Brief:
T' PML Matrix is a sport rocket advertised as a meteor defense weapon with a futuristic look about it. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' kit is a 3” diameter model made for H and I high-power motors and uses a 3 fin configuration, although thar are twelve fins total for t' model.

Construction:
T' kit came in a bag and included all t' necessary parts; 3” diameter “Quantum” body tube (1/16” thick semi-flexible plastic tube), shiver me timbers, me hearties, a 12” long payload tube section, nosecone, twelve G-10 fiberglass fins, bulkhead, piston assembly, ply centerin' rings, me bucko, arrr, 38mm motor mount, 36” parachute, me hearties, all t' necessary hardware, a nice set o' decals and detailed assembly instructions. Ahoy! T' payload tube be dado-slotted for t' six upper fins (not slotted all t' way through) while t' main body tube be pre slotted for through t' wall main fins and dado-slotted for t' long stabilizer fins. Begad! As usual, me bucko, this is a typical high quality PML kit usin' some o' t' best materials available. Ya scallywag! Component Rating: 5 o' 5

I used 15 minute epoxy throughout t' construction, me hearties, me bucko, matey, which gave me a little extra workin' time with t' materials. Tip: Use 80 grit sandpaper for roughing up all surfaces prior t' gluing; it has more bite than t' recommended 120 grit and will create a stronger bond t' t' surfaces.

You begin by buildin' t' Motor Mount assembly. Once you have glued the black shock cord t' t' side o' t' motor mount tube, me bucko, GLAZE t' top o' the strap with epoxy for added strength. Be careful nay t' install t' mount with the strap area under a fin slot; position t' shock strap area betwixt two of the fin slots. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! Also, do nay use t' scotch tape method on t' aft motor mount, as it just breaks off. Instead, push t' aft centerin' rin' on, me bucko, then once the forward centerin' rin' glue joint has set, use a 6” metal ruler through the fin slots t' push t' aft centerin' rin' back out o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey!

PML uses a piston ejection system which works very well and eliminates the need for wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Once t' piston assembly is built, shiver me timbers, glaze t' inside and outside wooden surfaces with epoxy. This adds strength t' piston and waterproofs t' wood, so you can easily clean t' rocket after t' day’s flight. There is one problem t' note; t' PML 3” kits all tend t' come with an oversized piston. Arrr! I have nay seen this problem with t' 2” or 4” kits, shiver me timbers, arrr, but, right out o' t' bag, t' 3” piston fits very tight inside t' Quantum tube and requires a TON o' sandin' t' get it t' move smoothly. I have seen t' 3” piston completely shred on an ejection with another friends PML kit, even though t' correct powder charge was used. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! This was probably due t' t' fact that t' walls o' t' piston were so thin from sandin' it t' fit that it couldn't withstand t' ejection. I resolved the problem by purchasin' a 3” PML body coupler tube as a replacement. Ya scallywag! Begad! The Coupler fits better and gave me t' extra material needed t' “Double” the wall thickness o' t' piston. I made a new Piston by cuttin' t' coupler to the length o' t' original piston. Ya scallywag! Next, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' wooden face was glued into t' new piston followin' t' directions from t' instruction manual. Ahoy! Finally, I cut another “inside sleeve” from t' remainin' coupler material. Begad! The inside piston sleeve was then cut lengthwise and sanded at t' cut area until it could be squeezed together and easily fit inside t' original piston. This sleeve was glued inside t' piston usin' epoxy and I made sure it was pushed all t' way forward until it made contact with t' inside wooden piston face. T' final product was a very strong, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, double thick piston that works like a charm. Arrr! Just somethin' t' try if you experience t' same problem.

Next came t' assembly o' t' bulkhead into t' payload tube, however, matey, there were two modifications that were made t' t' payload area. Begad! I used a 1 ½” U-Bolt instead o' t' eyebolt supplied in t' kit because eyebolts have a tendency t' eventually pull apart. See t' picture for me U-Bolt installation. Arrr! T' other modification made was t' installation o' an altimeter bay. Arrr! I already had a CPR 3000 ready rocket with mounts on me altimeter, so I just needed t' duplicate t' altimeter mountin' bay for t' CPR. I purchased two 3” x 1.5” centerin' rings, arrr, ya bilge rat, along with a 1.5” motor mount tube (38mm sized). Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' Motor mount tube was cut t' a length o' 6 ½” and a 1/8” wide slot was cut in t' tube t' a length o' 1” so the altimeter could “breathe”. T' two centerin' rings were glued t' the motor tube; t' top rin' was mounted flush with t' end o' t' tube and the lower centerin' rin' was mounted 2 ½” from t' other end o' t' tube. This assembly was glued into t' payload section with t' top centerin' ring recessed 4 ½” from t' top o' t' body tube. Aye aye! Three 3/32” holes were drilled through t' payload tube, me bucko, which allow t' altimeter t' sense outside pressure. Well, blow me down! Finally, I inserted a piece o' 1/2" hobby foam on top of the altimeter and used t' nose cone for retention, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, since it is attached with screws. Begad! See t' pictures for t' altimeter mount and installation. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag!

