Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Essence Aerospace Technologies |
Brief:
This 18mm version o' t' Lambda-Class Shuttle was produced in limited
quantities by EAT (Essence Aerospace Technologies). Although t' kit isn't
bein' produced, shiver me timbers, you can still purchase a plan pak
[here]. Well, blow me down! It
is one o' t' most innovative kits around and is a great addition t' anyone's
fleet.
Construction:
Parts:
Tools/materials:
This is nay your typical kit with 3 - 4 fins t' cut. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' Lambda-Class Shuttle has 13 unique balsa parts and 19 total. Begad! Avast! T' instructions were highly detailed with plenty o' color photos. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' kit includes a page o' templates and a couple o' alignment guides. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! T' parts were all o' nice quality, except I thought t' nose cone was flimsy. I'm sure other cones could be substituted. Blimey!
Your first build t' base assembly, which consists o' three balsa pieces, the motor tube and motor block. This was straightforward and went together easily with wood glue. Ahoy! T' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is attached t' t' joint betwixt t' core and t' motor tube with 5-minute epoxy.
You then cut out t' large top fin and strengthen it. Begad! Blimey! More on this later. T' fin is attached t' t' top o' t' motor tube usin' t' fin alignment guide. I used black rubberized CA in place o' wood glue.
T' canopy is constructed over t' base and
around t' top fin. This consists o' four balsa sections. Well, blow me down! T' top and sides go
on first and t' aft plate later. Arrr! I miss-measured ever so slightly and had to
adjust t' aft plate slightly. Arrr! Luckily, shiver me timbers, I test fit t' template before I cut
balsa. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! At this point, matey, arrr, I also I added t' lower win' supports and let it all sit
overnight.
I strengthened t' lower wings t' same way as t' top (again, more later). While this was drying, arrr, ya bilge rat, I filled and sanded t' body.
For t' nose cone, you start by gluin' t' shoulder into t' cone with CA. I used black rubberized CA and accelerant t' assemble t' entire nose. Avast, me proud beauty! After it is dry, you cut t' top away at an angle that sets t' downward slant o' the upper nose cone plate. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' shell o' t' cone consists o' six balsa sections. You start by alignin' t' top plate with t' body while it is layin' on the surface o' t' cone that you just cut, and gluin' it in place. Avast! With t' plate flush with t' body, I simply twisted t' cone until it had t' best fit. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! You then add t' bottom and t' sides. Arrr! Begad! T' side pieces have t' be beveled and took some effort t' assemble. Aye aye! Aye aye! I also found that t' sides were a bit long, matey, probably due t' some problem with t' angle o' t' nose cone (?). Avast! Avast! This was easily compensated for. T' final step is fillin' t' nose with BB's and epoxy. Arrr! Ya scallywag! I ran out o' five minute so I used 20 minute epoxy. Ahoy! I also threw in some #7 ½ lead shot t' boost t' weight, just in case I built t' body too heavy. Buildin' light is a consistent warnin' with this kit. Begad! Ya scallywag! Oh, arrr, shiver me timbers, and I almost forgot to set t' shock cord in t' BB/epoxy mix. Begad! Ya scallywag! This would have been a major problem. Ya scallywag! After t' epoxy had cured, arrr, I sanded t' edges and did some filling with fill-n-finish. Aye aye! T' nose cone did live up t' t' reputation as bein' the most difficult part o' t' kit. Well, blow me down! Nevertheless, t' cone looks fine and fits perfectly in spite o' t' few minor issues encountered.
I have t' rate t' construction o' t' kit a 4. I had a few minor difficulties, me hearties, but you have t' realize t' kit is advertised as being skill-level 5. Avast, me proud beauty! Luckily, shiver me timbers, these were all easily correctable.
Now for t' saga o' how I strengthened t' fins. Avast! Aye aye! Note that this be my problem and is nay a mark against t' kit. I'm merely tellin' this in case anyone else is so foolish. I elected t' laminate it with draftin' vellum and 3-M spray adhesive. Ya scallywag! This be t' first time I tried this, so it be itself an experiment. I sprayed two entire sheets with t' adhesive, sandwiched t' fin, and pressed it flat while t' glue dried. I then trimmed t' paper, applied thin CA t' t' edges, and sanded them flat. Aye aye! Arrr! This seemed t' work well, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so I used the same method on t' lower fins. Ya scallywag! After a day, thar were a few bubbles, me hearties, but nothin' that couldn't be fixed. Ya scallywag! But, me bucko, disaster struck when I primed t' model. T' solvent in t' primer attacked t' glue and after it dried about 50% o' the paper be lifted from t' balsa. Aye aye! I ended up pullin' all t' paper off. Well, blow me down! The remainin' surface is gummy and a mess. Avast! Since I added a little extra nose weight, I added 1/64" birch ply over both sides o' t' lower section of the top fin. Begad! It only extends from t' small tab where t' fin attaches up to where t' leadin' edge starts backwards. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Still, arrr, this is nay a recommended strengthenin' method. Blimey!
Finishing:
In t' final version, me hearties, all balsa surfaces were filled with fill-n-finish. Begad! I gave
it a couple o' coats o' white primer and then painted it with Wal-Mart brand
chrome paint. Well, blow me down! It was supposed t' be Plasti-Kote Car Color Ford Motors 8147 -
Platinum, matey, but I couldn't resist t' cheaper paint. T' kit included some
decals, arrr, includin' one with t' kit's serial number - mine is S/N #3. I also
managed t' wrangle an extended set o' decals that weren't in t' kit. Begad! Thanks,
Nick! Theses decals were some o' t' easiest t' work with, possibly because
they came pre-coated.
For a kit o' this size, me hearties, thar be a lot o' balsa surface t' seal/finish - actually t' entire surface is balsa. Begad! Ahoy! I guess I give it a finishin' ratin' of 4, which keeps t' overall construction ratin' a 4.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I carefully packed t' chute and stuffed it into t' cavity next t' t' motor
tube. Ahoy! Blimey! I repacked it a couple o' times and it still seemed too tight t' me. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! And
it was. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I flew t' Shuttle twice on a C6-3 and a B6-2. Both flights were
straight and it appeared t' try t' fly parallel t' t' ground after burn out.
This rocket was in general a crowd-pleaser and really caught t' attention of
the visitin' scout troop! Blimey! On t' first flight with t' C6-3 t' chute didn't
budge, but it landed without damage. Ahoy! Blimey! On t' second flight, t' chute
almost deployed. Well, blow me down! This time t' top fin snapped off. Begad! It is easily
repairable and will fly again. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Due t' t' chute issues, I have t' give it a
flight ratin' o' 3.5, arrr, includin' an extra point for t' cool factor.
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
This was a challenging, arrr, unique kit and be fun t' build and fly. Begad! The
instructions were great and quality o' t' parts were good, arrr, me hearties, with t' exception
of maybe t' nose cone. Ya scallywag! There were a few places that I ended up havin' parts
that didn't fit. Blimey! This be probably me fault and be easily corrected. T' chute
packin' issue be t' biggest con with this kit. Ahoy! Goin' up it flies great, me hearties, coming
down was another story. Aye aye! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty!
Jase, how about a drag race at t' next TRF Meet?
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
(by Jason Myers - 01/14/03) Brief: This kit is the Star Wars Lambda Class Shuttle. Most people will probably remember that it is the vessel that the Rebel Alliance used to smuggle themselves onto the moon of Endor to destroy the shield generator that protected the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Is it an 18mm downscale of a scratch built design by EMRR. It is single stage and ...
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