Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Brief:
This is a downscale o' t' popular long kit by another, matey, matey, un-named vendor. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It
flies on 13mm mini-motors and uses a streamer for recovery.
Construction:
T' kit included:
This OOP kit was manufactured in t' U.S.A. by LawnDart Rocketry. T' instructions are seven pages long and with many color photos--it is almost more than you really need for this simple rocket. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! However, thar were changes t' t' US version o' the kit that were nay consistently reflected in t' instructions. Aye aye! T' changes are that t' US version uses a streamer in place o' a chute and that it uses Keelhaul®©™® cord exclusively, arrr, whereas t' foreign kit uses a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic combination. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! In addition, arrr, t' last page looks t' be an add-on by LawnDart, which includes a nice break-out drawing, me hearties, shiver me timbers, a fin template, and an alignment guide. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It also presents several notes, includin' an alternate placement o' the top launch lug and a note statin' a concern about 'possible references' t' that un-named kit and vendor. O' course, me bucko, 99.9% o' you immediately knew what kit it was--and t' rest o' you have homework: search EMRR and find t' mystery kit :-)
I decided t' build t' kit usin' t' new Perfect Glue-1, by Liquid Nails. T' Perfect Glue series has three glues. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' #1 glue is for wood/paper, me bucko, arrr, so I thought I'd give it a try. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! This is a clear, matey, rubbery glue that reminds me o' a thinner version o' t' standard Liquid Nails. You can read all about these glues [here].
T' balsa be very light and cut easily. T' fins and lugs went on easily, but I could tell that this glue is nay good for fillets. Avast, me proud beauty! T' Perfect Glue says to spread t' glue on t' surface t' be bonded, shiver me timbers, separate t' parts t' ~five minutes, and then re-attach them. Begad! Begad! I do this same thin' with white and carpenter's glue anyway. Oh, shiver me timbers, I'm glad LawnDart added an alignment guide on the last sheet, as t' one in t' main body o' t' instructions didn't fit t' 13mm tube.
T' motor block and coupler were a bit snug and t' joint betwixt t' two tubes be damaged, matey, matey, but fillin' and sandin' too care o' this.
Assembly o' t' nose cone was nay discussed in t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Avast! I first bored two small holes in t' base o' t' shoulder and inserted t' small piece of Keelhaul®©™®. I tied it so that t' knot be inside, me bucko, added a large drop o' t' glue, and pulled t' loop down from t' outside. Blimey! Finally, me bucko, I spread some o' t' glue on the inside o' t' cone and slid in t' base.
T' shock cord is attached t' t' tube usin' t' tri-fold paper method. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I generally don't use this method but decided t' give it a try t' further test the glue. Ahoy! A cutout wasn't provided. Avast! Blimey! That's a minor item but sloppy. Ahoy! T' other end is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™® loop on t' nose cone.
Despite t' numerous issues with t' instructions, this was an easy rocket to build. Aye aye! I would be more critical on a more challengin' kit and only deducted one point. I also have t' deduct a point for t' fit o' t' coupler and t' two part nose cone. T' latter may be personal preference, matey, but I don't like this type cone so t' construction ratin' is 3.5.
Finishing:
Finishin' was easy because t' spirals were almost non-existent. Ya scallywag! In fact, shiver me timbers, arrr, I
couldn't detect any gaps although t' spirals appeared t' be slightly raised
from t' tube. Well, blow me down! I filled t' gap betwixt t' tubes, sealed t' fins, shiver me timbers, and made
fillets with fill-n-finish. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I then gave it one coat o' white primer. Begad! Avast! Since it
was launched in October, I painted it Halloween orange and black. Begad! Blimey! For
finishing, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I have t' give it a 5, bringin' t' total construction ratin' t' a
3.
Construction Rating: 3.5 out o' 5
Flight:
I flew it on an A10-3, shiver me timbers, which was held in with maskin' tape. Aye aye! Blimey! I used cellulose
waddin' and found t' streamer, me bucko, which be corrugated.
It had a nice respectable flight, similar t' my Skinny Mini.
Recovery:
I had packed t' streamer a month earlier and didn't repack it. Begad! As a result,
the streamer didn't open. Ahoy! Still, it fell on grass and thar was no damage. Aye aye! I
can't fault t' kit on t' streamer problem, arrr, shiver me timbers, so I'll give it a '5' for flight. Arrr! Begad!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
I liked me Mean Machine (thought I wouldn't say it, eh?) and I like this
downscale. Well, blow me down! T' instructions need work but it a very simple kit. Aye aye! Ahoy! I give it a '4'
overall.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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