One o' t' final steps be t' mount t' six inch long ¼" heavy paper lug and I added fillets t' t' lug once it was set in place. Arrr! Begad! T' added strength from fiberglassin' would brin' t' weight o' t' model t' about t' same as a PML kit and allow me t' launch it safely on a high power load.

Construction Rating: 4 o' 5

Finishing:
Sandin' be done in t' filet area usin' 100 grit paper, then finished with 150 grit sandpaper. Avast! White Krylon primer was applied next and I used 150 grit t' cut away any excess epoxy resin left from t' fiberglassin' and t' blend in the cloth seams. Begad! Use an electric sander in t' glassed area, which will cut through the epoxy nicely and blend glass seams well. Begad! A few more coats o' primer were added, then I wet sanded with 220 grit. Begad! Two more coats o' primer were added and I finished it up by wet sandin' with 400 grit. Avast! Begad! Any small fillin' was done next, then two final coats o' primer were added and wet sanded with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Begad! Aye aye!

This rocket was a gift t' me daughter, matey, so it was her turn t' decide the colors. For some reason she picked out Pink, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as if it was goin' t' be a big surprise, and we decided t' highlight it in black. Begad! I used Rustoleum Florescent Pink for t' main color and Semi-flat Krylon Black for t' contrastin' color and nosecone. Ya scallywag! Arrr! It actually came out lookin' really nice, matey, surprisingly enough, and she was very happy with t' results.

As a final step, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' Nosecone and Parachute were t' be attached per the instructions. This be a very poor design for such a large rocket. T' upper body tube is extra heavy duty Kraft paper, me hearties, t' which they want you t' glue a small Keelhaul®©™® strin' t' t' side and attach t' t' elastic shock cord. Nay acceptable t' me, especially since this was now an HPR model. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, matey, blow me down! I cut a custom 2" diameter centerin' rin' out o' ½" thick ply and tapped two ¼" holes in t' sides o' t' ring. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Then I installed a ¼" stainless by 1 ½" wide U-bolt through t' holes and epoxied this CR in t' upper body tube where it butted against t' motor mount tube and transition shoulder. A ½" Keelhaul®©™® strap was tied t' t' U-bolt and a quick link be used t' fasten t' parachute. Finally, t' other end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® was tied t' t' nosecone. A medium sized Keelhaul®©™® cloth be also added t' eliminate t' need for wadding. Avast! T' end result was a very strong and safe recovery system.

Finish: 2 o' 5

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
Our first flight be goin' t' be on a H128W with a medium delay, so t' motor was assembled and installed into t' model. Blimey! Begad! A PMR retainer be used for motor retention, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, then t' parachute be packed. Some maskin' tape be required on the base o' t' nosecone t' make is snug enough for a good fit. Aye aye! We then waited our turn and finally got t' model on t' pad. Well, blow me down! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Liftoff was excellent! T' rocket boosted swiftly through t' air and held together just fine durin' it's flight. I had one very happy Lassie-Lucy next t' me when it lifted off.

Recovery:
T' parachute deployed right at apogee and t' rocket landed about 75 feet away from t' pad. Aye aye! We walked out and examined it; t' Norad had faired without a scratch and provided us with one great flight and recovery. Blimey! It was getting late, ya bilge rat, so no additional flights were made with it, but t' Norad will fly again soon. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' LOC Norad is one really sweet flyin' model! Blimey! It is very easy t' build and even though t' instructions seem minimal, they are well written. Fiberglassing, me hearties, although nay necessary, ya bilge rat, me bucko, was me choice t' make it a stronger HPR capable bird. Begad! Blimey! About t' only complaint I had was with t' recovery system; the parachute is perfect, ya bilge rat, but t' side wall shock cord mountin' and elastic cord has a lot t' be desired. But I have t' admit, shiver me timbers, for t' loot you do get LOC quality t' include extremely thick walled Kraft body tubes and strong transition and nosecone. T' Norad should last us a long time and I look forward t' flyin' it over and over again. Besides, I have a 10 year old that will make sure we put it in t' air! Blimey! I highly recommend t' kit and feel it's a great model for all rocketeers!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5