Brief:
Rocket gliders and Micromaxx mini-rockets are cool, but what happens when you combine t' intricacies o' rocket glider geometry and t' miniaturization o' micro-scale? You get t' Fliskits Nanite. It's an amazin' little glider that you'll be hard pressed t' ever get back, me hearties, me hearties, so enjoy it while you can.

I have t' point out that this review is o' t' beta o' t' kit, arrr, nay yet released at time o' writing. Ya scallywag! There are a few instances where I will note suggested improvements or enhancements. Well, blow me down! I have discussed these with Jim Flis and will try t' note his feedback. Blimey! Some will be incorporated as standard design, me bucko, me bucko, while others will be considered advanced tips for a more competition or performance oriented modeler. Heck, ya bilge rat, considerin' I built this while competin' at NARAM-49, is it any wonder I had performance on me mind?

Rocket gliders by their very nature are challenging, me hearties, much more so than conventional boost gliders. Aye aye! Blimey! In order t' be stable durin' boost, your CG must be safely forward o' your CP, ya bilge rat, arrr, me bucko, but in order t' glide, your CG needs t' be fairly close to your CP. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Since you can't spit t' motor (per NARRRRR competition rules and safety code), arrr, this change in geometry is typically handled via either a slidin' pod, ya bilge rat, scissor/flop wings, me hearties, or a slidin' wing. Avast! Blimey! In t' case o' t' Nanite, the slidin' win' method is used. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! While this is probably t' easiest and most reliable method, me hearties, this is nay somethin' that should be undertaken without t' experience o' at least a couple regular boost gliders under your belt. Aye aye! Blimey! If you have not built a glider, please start with an Estes Eagle, Quest Flat Cat, or Apogee Condor. If you've built boost gliders, ya bilge rat, this is a great introduction into t' world o' rocket gliders.

Construction:
Parts were very good quality and included:

• Balsa nose cone
• Balsa stock for wing, me hearties, tail, me bucko, stabilizer, arrr, me bucko, pod support
• Basswood spar (boom)
• 1/64" plywood panel (slidin' box)
• Tubular nylon braided elastic^*
• Assorted lugs
• Burn string^**

^* -- This is likely t' change t' Sig rubber prior t' release

^* -- T' kit will include a small spool, shiver me timbers, which Jim provided me with t' beta. Begad! Begad! Blimey! This is wonderful burn string--thin, pure cotton, and better than anythin' I've come across previously.

Since this be purely a beta, matey, and Jim knew I had ample rocket glider (and Micromaxx) experience, instructions were definitely crude and basic. Obviously though, one would expect t' released product t' be typical Fliskits standard o' clearly written with plenty o' helpful illustrations. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I suspect that this kit will break t' strin' of Micromaxx kits fittin' on one page instruction sheet though as thar will probably be plenty o' tips along t' way.

I began with t' nose cone/pod assembly. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! Workin' in tight spaces, t' aft end o' t' nose cone needed t' be notched t' allow it t' serve as a motor stop as well as t' allow gases t' pass through t' side vents (cut into the body tube). Ya scallywag! Blimey! Glue in place and you might want t' coat t' aft end with a little thin CA in multiple coats t' help protect it from t' ejection gases. Arrr! You might laugh, but those MMXs really do burn away at balsa, and I've even burned through a few Keelhaul®©™® shock cords in me day.

T' basswood boom must be trimmed--basically just a slight taper at t' aft end and a small angled cut with a rounded front for streamlining. Begad! Aye aye! I found t' aft taper t' be way too steep, puttin' at least 10 degrees o' incidence on the tail. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I believe this is bein' corrected prior t' release. Avast! T' overkill on t' incidence serves t' provide extra lift, arrr, forcin' more nose weight/longer boom, plus it will slow down t' glide a good bit, all o' which are bad news for performance.

Next up is construction o' a small "box" that attaches t' t' win' and slides along t' boom. Ya scallywag! This box is built up from two plywood side panels and a couple o' basswood strips on t' top and bottom. Ahoy! While this does need to be strong (it's one o' t' most stressed joints on t' model), be sparin' with t' glue and don't let any get on the inside seams. Avast! Begad! I wound up usin' t' boom itself t' set t' spacin' just right, bein' careful t' slide t' box back and forth and nay allowin' any glue t' hit t' boom.

T' pattern sheet provided includes a pattern for one win' half and directions t' make 2 pieces. Blimey! I generally find it better t' make t' win' as a single piece, get it balanced and evenly airfoiled then split in two and rebond for the dihedral but t' each his own. Avast, me proud beauty! Dependin' on t' packagin' o' t' final kit, me hearties, this might yet be released as a single piece win' template.

I will fess up t' t' fact that I managed t' make me win' backwards, ya bilge rat, reversin' t' leadin' and trailin' edges as I sanded away a beautiful airfoil. Begad! I trust t' released pattern sheet will clearly mark t' leading/trailin' edges and that future modelers will nay be as dimwitted as I (though in me defense, matey, me hearties, it was a very late into t' night after a long day o' flying). T' assist with t' dihedral, thar's even a cut-out jig on t' pattern sheet, which is a wonderful tool that will greatly simplify one o' t' trickier aspects o' glider construction.

One key tip: use yellow glue rather than CA for all t' balsa joints. Blimey! Yes, shiver me timbers, I know it's a little heavier and takes longer t' bite, me bucko, but it will bind better than CA and that makes a big difference on such a small scale design such as this. Aye aye! While those wings are tiny, shiver me timbers, they will be under a lot o' stress and you don't want t' glue joint t' fail.