T' lower fins were glued on next; I put a small amount o' epoxy on t' edge o' a fin, then inserted it through t' fin slot and used maskin' tape t' hold it down on t' motor tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Once t' three main fins were glued, shiver me timbers, I cut 1 ½” wide strips o' 2oz fiberglass cloth to t' length o' each fin, arrr, then glassed t' space from t' motor mount t' the fin t' t' inner body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I soaked t' cloth in epoxy then folded it around a ½” wide stick, which allowed me t' insert it into t' tube. T' stick was then used t' make sure t' cloth was pressed down on all surfaces. Ahoy! Blimey! This adds strength inside t' body tube area, me hearties, especially where t' fins are glued to the mount. Begad! Blimey! Our club does a lot o' cold weather launches, shiver me timbers, so I glass all me fins inside and out for added strength. Follow t' directions for mountin' t' long stabilizer fins, which I installed after t' lower fins were set. Blimey! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Once t' stab fins are in place, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, glue t' upper fins t' t' payload tube. Install three fins at a time, then turn t' payload tube and re-use t' main fins for alignment o' t' last three payload fins. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Note: even though this kit has 12 fins total, t' assembly be very easy. Arrr! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You don’t see many o' these kits out there, probably because o' t' amount o' fins on t' model. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Don’t be intimidated! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It’s very easy t' build and looks great when finished. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

In addition, matey, I fiberglassed t' lower fins usin' 1 ½ oz cloth and 15 minute epoxy, then I applied small fillets t' t' upper and long stabilizer fins and larger fillets t' t' launch lugs and lower fins since they would be absorbin' t' majority o' t' shock from landing. Finally, three holes were drilled and tapped in t' bottom o' t' model for t' PMR motor retainer, me hearties, a few drops o' medium CA applied, matey, then t' threaded retainer plugs were installed. Construction Rating: 4 o' 5

Finishing:
White Krylon primer was applied prior t' t' first sandin' and I used 100 grit to cut away any excess epoxy resin left from t' fiberglassin' and t' blend in the cloth seams. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I used an electric sander in t' glassed area, which helped cut t' work down considerably. Avast, me proud beauty! A few more coats o' primer were added, arrr, then I wet sanded with 220 grit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Finally, matey, a few more coats o' primer were added and I started with 400 grit and finished it up by wet sandin' with 600 grit. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Dark Red Glossy Krylon paint was used on fins, me hearties, while t' nosecone and body tubes were done in Testors Chrome. T' colors were picked by me son, arrr, Thomas, and I must say it really looks good once painted. It be a bit tricky applyin' t' paint the way I wanted though; I knew t' Chrome be very sensitive t' touch, arrr, arrr, so I sprayed it last. Ahoy! Aye aye! Blimey! T' tricky part was maskin' all t' fins after they were painted, but it turned out well. Aye aye! I used Testors Clear Glosscoat t' protect the finish, since t' chrome paint has a tendency t' mar very easily. Aye aye!

Decals were nay applied until later on and are nay shown in t' launch pics. As a last step, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord and parachute were attached per the instructions. Ya scallywag! T' 36” parachute deviates from t' yellow/purple PML standard and is red/white in color, me hearties, which I believed attributed t' t' color scheme decision. Begad! Begad! I did add a 1” link, which allows me t' attach the parachute, arrr, then remove it later for cleaning. Don’t forget t' tack glue the shock cord knots with a drop o' epoxy as they can work their way loose. Finish: 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My son and I went t' t' last launch o' t' sprin' season for our Tripoli Mid-Ohio Club. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Everyone out thar helped set up, then it be time t' get some rockets on t' pads. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It turned out t' be a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70’s with a decent, matey, but manageable breeze. Ya scallywag! Our first launch o' the Matrix be on a 38mm H123W with a short delay. Blimey! Begad! T' rocket was carefully prepared and placed on t' pad. Ahoy! Blimey! It be a real thrill seein' t' look on my son’s face when he observed his first HP launch! T' launch was spectacular for such a small load; It traveled a nice straight line leavin' a really cool trail o' white smoke behind. Aye aye! Avast!

Recovery:
T' parachute ejected at apogee and t' rocket drifted safely t' t' ground. T' design o' t' long stabilizer fins on this model works well and t' stab fins never touch t' ground durin' landing. Blimey! Begad! It was such a good flight that we had t' do it again. Begad! We launched twice more, once on a I161W-medium and once on another H123W-short. Begad! Both flights went as planned, but t' I161 really gets it off t' pad in a hurry! On t' final flight, me bucko, one o' t' lower fins stuck in the ground like an axe durin' landin' and was suspendin' t' upper part o' the rocket in t' air. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! After checkin' t' model for damage and realizin' it was fine, it proved t' me yet again that fiberglassin' fins really pays off! We did get it a bit scratched up in t' field, but nothin' that cannot be touched up. That’s just rocketry! Flight/Recovery: 5 o' 5

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' PML Matrix really is an excellent model and, arrr, even though it has quite a few fins, matey, it’s a dream t' build and fly. Well, blow me down! T' small modifications I made were only for me peace o' mind as I want this rocket t' last for a while. Avast, me proud beauty! My only complaint is with t' 3” piston; if they could only ship them a bit smaller in diameter, it would have been a perfect kit. Aye aye! Avast! I had nay doubled up the piston yet, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, even though it be pretty thin. Begad! I did however buy an extra PML coupler from Ross at Magnum Rockets while we were at t' launch and am in the process o' doublin' up t' piston at t' present time. Avast! That one fault aside, the Matrix otherwise is an excellent kit, good in quality and value, with one unique look that really catches your eye! Overall Rating: 4.75 o' 5

Overall Rating: 4 ¾ out o' 5