Manufacturer: | U.S. Rockets ![]() |
Brief:
This is a single stage, shiver me timbers, 54mm motor mount, 2.6" high power rocket. Ya scallywag! This
rocket would be a great rocket for people with previous experience with high
power kits.
Construction:
There were two (2) very nice 2.6" tubes, arrr, they were a bit thicker than LOC
tubes, very heavy duty. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There were three (3) 3/16" plywood fins, shiver me timbers, a
coupler, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, motor tube, launch lug, shiver me timbers, parachute and a very, arrr, very nice solid balsa
cone. Arrr! There was a 1/2" by 10 foot long elastic shock cord, with a 18"
military surplus chute. Arrr! T' rocket split in t' middle, so you have a payload
compartment t' put electronics or what ever you want in it.
Construction was pretty straight-forward and simple. Avast! T' instructions were not well written and were a little scarce o' information on some key steps. However, matey, shiver me timbers, with me experience, shiver me timbers, matey, I did nay really refer t' them much. Avast! Ya scallywag! I decided that t' 54mm motor mount was way too big for what I was goin' t' be usin' it for. Arrr! So I added a 29mm motor tube and mounted it inside t' supplied 54mm motor tube.
T' fins are through-the-wall and you will need t' cut and mark t' slots off yourself. Begad! There be a 1/2" launch lug that I replaced for a 1/4" lug. Begad!
T' nose cone was great, it was balsa, which you don't see much anymore, I put 2 coats o' finishin' resin on t' cone (my first attempt at doin' this), and it turned out great, it adds some strength t' t' cone while makin' a great finish. Blimey!
T' completed rocket is pretty rugged for t' materials used. Arrr! Ahoy! This rocket could survive some very hard landings. You will need epoxy (set times o' your choice) for construction.
T' shock cord I mounted t' a steel cable attached t' t' centerin' ring, I thought this be much better then t' recommended method. Arrr! T' recommended method be a Estes style mount, which is great for Estes rockets, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but when you get up t' mid or high power rockets, they just don't work.
Finishing:
Finishin' was easy, ya bilge rat, I put two coats o' primer on, then painted t' payload
section with Testors Dark Gloss blue, then fadin' t' blue t' Testors Gloss
Black. Avast! Begad! Blimey! T' results were great. T' spirals are nay deep at all, matey, arrr, so thar be no
real need t' fill them. Decals did come with t' kit, shiver me timbers, but I opted nay t' use
them, shiver me timbers, matey, as I thought t' kit without t' decals looked better. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Also, t' decals
were rather cheap, shiver me timbers, they were printed on cheap clear sticky decal material. Well, blow me down! The
printin' quality be terrible. They were all words in flat black. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey!
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
For t' first flight I used a Aerotech G104-short. Aye aye! Arrr! T' rocket does weigh a
bunch, matey, due t' it needin' a bit o' nose weight (also t' addition o' t' 29mm
motor mount). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' kit did nay come with any nose weight, ya bilge rat, arrr, it did tell you were
the CP was. Blimey! Aye aye! So I used that t' balance it out with t' biggest motor I would
use. Begad! Ya scallywag! With t' extra weight, I swapped out t' 18" chute for a 24"
nylon chute.
T' boost was very fast and straight. Despite t' 20mph plus winds, recovery be fine with t' 24" chute, arrr, matey, it came down just at t' right speed. Avast, me proud beauty!
There is no motor retention that comes with t' kit, matey, so you have t' add your own, I just used tee nuts and made some clips up for it. This rocket does require wadding, ya bilge rat, but you could easily make a baffle or use a Nomex® heat shield if you wanted to.
Recovery:
T' shock cord was plenty long for t' rocket. As I said above, me hearties, I put a
24" chute in it, shiver me timbers, as t' 18" be too small. Avast, me proud beauty! It came down at t' right
speed with that. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Upon recovery thar was no damage at all t' it!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' rocket kit is very nice, arrr, thar are a few things that could have been
better, me hearties, a bigger chute would have been better, me bucko, along with some better
directions. Ya scallywag! T' rocket flies great though, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which makes up for those things.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Editor's Note: T' Warp-2 is part o' a 3 rocket family, all usin' t' same body but with different motor configurations. Begad! The Warp-1 is a single 29mm, arrr, shiver me timbers, which t' author modified his Warp-2 into. Begad! Begad! T' Warp-2 is t' 54mm and t' Warp-3 is a cluster o' three (3) 29mm motors.
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