Photo Courtesy o' PML

Brief:
T' Tethys is a basic 3FNC kit, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, capable o' flyin' on G motors or bigger.

Construction:
T' Tethys came with a single length o' airframe tubin' (phenolic, per me request), 3 pre-cut G10 fins (the thickest fiberglass fins I've used t' date), a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, a thick nylon strap, me hearties, a length o' tubular nylon, shiver me timbers, piston kit, a 48" parachute, shiver me timbers, two brass launch lugs, and t' 54mm Kwik-Switch motor mount system. Well, blow me down! All parts arrived in good condition, ya bilge rat, although thar was a crack in t' airframe, runnin' from a fin slot t' t' base o' t' tube- a very minor problem.

I used West System epoxy throughout construction, me bucko, me hearties, and found t' kit went together very easily. I be a bit shocked t' discover t' Kwik-Switch system be just a few pieces o' threaded plastic! Nay havin' any experience above H motors, me hearties, I was boggled, ya bilge rat, me bucko, as me concern was whether these parts would hold up t' t' stresses that a really big motor would place on them. Begad! Aye aye! Well, I suppose PML knows what they're doing. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Anyway, arrr, part fit be good overall, me bucko, and thar really aren't any "gotcha's", if you follow t' instructions.

I built mine stock, with one exception- I replaced t' lugs with 1/4" ones. Aye aye! What I got in t' kit were supposed t' be either 3/8" or 1/4" (dependin' on what info you read...), but were neither, when I measured t' ID.

Otherwise, ya bilge rat, everythin' else went together fine, with nothin' more than t' usual bit o' sandin' t' get optimal fit. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! No motor retention is provided with t' kit, shiver me timbers, so I had ordered t' PMR kit that PML offered for t' Kwik-Switch motor mounts. Aye aye! Blimey! Sinkin' those threaded inserts be a pain, but I couldn't ever imagine them comin' back out, short o' destroyin' t' centerin' ring.

I did add one extra construction step- I had picked this kit t' use as me CAR level 2 rocket (Which is an I motor), shiver me timbers, and had plans on usin' it for level 3 eventually too. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I order t' phenolic airframe so that I could put a layer or two o' glass on it, t' give it extra strength. Arrr! Blimey! That went on surprisingly easy, considerin' I'd never done any glassin' before. Aye aye! Blimey! When I was done, shiver me timbers, I had a pretty solid-lookin' rocket... Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! if kinda plain.

Finishing:
Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, I was pressed for time, me bucko, arrr, and never had t' chance t' even shoot a coat o' primer on this rocket. I finished it a day before I (and it) left for Blazin' Archer IV, and I didn't want t' use any paint until I'd given t' epoxy plenty o' time t' cure. T' kit does come with a pair o' PML logo decals, but nothin' more.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first and only flight with t' Tethys used an I-161, ya bilge rat, me bucko, with a 10 second delay. Ahoy! Begad! One thin' I really like about PML kits be t' lack o' need for wadding, thanks t' t' piston system. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Sure cuts down on t' pre-flight prep! For motor retention, I had intended t' use t' PMR that I had installed. Avast! However, t' three hex bolts that hold t' plate in place had vanished, ya bilge rat, so I was forced t' friction-fit t' motor in place- somethin' I did with great trepidation. Arrr! Aye aye! I'd run a number o' sims for this rocket in Rocksim, and was unable t' find a motor delay in any "I" motor that I was really comfortable with. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' slowest deployment speed I could get was on t' order o' 40 MPH, which I thought was a bit high. So... I added a length o' PML's old stretchy shock-cord t' t' tubular nylon, just in case.

Boost was very nice! T' motor lit with no fuss, and t' rocket was off t' pad in a hurry. Begad! T' flight was pretty straight, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, with only a bit o' weather-cocking.

Recovery:
Things fell apart on recovery. Begad! That 10 second delay turned into a 4 or 5 second one, matey, resultin' in chute deployment at about 100 MPH, ya bilge rat, at around 2000 feet. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! T' extra length o' shock-cord I had added as a precaution sheared cleanly, arrr, me hearties, leavin' t' airframe t' tumble 'chute-less t' t' ground. Blimey! Blimey! T' airframe fell horizontally, arrr, ya bilge rat, so I figured damage would be minimal. However, it hit t' runway, me hearties, shatterin' t' aft portion o' t' rocket, me bucko, shiver me timbers, almost t' t' forward centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! I was told that, ya bilge rat, had I nay glassed t' tube, matey, ya bilge rat, I probably would have had nothin' but confetti left. Blimey! Blimey! T' fins survived t' disaster with a couple o' scrapes, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but t' 38 and 54mm motor tubes are destroyed, arrr, as well as a good portion o' t' airframe. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' piston is banged up as well, but appears t' still be functional.

Examination o' t' motor casin' showed evidence o' a blow-by, shiver me timbers, which explains t' early ejection. Since me record with 38mm motor failures is now 2 for 2, me bucko, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I think I'm either goin' t' switch t' electronic recovery, matey, shiver me timbers, or else Pro38 motors. However, me hearties, t' recovery problems really can't be blamed on t' kit... Avast! Blimey! although perhaps if I'd used extra tubular nylon instead o' that other material, me bucko, it might have held together.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't have much t' add here. Ya scallywag! T' rocket is pretty much a plain "vanilli" 3FNC bird, which makes it a good choice for someone that doesn't have a lot o' HPR experience. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It is light enough t' still qualify as a "large model rocket", and can fly on G motors, me hearties, arrr, so you aren't restricted t' HPR flights only (a major consideration for me). Begad! Yet, me bucko, it is big enough that it would scream out o' sight on an H or I motor (a small J will throwin' it over 4000 feet). Arrr! I'd say it's a pretty solid, ya bilge rat, matey, forgivin' rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5