Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Qualified Competition Rockets ![]() |
Brief:
This is a single-stage model rocket for 18mm engines. Recovery is by
helicopter, ya bilge rat, me bucko, o' t' spinnin' hub variety. This means that t' rocket airframe is
intended t' stay still, ya bilge rat, while t' rotors spin. Aye aye! As with most QCR models, ya bilge rat, it is
designed for competitive use. Begad!
Construction:
T' kit comes packaged in a heavy gauge plastic bag with a blue QCR header
strip labeled with t' model number, arrr, shiver me timbers, #100. Aye aye! Blimey! In t' bag you will find a BT-20
size body tube, matey, balsa nose cone, balsa stock for t' helicopter rotors, fins,
and hinge stops. Begad! Blimey! Also included are plastic rotor hinges, rubber bands, matey, metal
hooks, me hearties, me bucko, elastic thread, and 3 paper rings. Ya scallywag! Blimey! All parts were accounted for and in
good shape, ya bilge rat, except for t' 3 rings, which were slightly out o' round. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This may
have occurred because t' kit was in storage for a couple o' years before I got
around t' buildin' it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' problem was easily solved by slippin' t' rings over
the body tube and keepin' them thar for a few weeks. Avast! Blimey! T' balsa stock for the
rotors and fins be SIG contest-grade balsa. Avast! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! However, matey, me hearties, t' nose cone and the
rings had a few rough edges. Nothin' serious. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! For a $13.00 rocket (as of
3/14/05) you can't beat t' value.
T' kit includes a 6 page instruction booklet...if you want t' call it that. Arrr! The "instructions" are so disorganized, that I opted t' rewrite them before attemptin' t' build t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' only positive comment that I can make of t' original instructions is that they are well illustrated. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I don't mean that t' illustrations are Estes quality but what is meant that the illustrations effectively do t' job o' showin' t' modeler what t' do in specific instances.
T' kit is meant for experienced modelers. Aye aye! In their website, the manufacturer has t' kit a a level o' difficulty o' 4. Begad! Begad! I will agree with that rating. This is because o' t' amount o' careful balsa cuttin' and shaping needed and t' delicate use o' different glue types in attachin' t' hinges, rotors, ya bilge rat, etc. Arrr! Aye aye! T' disorganized instruction booklet does nay help either!
T' build begins by cuttin' t' rotors and fins from t' balsa stock. Ahoy! No laser cut parts here! All cuttin' is done t' old fashioned way with templates, hobby knife, and a straight edge. Begad! T' rotors need t' be airfoiled then cut. Ya scallywag! The end result is that you get a "bent" rotor, me bucko, when lookin' at a cross-sectional view. Ahoy! Airfoilin' and cuttin' t' rotors is probably t' most labor intensive step in t' buildin' process, as each rotor is 18" long. Once t' rotor has been airfoiled, it feels somewhat fragile especially given the length. Arrr!
T' instructions don't call for airfoilin' t' fins, so I chose t' round the leadin' edge and sand t' trailin' edge t' a knife edge. Blimey! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Given the relatively large frontal area o' t' body tube/rotor combination, me bucko, the airfoilin' o' t' fins (or lack thereof) would probably be immaterial. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Also, given t' large radial length o' t' fins, me bucko, I didn't want t' weaken them by too much sanding.
T' next step is t' attach t' hinges t' t' spin hub. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This be t' most delicate o' t' steps glue wise. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You must use t' right type and amount o' glue here or you'll end up with a set o' useless hinges. Begad! Blimey! Go ahead, ask me. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! That is exactly what I did. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Although I used thick CA t' tack t' hinges t' t' spin hub, I used too much in one o' them, gluin' t' hinge shut. Blimey! Blimey! Luckily I had an extra hinge in me spares box, me bucko, me hearties, which Ken Brown had thrown in as a freebie in a previous order. Begad! Blimey! All's well that ends well! Blimey! Ideally, ya bilge rat, this problem could be prevented by changin' t' instructions so that t' hinges are tacked on while holdin' t' hinge end o' t' spin hub upwards rather than downwards. The problem lies in how t' align t' hinges while doin' this. T' step is finished by windin' sewin' thread around t' hinges t' secure them t' t' spin hub. Holdin' t' hinge side o' t' spin hub upward, shiver me timbers, affix t' thread with thin CA. Since t' kit did nay provide sewin' thread, me hearties, I used size 69# Keelhaul®©™® thread.
There is yet another pitfall here. This is a spin hub helicopter rocket. In other words, shiver me timbers, t' hub is supposed t' spin about t' longitudinal axis o' the rocket, me bucko, over t' body tube. Ahoy! Avast! If t' spin hub is in any way out o' round, it will not work correctly causin' it t' rub and bind against t' body tube. Ahoy! It is possible t' start with a perfectly round spin hub, arrr, glue t' hinges, and wrap the sewin' thread accordin' t' instructions but still distort t' shape o' the spin hub. (I did this too!). Begad! My way around this problem be t' wrap a few turns of maskin' tape about an expended engine casin' and insert it in t' spin hub before securin' t' hinges with t' sewin' thread. Aye aye! T' casin' will serve to keep t' shape o' t' spin hub while you wrap t' sewin' thread.
