North Coast Rocketry Eliminator

North Coast Rocketry - Eliminator {Kit} (K-45) [1987-]

Contributed by Nick Hills

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: North Coast Rocketry

Brief:
This is a simple 3 fin and a nose cone rocket. It is straight forward and easy to build. It would make a fairly good first mid-power rocket.

Construction:
Upon openin' t' box everythin' looked t' be in good shape, but when I laid the plywood fins down on a table, shiver me timbers, matey, I noticed that they were warped. Avast! So they were put under a few hundred pounds o' pellet bags for a few days and they came out nearly perfect. Arrr! T' body tube was a 'normal' tube for mid-power rockets, me hearties, shiver me timbers, just cardboard. Ahoy! It had a bright red 24" chute with it too. Begad! When buildin' your own, I would recommend puttin' some LOC 29mm motor tubin' in t' kit t' replace the NCR one, me bucko, matey, since you can use Aerotech reload and single use motors. Arrr! The instructions were easy t' follow, matey, fairly well written. Well, blow me down! In some parts you might have t' read them over a few times. Blimey! Arrr! Buildin' be extremely easy since there were no hard parts t' buildin' this rocket. Aye aye! Aye aye! I used 5 and 30 minute epoxy through out construction. Also you will want t' put some t-nuts in t' aft centerin' rin' since t' NCR gorilla retainer will nay work on any Aerotech reloads or and Kosdon motors. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! One bad point t' t' rocket was t' 1/8", 3-ply plywood fins. Since thar are only 3 plys, it makes t' fins very weak. Ahoy! I think that they need t' be glassed. Aye aye! Some 2 ounce fiberglass cloth will work fin. Arrr! I learned me lesson, read on t' find out how. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Just a note, me hearties, me hearties, matey, most other mid-power kit manufactures use 1/8", shiver me timbers, 5-ply plywood for their fins, shiver me timbers, which make them much sturdier! One other thin' is, it is very important t' get the centerin' rings lined up, if you don't then your fins will nay fit into the slots in t' body tube.

Finishing:
Finishin' was VERY easy! I just gave it 2 coats o' primer and painted it as they showed on t' box with Krylon gloss white spray paint and Krylon True Blue spray paint. T' decals were nice, me bucko, I would recommend gettin' some water and a little soap in a dish t' put them on since it makes them much easier t' put on as you can move them around.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Rocket PicFlight:
For me first flight I choose t' 120 newton second Kosdon G40-7 c-slot motor. Begad! I just put some fiberglass insulation in and packed t' chute, me hearties, me bucko, then put t' motor in and put t' retainin' washer on and it was ready. Ahoy! Blimey! On ignition t' Kosdon G40 came t' life and it went up nice a straight! Blimey! T' G40 is a very LOUD motor, especially for a G motor. Arrr! Blimey! T' 24" chute came right out at apogee. Ya scallywag! But on landin' it broke a fin due t' t' weak 3 ply ply-wood. Begad! Blimey! This was a easy fix. Avast, me proud beauty! I have put a 28" chute in it and have since then flown it on a Aerotech G35-4 for a really nice boost, arrr, but t' delay was a little short. Rocket landed safely under a 28" chute.

Recovery:
T' shock cord was 10' o' 1/2" flat elastic, this was attached t' the rocket by a steel cable that went through a centerin' ring, me bucko, this is very strong. For t' first flight I used a 24" chute, ya bilge rat, which be too small and resulted in a broken fin, for t' next flight I used a 28" chute which was just fine. Ahoy!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Eliminator overall is a great rocket. T' only down side t' t' rocket is the 3-ply plywood fins and t' 24" chute. Avast, me proud beauty! IF it was nay for that, then it would have gotten a 5 over all.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • North Coast Rocketry Eliminator (Mod) By Gary Sinclair (December 1, 2010)

    Kevlar sock reinforcement, payload bay created, fully slotted body tube for external fin can assembly. Modified to take Aerotech 29mm reloads up to an I200.   Modifications: The list of modifications for this kit included: (1) Created an 11.8" payload bay out of the original long body tube. (2) Airframe has been reinforced using a Giant Leap Kevlar Sock with West Systems ...

  • North Coast Rocketry Eliminator By Nick Hills

    (by Paul Gray - 07/01/02) Background The Eliminator is NCR's highest flying rocket. It gains a lot of altitude for its size, making it one of the most popular mid power rockets in the model rocketry world. The rocket itself has been made by North Coast Rocketry for many years. However, the design was improved and new features were added when North Coast Rocketry was bought by Estes. ...

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