Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 4.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Aerotech |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
T' G-Force is a single staged, me hearties, parachute recovered large model rocket.
Construction:
There were 2 4" body tubes that were made out o' t' AT tubing. I opted t' design t' rocket for a payload by nay gluin' t' nose. Begad! Aye aye! It has 3 fins made o' EXTREMELY thin plastic that look just like t' Sumo fins. Avast! Ahoy! T' motor mount was 24" by me best guess, ya bilge rat, and made from thick cardboard. Aye aye! T' shock cord appears t' be 12' and be t' elastic kind. Begad! Ahoy! It has an ACE 4:1 Ogive nose. It is glued on per t' instructions, arrr, me bucko, however I tied a separate shockcord t' it and made it removable.
T' instructions were very easy t' follow for such a large rocket. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! There were a few illustrations that were kind o' hard t' see due t' contrast, however they are probably nay needed. There were no templates included with this rocket as t' Fin-Lok system aligns t' fins right with a little help from eyeballing.
This rocket was very easy t' build as I have come t' expect from AT kits. Begad! There were no alignment issues. Ahoy! There be one problem with fit: t' coupler is extremely tight. I sanded it for a while and now it slides out easy. Aye aye! Blimey! T' only sturdiness issue I found was with t' fins. Upon measurin' with calipers, they are .07 inches thick.
Pros: Pretty sturdy except for t' fins
Cons: Thin fins and t' coupler fit
Finishing:
I have a suggestion for paintin' this rocket: wash t' nose first. I did nay and t' paint is now flakin' off o' it. T' decals are t' standard peel & stick which were kind o' a pain because if you want t' G-Force letterin' t' appear you need t' paint t' area on t' fins white first. I did this, and feel it is worth t' extra work. Begad! T' wrap decal was hard t' get on, and it goes around where t' rocket splits so it needs t' be trimmed at t' joint. Avast! Begad! Blimey! Paintin' was easy...simply prime, ya bilge rat, paint black part, shiver me timbers, mask first few inches o' black, ya bilge rat, paint blue.
Pros: Easy t' paint
Cons: Decals are difficult t' apply
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motors are any o' t' AT consumer motors includin' t' G64. Begad! My first flight attempt was on a G35-4W, arrr, which CATOed. Blimey! It turned out t' be one in a bad batch. Blimey! T' second flight attempt was at t' KCAR launch on a G64-4W. Avast! It was me second reload. T' flight was perfect, delay might have been a couple seconds long but it was perfect at apogee. Begad! It missed t' neighborin' porch by 10-15 feet and I had a very short walk for recovery.
It has a baffle, matey, so no flameproof material is required. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I attempted t' use me home built retention system but t' motor could easily slide out. I guess it needs a spacer. T' CATO from t' G35 had damaged t' MMT and t' motor was a bit loose, matey, but I decided t' risk losin' me reload casing. Avast, me proud beauty! As it turned out, ya bilge rat, it was still firmly in thar after t' flight.
Recovery:
T' shock cord be made out o' elastic. Well, matey, blow me down! T' chute was a 48" ripstop nylon which be reefed about 12" up. Ya scallywag! T' recovery was a bit on t' fast side which yielded a short walk.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
I think this is a very good rocket for someone seekin' t' get into G power.
Pros: Easy preparation, arrr, easy assembly, nice and sturdy
Cons: Decals, matey, thin fins, and t' coupler fit.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Great flight for my L1 cert launch! Flies slow and smooth, lots of fun! Overall Rating: 5
Large mid power model for low altitude flights. Very good materials except the coupler which needs to be beefed up Very quick assembly with major problems in construction. The instructions were pretty straightforward. The fins could be sturdier, but I have flown this rocket 10+ times with only a cracked joint. Very good major components. Finishing: Easy to finish, except for its size, ...
This is a great mid-power flyer with two downsides, limited range of motors, high price. All the normal components: Two 4" tubes, an ACE nosecone, 42" parachute, bulkhead equipment, motor tube, CR's, baffle system, elastic 12' shock cord, fins. Instructions are very simple if you have built any other Aerotech kits. If not, then read through them and make sure you understand them. If you ...
Aerotech's 4", G-powered, parachute recovered rocket using their proprietary LABYRINTH ejection baffle system. Pros: Big (for Aerotech) Easy to build, very nice flyer Cons: Limited recommended motor range. Very thin fins. Pricy. Being my first 4" kit, my first impression was WOW! There's something very nice about being able to get your hands into the airframe to work. All the parts listed ...
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S.R. (July 1, 2000)