A local hobby shop was goin' out o' business and I bought everythin' that was left for $100. Avast! I figured it t' be about $300 worth o' stuff. Aye aye! In that, matey, 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. Ya scallywag! Yes, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you build it, me hearties, but it is nay necessary t' paint it as it comes with gloss yellow tubes and a black plastic nose cone. So I just built it t' way t' kit was originally intended.

See me Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

T' Razor comes with a plastic nose cone, a single 9" body tube, six (6) 1 7/8" tube fins, shiver me timbers, an 18mm motor mount with a motor retainer clip, a short (12") piece o' elastic shock cord and a plastic 12" parachute. Blimey! 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. Ahoy! They include diagrams t' ensure accuracy. Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! I literally assembled this rocket in 5 minutes. Avast! All except t' shock cord and parachute. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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, arrr, matey, so I added 18" o' 1/16" Keelhaul®©™® t' it. Begad! Blimey! 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. Begad! 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, ya bilge rat, t' tube spirals are very evident. Arrr! T' black water-transfer decals include tube stripes, t' numbers 1 through 6 for each tube and t' word "Razor".

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's fast and easy, shiver me timbers, 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, A8-3, B4-4, arrr, B6-4, matey, me hearties, C6-5, shiver me timbers, 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 was easy. At ignition, this little guy be out o' here and it went very high, in fact I lost track until t' trackin' smoke. Aye aye! Blimey! It was clear that it was still goin' up upon ejection. Begad! Aye aye! 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, me bucko, except for a little tight tail swing. It be way up thar and I could track t' position by t' nice amount o' trackin' smoke in t' C10. Begad! It arced over and ejected and then I heard t' ejection a split second later. Ya scallywag! T' streamer be folded/rolled and got caught in t' shock cord and t' rocket fell t' t' ground with no damage. Begad! However, t' poor Rogue Perma-waddin' just isn't cut out t' handle t' powerful Apogee motor ejection charges!

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

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 4 points. It is definitely a fun flier after changin' t' shock cord and addin' a streamer. Well, blow me down! You can fly it on 1/2A's, 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, shiver me timbers, t' Razor is good first rocket for someone lookin' for a Tube-Fin. Well, blow me down! It is fast t' assemble and gives nice flights. Aye aye! Make t' modifications though, matey, because otherwise I fear you'll only be gettin' a couple o' flights on it before bangin' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, breakin' t' shock cord or losin' it on a parachute. Begad! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Begad!