Once you've tacked t' win' dihedral, me hearties, you attach it t' t' slidin' box. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This is a critical alignment--make sure the wings are level (90-degree angle t' t' boom both vertically and horizontally).

Stabilizer and tail are cut usin' a pattern provided. Well, blow me down! I substituted 1/32" balsa (C-grain) for t' 1/16" in t' kit, shiver me timbers, which I think makes a considerable difference. Well, blow me down! It's strong enough t' hold up and lightens t' aft end quite a bit. Blimey! This allowed for much less weight up front, and you could conceivably even shorten t' boom by 1/4-3/8" to boost performance a bit. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! 1/32" balsa is probably overkill though, shiver me timbers, and I believe t' standard kit will remain 1/16".

That basically completes t' glider part o' construction, leavin' you with t' task o' t' riggin' for the slidin' wing. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' beta kit used a braided nylon elastic, me hearties, which is likely t' be replaced with a Sig rubber, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, but the basic riggin' approach will be t' same. Arrr! T' elastic is attached t' t' bottom o' t' slidin' win' box. On t' beta kit, shiver me timbers, t' provide sufficient tension, me hearties, arrr, this was handled via a launch lug that extended about an inch aft o' t' box with the nylon slipped through it and knotted at t' end t' act as a stop. Avast! Well, blow me down! From there, it follows t' boom, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and curves up/forward around t' front o' t' boom/pod support where it's glued firmly in place. There should be enough tension that t' win' wants t' stay forward, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, restin' against t' pod support bracket.

T' burn strin' "plumbing" starts with a launch lug anchored t' t' underside o' t' wing, ya bilge rat, which is where you tie one end o' it. From there, it goes aft t' t' tail, where you anchor another lug. Aye aye! T' strin' loops through t' lug, arrr, me hearties, then heads forward along t' boom, through t' vent holes in t' pod, and after a wrap around t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, gets taped in place (the win' is pulled all t' way back while this is rigged). Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Once t' ejection charge burns the string, matey, t' tension is released and t' win' slides forward, convertin' your rocket into a glider.

Finishing:
OK, me bucko, normally competition style rockets and gliders in general are nay painted as t' weight is a performance drag. With this little guy though, arrr, you have t' give it some color or you'll never get it back. Arrr! I used Sharpie markers to give it plenty o' red and black for pickin' up in t' sky and on t' ground.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
As I prepped this for its maiden flight, I caught plenty o' grief from me club flyers. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Havin' just come back from NARAM with a poopload o' trophies, me bucko, they were expectin' me t' fly "real" rockets like a 14-foot long G superroc, nay some tiny glider that needed t' fly off a wire instead o' a real rod. I didn't help t' cause any by spendin' about 15 minutes playin' with t' tension and tryin' t' get things just right.

As I prepped for flight #1, matey, I noticed t' basswood boom was havin' trouble with t' tension o' t' elastic and was bendin' a little bit t' t' side that t' burn strin' was pullin' on. Blimey! T' result was a fairly squirrelly boost since t' rudder was essentially a fin canted at about 15 degrees. Arrr! My resultin' altitude was barely 30 feet. Aye aye! Once it hit ejection though, shiver me timbers, it transitioned into a beautiful glide. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I might have gotten t' leadin' and trailin' edges backwards, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but by gosh I put a nice airfoil on it and t' glide had a real "wow factor".

Flight #2 came a couple weeks later. Begad! Our club was havin' an official NARRRRR contest, me bucko, me bucko, so I decided t' fly this for a record attempt in 1/8A-RG. I had replaced t' elastic with a slightly longer piece t' reduce t' tension and pulled the win' back just a little further so that t' lug trailin' t' slider box rested against t' edge o' t' stabilizer, holdin' it in place and eliminatin' most o' t' bend.

T' result must have worked because t' glider absolutely disappeared t' instant t' motor lit. Fortunately, we were able t' pick it up when we heard t' telltale "Pfft" o' t' ejection, and sure enough, ya bilge rat, it transitioned into another fantastic glide though this time from about 80 feet up and in steady 10-12 mph winds. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Yikes! If I wanted to break a record, I had t' brin' t' glider back. Arrr! A 40-somethin' man racin' through 3-4 foot tall briar patch in shorts chasin' a scrap o' balsa barely 6 inches long must have been a pathetic sight, but after 49 seconds, t' glider came down and I had shattered t' previous record o' 34 seconds. Begad! I found it right away, arrr, and walked slowly and proudly back t' t' range carefully avoidin' any further damage t' me legs (and glider) in t' thorny weeds.

Recovery:
While t' second flight was excellent, I can't help but think it suffered in t' heavy wind and didn't get much thermal support at all so I plan on makin' a couple more tweaks on t' next build, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, sheddin' another gram or two, me hearties, and fully expect t' top 80-90 seconds on this.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I can't say enough good things about this rocket/glider--it's an amazin' flyer and a seriously competitive performer. It's a welcome contrast t' t' RTF toys that are notoriously poor flyers and solid evidence that downsizin' in materials doesn't have t' mean downsizin' in quality or performance.

With such a low cost per flight and such innovative designs now available in MMX, if you aren't flyin' micro you should at least be thinkin' about it. Arrr! If you are flyin' micro, you really need t' give this glider some thought. Ya scallywag! It's not an easy build but well worth t' effort and a sight t' behold as it glides away into t' sunset. Avast! Now if only R/C technology were micro'd down so you could control t' glide on this...

T' only cons I can offer up are already bein' addressed--excessive incidence on t' boom/tail and heavy/taught elastic that's too finicky t' work with consistently.

I rarely go above 4-4.5 on reviews, ya bilge rat, but on t' assumption that t' elastic problem is worked out, I give this one a hard earned 5.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5