Pratt Hobbies D-Region Tomahawk (18mm)

Pratt Hobbies - D-Region Tomahawk (18mm)

Contributed by Josh Joung

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: Pratt Hobbies

Brief:
A simple, me bucko, cheap, and relatively good lookin' kit for beginners.

Construction:
T' kit came with:

  • 1 Nose cone
  • 1 Nose cone shoulder
  • 1 Body tube
  • 4 Precut balsa fins
  • 1 Long Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
  • 1 Nomex protector
  • 1 Streamer
  • 1 Motor block
  • 1 Launch lug
  • 1 Sheet o' decals

Pratt Hobbies D-Region Tomahawk

First off, start by attachin' t' shock cord t' t' motor block with a knot. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I deviated a bit from this step and cut out a small notch into t' outside o' t' motor block for t' shock cord t' rest into. Without t' notch, shiver me timbers, me hearties, me bucko, t' Keelhaul®©™ would make it a very tight fit and t' place where t' shock cord was tied would show up as a bulge in t' body tube. Then, test fit and glue t' motor block into t' body tube. Avast! Insertion o' t' motor block is via a spent motor case. Avast! T' motor should have about 1/4" o' overhang. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Next, me hearties, ya bilge rat, cut out t' fin wrap and apply it t' t' bottom half o' t' body tube. Begad! T' directions state t' align one side o' it with t' pencil line drawn down t' body tube (the directions make it seem that t' body tube was supposed t' come with t' line; well this one didn't, arrr, but t' line was smartly drawn with t' help o' a door jam) and gradually apply it around t' entire body tube. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! After applyin' t' fin alignment wrap, matey, cut out t' payload section decal and apply it t' t' top o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, usin' t' same method that t' fin wraps used. Ahoy! Next, apply t' fins with white glue. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fin wraps have lines runnin' vertically down servin' as fin guides, makin' it more builder-friendly, especially t' t' beginner. Blimey! Blimey! I noticed that t' fins were ridiculously thick, compared t' t' size o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! They were 1/8", but I found out that t' thickness helped more precise alignment o' t' fins, ya bilge rat, once again makin' it more builder-friendly. Aye aye! Blimey! Instead o' usin' white glue t' apply t' fins, matey, I used CA. Avast! Then, t' instructions have you move onto t' nose cone, ya bilge rat, but I went ahead and filleted t' fins first so I have somethin' t' do while they dry. But before t' fillets, matey, I decided t' toughen up t' fins by soakin' them with CA. I usually use wood glue for all me fillets, shiver me timbers, includin' mid power builds, shiver me timbers, but I went with t' instructions and used white glue, me hearties, matey, probably for clear fillets as this rocket doesn't need any finishin' besides decals. Well, blow me down! While t' fillets are wet, me hearties, press t' launch lug into one o' t' fillets and let it dry. Now for t' nose cone: somethin' I really didn't like about it was that it is absurdly thin. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It can be easily crushed or torn with little force. Test fit and glue t' nose cone shoulder into t' nose cone, with about half o' it inside t' nose cone, makin' sure t' hole on one end o' t' shoulder (used for shock cord attachment) is on t' outside. Blimey! Blimey! I could only get t' shoulder about 1/4 t' 1/3 o' t' way in t' nose cone without deformin' it. Begad! Blimey! Thread t' shock cord through t' Nomex cloth, arrr, streamer, matey, arrr, and then t' hole in t' nose cone shoulder, arrr, in that order. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! Tie t' shock cord onto t' hole for a secure fit. Arrr! Blimey! With this set up, t' nose cone had a very tight fit, so I pressed t' area o' t' shoulder where t' shock cord was attached in, me hearties, formin' a shape that resembles Pac Man.

Pratt Hobbies D-Region TomahawkPratt Hobbies D-Region Tomahawk
Pratt Hobbies D-Region TomahawkPratt Hobbies D-Region Tomahawk

PROs: T' kit is easy t' build with minimal supplies and most o' t' components or o' high quality.

CONs: T' nose cone can be o' higher quality.

Finishing:
T' fins can be colored in with a marker, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, one fin colored red and t' others black, but I decided against it. Begad! Ya scallywag! I thought t' rocket looked fine t' way it was, ya bilge rat, and I be probably goin' t' lose it any way. Besides colorin' t' fins, ya bilge rat, t' decals supplied were t' only other form o' finishing, but they were applied in t' beginnin' o' t' build, ya bilge rat, unlike most rockets.

PROs: Very simple, arrr, fast, arrr, me bucko, and easy t' finish.

CONs: May be a bit too simplistic, arrr, shiver me timbers, although for t' more experience people, more time can be put into finished for a better and higher quality finish.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Preperation for flight is very simple. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Lay t' heat protector over t' body tube and push it into t' tube. Fold up t' streamer and push that into t' tube as well, matey, along with t' shock cord. Put t' nose cone on and install t' motor, and it's ready t' fly. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I liked t' fact that t' kit came with t' Nomex®, even though it's such a small kit. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' first flight used an A3-4T, usin' a Quest motor case with t' nozzle drilled out and t' crud cleaned out as an adapter. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It went very high, arrr, considerin' t' motor, shiver me timbers, in a short amount o' time. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It reached apogee at about 450 feet and t' streamer popped out. Blimey! Blimey! It came down about 250 feet from t' pad. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' second flight was with a B6-4, and I made it a tighter fit than t' previous flight. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I also replaced t' supplied streamer with a fluorescent orange streamer about one inch wide by about five feet long, arrr, since it was hard t' spot at just 450 feet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It went higher and faster than t' previous flight t' about 800 feet. When t' streamer deployed, me bucko, it be very easy t' see and I was glad that I replaced t' streamer. Avast! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It came down about 200 feet from t' pad.

PROs: Flight prep is very fast and it is a blast t' fly, shiver me timbers, despite its small size.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
On t' first flight, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' rocket came down relatively fast and landed on t' air strip (as I be launchin' from an abandoned air base). Avast! Aye aye! One fin was slightly damaged, but it wasn't bad enough that I had t' repair it. A little sandin' t' get it smooth did t' trick when I got back home. Well, blow me down! T' motor and t' adapter also kicked upon ejection. Begad! On t' second flight with t' longer streamer, me bucko, matey, it came down slightly slower than t' previous flight, me hearties, me bucko, and I be satisfied. T' motor also did nay kick as I had made it fit tighter than before. Blimey! Its third flight was in me backyard. Aye aye! I used an A10 and taped 0.5 oz o' fishin' weights t' t' shock cord t' weight down t' rocket for a lower flight. Begad! T' streamer melted together at t' end, but t' Nomex probably didn't work because I didn't repack t' laundry before launch--it was packed up in t' rocket for about a month. Arrr! Avast! T' only bad part is that it's a bit difficult t' fold up t' five foot long streamer in t' wind.

PROs: T' Keelhaul®©™ shock cord and Nomex heat protector, ya bilge rat, both supplied in t' kit, arrr, worked perfectly and help t' lower t' require maintenance, which isn't really necessary in t' first place.

CONs: None. Avast! Any faults durin' recovery can be traced back t' t' flier and can be fixed durin' t' next flight (the motor can be made t' fit tighter, for example).

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This one will see a lot o' flights in t' future. Aye aye! I don't really enjoy t' zip-gone type o' flights, me bucko, but this rocket is really fun t' fly. Blimey! Ya scallywag! It's very easy and quick t' build, as well as prep for flight.

PROs: A very easy kit for beginners and is fun for all hobbyists.

CONs: None.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flights

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