Manufacturer: | Public Enemy ![]() |
Brief:
T' Psycho is no longer in production. It was a great kit from Public Enemy. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It's t' same size as t' Public Enemy Patriot, so I'm sure t' flight characteristics o' each are similar.
Construction:
T' instructions are spare t' say t' least. Well, blow me down! It would be best if you had either built high power rockets before or had a coach who had. T' airframe is paper tube with Public Enemy's signature yellow glassine coverin' it. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' motor mount is paper too. T' fins are 1/8" plywood and include tabs t' go all t' way through t' t' motor mount. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings are made from press-board type material that is quite strong and accepts epoxy readily. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone is plastic in t' line o' LOC/Precision nose cones. Avast, me proud beauty! A pair o' heavy duty eye-bolts connect t' recovery system which consists o' 3/4" strap nylon with a riveted D rin' and then a long length o' round bungee. I don't like, or use bungee for recovery, but t' strap nylon is nice. Two 1/2" copper launch lugs are also included and they're already angle cut t' reduce drag. T' parachute is a 36" LOC/Precision type flat chute and is fine for sea level launch sites, but too small for us highlanders.
I made t' followin' modifications. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I added 2 layers o' 4 oz fiberglass t' t' airframe. Begad! Arrr! I added a strip o' .007" unidirectional carbon fiber laminate t' t' fins before filleting. Well, blow me down! After t' fillets were hard, matey, matey, I put a layer o' 4 oz glass from fin tip t' fin tip. Blimey! I used 12' o' 9/16" mil-spec tubular nylon as shock cord. T' parachute was replaced with a military surplus 42" chute. Ahoy! Begad! I also added a forward bulkhead t' seal off t' coupler t' make an altimeter bay t' house me Olsen FCP-M1/G. Well, blow me down! All me additions and altimeter added 15 oz t' this model (so mine is 54 oz).
Finishing:
Finishin' a fiberglass rocket is relatively easy, but time consuming. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! After sandin' I shot 2 coats o' Plasticoat Truck primer that I got from Pep Boys. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I sanded betwixt coats with 150 grit, shiver me timbers, then 400 grit paper. Avast! Blimey! Next I added three coats o' flat white Krylon, sandin' betwixt each coat, me bucko, lightly, with 400 grit sand paper. Blimey! Blimey! Finally I added 3 coats o' Red Devil paint (Orange Creamsicle and Gloss Black). Aye aye! Blimey! Came out nice, arrr, hard and glossy. There are nay paintin' suggestions and only a single "PSYCHO" vinyl decal included. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Use your imagination.
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
This has had extremely straight boosts every flight. I flew it once naked, me hearties, and twice in it's primer gray. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Each time it be a great flight. T' H123 doesn't get it too high. Avast, me proud beauty! T' I161 is middle high with lots o' smoke. Begad! Begad! An I211 is a real shot and quite high. Avast! I saw Roy Wied's Psycho fly and it flew like it was on rails too, so I think this is part o' t' rocket's normal characteristics.
Recovery:
For me overly heavy model, ya bilge rat, an H123-10 is just a bit too long o' a delay. Avast, me proud beauty! In heavy wind, an I161-10 is just a tad too short. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! In calm weather and I211-10 is also a tad short. However, arrr, it's a sturdy bird that can handle a little abuse. Ahoy! At 1200' in Kansas, t' stock chute was just right. At 4500' in Utah, matey, t' stock chute is too small and I upgraded.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
It's one o' me favorite rockets. It's a good looker, ya bilge rat, rather unusual and it's a shame that Roy took it out o' his line-up. Ya scallywag! If enough people agitated, matey, arrr, he might brin' it back.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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