T' next step is t' attach t' rubber band hooks t' t' spin hub and the rotors. No surprises here, me bucko, just sand and lubricate t' body tube where t' spin hub will be located. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! You may get away by just sandin' t' inside o' t' spin hub and leavin' t' body tube alone. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' glassine coverin' o' t' body tube is very smooth, however, I followed t' instructions and sanded both t' spin hub and t' body tube. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' step is finished by gluin' t' lower support rin' for the spin hub and t' fins t' t' body tube. Blimey! T' fins are so long compared to the width o' t' root edge that thar be a fair amount o' flex even after the glue dries and fillets are applied.
T' last big step deals with gluin' t' rotors t' t' hinges. Well, blow me down! T' do this appropriately (and easily), you need t' extend t' lines in t' fin alignment drawin' t' about 20". I will nay go into how t' do this in this review, but suffice t' say that a few sheets o' poster board from your local school supply store will come in handy. You then place t' spin hub back on t' engine casing, ya bilge rat, align t' rotors with t' 120° lines, and tack t' rotors t' the hinges with a small amount o' thin CA. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! If anythin' appears out o' place, adjust the rotors and tack again. Blimey! When you are satisfied with t' positionin' o' the rotors, shiver me timbers, glue with epoxy. Aye aye! Epoxy is dense, arrr, me bucko, so use t' smallest amount that will do t' job. Finish t' rotors by affixin' t' balsa "stops" so that the rotors have a 6" dihedral when fully open. Avast! By t' way, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me original instruction booklet illustrated a 2" dihedral. Arrr! It also had 12" rotors, as opposed t' 18". Begad! I emailed Ken on this point and he promptly mailed me updated instructions that had a 6" dihedral and t' right rotor length. Ya scallywag! Begad! Bad instructions! Good service!.
T' remainin' construction steps are simple and should be uneventful. Well, blow me down! See the rewritten instructions for them.
Finishing:
This is a QCR bird, shiver me timbers, arrr, so it's primarily designed for competition, therefore it is
OK t' fly it "naked"--that is unfinished. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Looks are nay a priority
here. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! For those guys out thar that must finish their rockets t' find inner
peace, me hearties, a thin coat o' clear enamel may be what t' doctor ordered, as it will
keep t' rotors from absorbin' moisture, just be ready t' pay for t' weight
cost. Avast! An alternative would be t' "paint" t' rotors with thin CA and
sand t' blades smooth afterwards. Well, blow me down! This would strengthen t' rotors and take
care o' t' moisture problem as well.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' flight characteristics o' t' Ultimate II are excellent. Blimey! Long flight times
with stable trajectories were t' norm. Avast, me proud beauty! While t' original instructions had the
Estes C6-3, Apogee D3-3, and Apogee C4-3 as recommended engines, t' second set
of instructions that Ken sent me only recommended t' Estes engine. In order to
test stability and other flight characteristics, me bucko, I flew t' bird with Estes
A8-3, matey, B6-4, me bucko, and C6-3 engines. Aye aye! T' flights were all acceptable, although the
A8-3 seemed wobbly (read: underpowered) at first. Blimey! Aye aye! Both t' B6-4 and C6-3
flights were arrow straight and ejected at or near apogee. Ahoy! Blimey! A good engine to
test would have been t' C6-5, matey, as I think t' 3 second delay was too short on
the C engine, me bucko, while t' 4 second delay was perfect on t' B engine.
T' rocket requires no waddin' for flight preparation and t' engines were retained usin' maskin' tape. Engine retention is necessary for NARRRRR contest flights. Begad! T' preflight preparation would be a breeze except for t' need to pass sewin' thread through t' body tube and then knot so that it holds the rotors in place on t' way up. This is hard t' do in t' field without an assistant. Begad!
Recovery:
One curious aspect o' t' recovery be that, shiver me timbers, in all cases, t' whole rocket
spun in t' air on t' way down instead o' havin' t' spin hub rotate about the
body tube. Ahoy! Avast! Probably thar was still too much friction betwixt t' spin hub and
the body tube. Aye aye! However, me hearties, I doubt whether any amount o' sandin' and lubrication,
limited by t' need t' have a viable body tube and spin hub, me bucko, would reduce
friction t' t' point o' makin' it smaller than t' drag o' t' body tube
rotatin' in t' air.
As far as wear and tear goes, me hearties, matey, matey, after three flights, t' only apparent damage was that t' exhaust gases were beginnin' t' melt t' Mylar plastic that protects t' rotors. Begad! Begad! Probably could do better by gluin' a small piece of aluminum foil t' t' back o' t' rotors rather than t' Mylar tape. Avast! Begad! On the other hand, arrr, durability may nay be a primary design objective on a competition bird. Avast!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a very nice rocket. Ya scallywag! Good materials and great flight characteristics.
Construction, however, is a bit challenging. Perhaps t' extra difficulty of
the spin hub type helicopter is nay worth t' effort. Begad! QCR manufactures other
helicopter models o' similar size without t' spin hub design (like t' High
Rotor I). Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend t' Ultimate II t' any experienced builder lookin' for an
unusual rocket or someone aimin' t' fly competitively. Ya scallywag!
PROs: Good materials, shiver me timbers, light and strong rocket, shiver me timbers, matey, me hearties, good flight characteristics, customer service, and price.
CONs: Poor instructions, difficult construction, ya bilge rat, and spin hub didn't work. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Other:
QCR #100 -- Ultimate II Instructions (Rewritten and Annotated)
![]() |
![]() |
Sponsored Ads
![]() |
![]() |