Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | BSD High Power Rocketry |
Brief:
I wanted a 3" BSD THOR ever since they first came out. Arrr! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I really like the
idea o' havin' smaller, me hearties, me bucko, high performance rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! After doin' a couple of
scratchbuilt HPR rockets, shiver me timbers, I felt that buildin' a kit would be a nice break from
designin' rockets and chasin' parts for them.
This rocket is 3" in diameter, arrr, ya bilge rat, and stands 64" tall. It has six fins and is dual deployment capable. Blimey! My completed rocket weighed 5lbs 1oz ready to fly when configured for dual deployment. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!
Construction:
T' 3" BSD THOR comes in two variations, matey, one in 38MM and t' other in
54MM. Begad! Arrr! I chose t' 38MM version because it was a little easier on t' wallet. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag!
T' basic kit includes t' followin' components:
T' kit also included one ¼ x 20 eyebolt, me bucko, one 3/16" quick link, two 6-32 T-nuts, two 6-32 screws, two motor clips, eight reusable plastic rivets and two rail buttons. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I be impressed with all t' components. Begad! Aye aye! They were of good quality. Ya scallywag! BSD seemed t' think o' everythin' one would need t' complete and fly this rocket. Well, blow me down! My only complaint is that one o' t' decal sheets seemed to have been stepped on. Begad! They were crinkled, and thar be dirt and fuzz in between t' vinyl decal and backin' sheet. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This be a minor annoyance that proved t' be no big deal.
I started by buildin' t' motor mount first, me bucko, epoxying the front and middle centerin' rings t' t' motor tube. Begad! Ahoy! At this point, matey, I decided t' replace t' nylon recovery strap with 5' o' tubular Keelhaul®©™. Aye aye! I did this because a 3" airframe is too small t' get in and replace a nylon cord if it became heat-damaged. After that was complete, t' motor mount was installed in t' booster section airframe. I cut t' fin slots, and ran in to my first gotcha. Ahoy! T' instructions say t' cut t' slots 3/16" wide, me hearties, me hearties, however the fins are only 1/8" thick. Avast! I carefully cut in 1/8" wide fin slots in t' positions and spacin' called out in t' directions. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Next I installed all the fins, which went smooth. Blimey! I left off t' aft centerin' rin' so that I could do internal fillets on t' lower fins. Arrr! I installed machine inserts in the rear-centerin' rin' so I could use me PML motor retainer instead o' the supplied motor retention. I felt that t' PML retainer would be an easier solution for retainin' t' variety o' 29 and 38MM motors that I would be flying this rocket on. Blimey! This be me personal preference, and is nay a din' on t' kit or its components. Begad!
When all t' filletin' was complete, I tried t' install t' rear-centering ring, arrr, and ran in t' another gotcha. Avast! I had cut in t' lower fins 3/16" from the end o' t' tube per directions. Arrr! Blimey! T' aft centerin' rin' was ¼" thick, me hearties, so it would nay seat flush with t' end o' t' bodytube. Begad! Blimey! T' solution ended up bein' cuttin' groves in t' t' backside o' t' aft centerin' rin' to let t' fin in t' it, and allow it t' seat flush with t' end o' t' body tube.
With t' booster section complete, shiver me timbers, I moved on t' to electronics bay and payload section. I decided t' hold t' payload section to the electronics bay with 8-32 screws instead o' t' supplied plastic rivets. Again, this be due t' personal preference, is nay a din' on t' kit or its components. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I don't have t' fingernails or patience t' use plastic rivets. Begad! I drilled screw holes in t' airframe and couplers, matey, and hardened t' edges with thin CA. Ahoy! After t' CA was dry, shiver me timbers, an 8-32 tap was run through each hole t' thread it. This creates nice smooth clean threads in t' cardboard. T' rest o' the build focused around settin' up t' electronics bay for use with me Missile Works RRC2 altimeter.
Finishing:
When t' build was complete, me hearties, shiver me timbers, all t' bodytube spirals
and woodgrain were filled with Elmer's Fill ‘N Finish prior t' primering.
I chose t' go with t' stock color scheme, matey, so t' booster section was painted
yellow and t' altimeter bay and payload section were painted black. Avast! Once the
paint be dry, me hearties, t' decals were put on. Arrr! Avast! Decalin' be a real pleasure, as BSD's
decals are top notch. Aye aye! Once t' decals were applied, t' rocket received a
clearcoat finish. T' finished rocket gets a “10" on t' gawk scale
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Flight day did nay go as planned. Well, blow me down! My initial plan be t' fly it single deploy
on an H-128, me hearties, then an H180, me bucko, and finally dual deploy on a J-350. Begad! Begad! I smartly found
out that t' 4" deep bay in t' booster section is just too small for a
good length o' harness, ya bilge rat, heat pad, and parachute too. Aye aye! Begad! It was also very difficult
to just get in 15' o' harness, matey, heat pad and streamer for dual deploy. Begad! I
scrapped t' H-128 and flew it dual deploy on t' H-180. Ahoy! This flight be great!
I had planned on flyin' it on a J-350 next, ya bilge rat, but low cloud cover nixed those
plans.
Recovery:
T' flight was good and straight, arrr, but t' recovery was nearly a disaster. The
main and drogue harness got tangled together. T' chute managed t' get
un-tangled enough t' open up and save t' ship. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I attribute t' tangling
problem t' flyin' dual deploy on a smaller motor. Avast, me proud beauty! I feel that if it had more
fall time before t' mains deployed, me bucko, t' airframe components would be better
separated, lessenin' t' chance o' a problem. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! While I'm talkin' about recovery,
the parachute that BSD supplies with t' kit is too small. Ahoy! Blimey! My rocket weighs
5lb, 1oz ready t' fly. Ahoy! That translates t' a 30 FPS decent rate with t' stock
30" chute. Ahoy! I replaced t' stock chute with a 48" chute t' lessen the
possibility o' landin' damage.
Flight Rating:
4
out o' 5
Summary:
I really like BSD's rockets. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey! This be me first kit from them, and it won't be
the last. Avast! Blimey! BSD makes it clear in t' directions that this kit is for the
experienced flier, and I'd agree with that. Aye aye!
Some PROS:
Some CONS:
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
T' followin' excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". Well, blow me down! The intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Aye aye! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Arrr! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Avast! For more information, use t' link above.
This looks t' be a fine kit from BSD. It is hybrid compatible which allows for many motor options. Aye aye! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' manufacturer is reported t' be very helpful and stood behind his product when a mistake was found. T' only negative mentioned is that t' tubes were nay pre-slotted. Arrr! This may nay even be a negative dependin' on t' builder.
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T.M. (June 22, 2005)