A local hobby shop was goin' out o' business and I bought everythin' that was left for $100. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I figured it t' be about $300 worth o' stuff. Begad! In that, me hearties, me hearties, I gained a Custom Razor and since I like tube-fin rockets I went ahead and built this one.

This kit is designed as a Skill Level 1 for t' beginner and starter. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Yes, you build it, shiver me timbers, but it is nay necessary t' paint it as it comes with gloss yellow tubes and a black plastic nose cone. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! So I just built it t' way t' kit be originally intended.

See me Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

T' Razor comes with a plastic nose cone, a single 9" body tube, me hearties, six (6) 1 7/8" tube fins, shiver me timbers, an 18mm motor mount with a motor retainer clip, matey, a short (12") piece o' elastic shock cord and a plastic 12" parachute. Arrr! There are some water transfer decals for t' finishin' touch.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions for t' kit were thorough and allowed for any skill o' builder t' be successful in assembly o' t' Razor. Begad! They include diagrams t' ensure accuracy. Begad! They also included finishin' (although that is only puttin' on t' decals) and flight instructions.

As mentioned, I planned t' build this rocket smartly and with no plans t' paint it since t' body and fin tubes were already gloss yellow and t' nose cone was black. Aye aye! Blimey! I literally assembled this rocket in 5 minutes. Arrr! Blimey! All except t' shock cord and parachute. Blimey! Blimey! I used Quick Grab glue on this model (additional comments about Quick Grab glue) for everythin' except gluin' t' 3-fold shock cord mount into place.

I decided nay t' use t' 12" piece o' elastic because I feel it is too short, so I added 18" o' 1/16" Keelhaul®©™® t' it. Ya scallywag! I used t' Keelhaul®©™® in t' 3-fold method o' shock cord attachment. I also replaced t' parachute with a 18" x 3" plastic streamer just t' help in recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! It is such a light rocket that I would rather see it drop faster.

Even though t' kit is designed so that you don't have t' paint, arrr, t' tube spirals are very evident. Begad! T' black water-transfer decals include tube stripes, me bucko, t' numbers 1 through 6 for each tube and t' word "Razor".

Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. It's fast and easy, ya bilge rat, like a skill level one should be but also has too short o' a shock cord and this would have been a good candidate for a streamer (like Custom's Serval came with).

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Custom recommended t' followin' motors: 1/2A6-2, A8-3, ya bilge rat, B4-4, me hearties, B6-4, C6-5, and C6-7.

T' first day I could fly t' Razor was perfect! No wind and so I loaded it up with a C6-7 for its first flight. I had added a piece o' Rogue Perma-waddin' so preparation be easy. Ya scallywag! Avast! At ignition, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, this little guy be out o' here and it went very high, in fact I lost track until t' trackin' smoke. It be clear that it was still goin' up upon ejection. Avast! T' streamer deployed and it was recovered close by.

T' next opportunity I had t' fly be also very nice, so I loaded up t' Apogee C10-7 and let her rip! Wow, zoom off t' pad and straight up, except for a little tight tail swing. It was way up thar and I could track t' position by t' nice amount o' trackin' smoke in t' C10. It arced over and ejected and then I heard t' ejection a split second later. Begad! T' streamer be folded/rolled and got caught in t' shock cord and t' rocket fell t' t' ground with no damage. Avast! Well, blow me down! However, ya bilge rat, arrr, t' poor Rogue Perma-waddin' just isn't cut out t' handle t' powerful Apogee motor ejection charges!

T' third flight, ya bilge rat, me bucko, in t' same day, me hearties, was also on an Apogee motor, t' C4-5. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This time I used some waddin' and t' remains o' t' Perma-wadding. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Again, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, ignition and a straight flight (no wiggle this time) and you could hear t' extra time in t' burn. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be at apogee, matey, perfect, when t' ejection charge fired. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I followed t' rocket down only t' find it missin' t' nose cone and steamer. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, shiver me timbers, I would rate this kit 4 points. It is definitely a fun flier after changin' t' shock cord and addin' a streamer. Ya scallywag! You can fly it on 1/2A's, arrr, A's and B's, but I be takin' it t' its limits. Make sure you have a calm day and a large field with C motors and have some fun!

Overall, t' Razor is good first rocket for someone lookin' for a Tube-Fin. Begad! It is fast t' assemble and gives nice flights. Make t' modifications though, because otherwise I fear you'll only be gettin' a couple o' flights on it before bangin' t' body tube, matey, breakin' t' shock cord or losin' it on a parachute. I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey!