Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Performance Rocketry ![]() |
Brief:
T' best and worst part o' this kit is that it is minimalist. When you get the
box, shiver me timbers, thar are nay a lot o' parts. Begad! I have it together now and it is probably my
favorite rocket in me fleet. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This thin' is a tank and it looks great. Ahoy! It is the
only rocket I have that might survive comin' in ballistic. Aye aye! That is why I used
it on me L2 test.
Construction:
T' parts list
That's all that comes with t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! I like this because it lets me do things my way. Aye aye! All t' parts are fiberglass and VERY strong.
Parts I added:
I used 5 and 30 minute epoxy for t' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Also I used some Elmer's Ultimate Glue in t' fin can and nose weight.
I only have one con with buildin' this rocket. All t' parts fit tight--too tight. T' inner diameter o' t' fin can varied. Avast! You can see ripples in the fiberglass on t' inside. Ya scallywag! I had t' do some serious sandin' t' get almost every part t' fit, matey, which I guess is better than too loose but it did require a ton of sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! Once sanded down, me hearties, everythin' went together nicely and fit snugly. There is also some additional sandin' you should do: sand t' points you will be gluin' t' add some bite so t' epoxy holds better.
This is a quick buildin' rocket after t' sandin' is done. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't like the
fact that thar were only 2 centerin' rings as I always like 3. Blimey! Arrr! I know the
fiberglass rings are super strong, but they are very thin so me brain started
imaginin' them bending. I added a plywood centerin' rin' I had layin' around,
which is probably overkill but what t' heck. Begad! Begad! I put t' bottom centerin' ring
in first and t' middle one in t' fin can also unglued t' keep it centered.
Once I had t' lower one epoxied from t' bottom, ya bilge rat, I removed t' middle rin' and
poured some epoxy in on t' bottom one from inside t' fin can. Aye aye! Next, me bucko, I moved
up and glued in t' middle plywood rin' 3 inches from t' top o' t' fin can.
After that was in place, I made a good batch and lined t' walls o' t' fin can
with epoxy. Ahoy! Quickly I slid t' coupler in till it sat on top o' t' plywood
rin' in t' fin can. Begad! Took a few paper towels t' clean up t' slop. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This dried
and I poured in some ultimate glue inside t' coupler on t' points where the
Coupler met t' plywood rin' on t' inside. This glue expands nicely and is
rock solid. Avast! It made a pretty much solid bond which brought t' rin' coupler fin
can and MMT together. Begad! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Nothin' will knock that MMT loose next t' a nuclear bomb.
I drilled and placed an eye loop in t' third rin' gluin' t' threads t' hold
it. Blimey! Then, I glued that last rin' in about 1/4" from t' end o' t' MMT.
Lastly, I put some epoxy on t' inside o' t' body tube an inch or two from the
end and on t' outside o' t' coupler then slid t' BT down on t' rin' and
coupler with a nice squishy sound. Begad!
Before I put t' bulkhead in t' nose cone, matey, I wanted t' test t' stability.
Chute, matey, shock cord, arrr, and a J350 went in and I checked for t' CP. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I emailed the
Performance Rocketry t' ask about t' CP but I never got a response after
several weeks. Blimey! Blimey! I punched t' dimensions and materials into Rocsim 8.0 and got
the CP, which from t' looks o' this rocket, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, matey, it feels about right. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I marked
that on t' tube and from t' balance test could tell we needed a little weight
in t' nose. I started droppin' one ounce fishin' weights in t' end till it
balanced out. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! This is where that Ultimate Glue really works. Well, blow me down! Blimey! With t' weights
in there, me bucko, I dropped in a good amount o' Ultimate Glue and let it dry. That
stuff expanded right up and over t' weights till they disappeared. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I love that
stuff. Arrr! Blimey! Then I glued t' bulkhead in and added an eye loop. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey!
That is about it for construction. I didn't add an electronics bay. Begad! Loki and Aerotech Js come with delays, me hearties, arrr, and that is what I planned on flyin' in this bad boy. It can easily handle a K, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but I have larger rockets for them. There are a few ways I thought t' do it. Avast! T' nose cone is hollow and could accommodate an electronics bay. Avast! Blimey! For dual deployment, you could also get another coupler, arrr, some bulkheads, matey, and try cuttin' t' tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down!
Finishing:
T' texture o' t' tube is a bit rough but holds paint well. I put a coat of
primer on then a nice dark green. Ahoy! Avast! T' decals went on nicely. Avast! Arrr! I'm an Army vet,
so I love t' look o' this one.
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
My first flight on this rocket was me L2 cert. Begad! Bein' me certification flight, I
rechecked everythin' about 50 times before I went t' t' LCO table. I played it
safe and loaded a J350 into t' MMT with t' Slimline adapter. This baby roared
off t' pad and flew nice and straight. Ya scallywag! It arched over a bit and t' medium
delay popped t' chute very close t' apogee, maybe just a little past. Begad! The
chute was a bit caught up but eventually deployed close t' ground. Ahoy! T' rocket
hit t' ground still movin' pretty fast. Arrr! Begad! Since this was me L2 cert flight, me bucko, I
was a bit worried, but when I got t' t' rocket, thar was nothin' but a small
scratch in t' paint. Blimey! I took it t' t' prefect and got me certification
paperwork signed. Begad! It wasn't perfect but I'll take it.
Click here t' see a video o' t' flight.
Recovery:
Since this rocket does nay include a recovery system. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I'll pretty much leave
this blank. Blimey! Blimey! I will say that t' nose cone fit into body tube is good with just
the right amount o' friction.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
PROs:
CONs:
If you like doin' it your way and you want a very strong good looking rocket, shiver me timbers, me hearties, then this is it. It went together pretty quick and it painted pretty well. I have flown it a few times and it flies straight as an arrow and really rips off t' pad on a J.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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unknown (October 19, 2006)