Brief:
T' Stingray from Fliskits is yet another innovative design from one o' the leaders in model rocketry today (my opinion). Begad! Avast! Blimey! It is a challengin' level 3 build but is well worth t' effort.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• Body tube, matey, 9" - BT-50-09
• Body tube, 2.75" - BT-20-0275
• Nose cone, Balsa - NCB-50AD
• Engine block, 18mm - EB-20-0025
• Centerin' ring, 2ea - CRP-20-50
• Engine hook - EH-0275
• Fin stock, matey, 1/8" - FSB-4-3-9
• Fin stock, 1/16" - FSB-2-3-6
• Launch lug, 1/8 X 2" - LL-1-2
• Parachute, 16" - PCP-16
• Shroud line, 96" - SLCA-96
• Tape disk, 6 pack - TD-1-6
• Shock cord, 18" - SC-1-18
• Keelhaul®©™® shock line - SLK-90-24
• Screw eye, medium - SE-M
• Toothpick, square - STP-0225-S
• Fin pattern sheet - FPS-FR005
• Shroud pattern sheet - SHR-FR005
• Instructions - INS-FR005
• NSL 2004 wrap kit - free for first 100 purchased
• Maelstrom wrap kit - FR005A (purchased separately)

Fliskits was one company asked t' create a commemorative kit t' help celebrate NSL 2004, and what a kit it is! Blimey! I purchased me Stingray direct from Fliskits, it was numbered #27. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Free NSL 2004 wrap kits are included for the first 100 sold. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I also purchased a Maelstrom wrap kit because it just looked too cool t' pass up. Begad! My kits arrived in perfect condition and contained the usual FlisKits high quality parts. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' instructions are superb.

You start assembly with t' 18mm motor mount, ya bilge rat, no surprises there. Begad! Begad! The instructions say t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord around t' motor mount which I feel is a much better method then the standard Estes tri-fold mount. Once t' motor mount is installed in t' BT, me hearties, me hearties, the instructions tell you t' stop and go t' t' wrap section. T' NSL wrap set does include a BT wrap sheet, arrr, however, t' Maelstrom kit does not. T' BT will be painted black later on. Next, you cut out t' four fins from t' balsa fin stock. Ahoy! Two o' t' fins are your standard trapezoid shape used as wings. Begad! Begad! T' two fin tips are curved so you must take your time in cuttin' these out. Begad! I cut mine a little oversized and used sandpaper t' perfect t' shape. Then you cut out the bulkheads from t' 1/16" balsa stock. These were also a challenge to cut because nay only be t' balsa thin (although good quality), but they must fit around t' engine mount which protrudes from t' BT. Avast, me proud beauty! You must cut semi-circles in each bulkhead half plus cut a notch for t' engine hook. Blimey! Aye aye! After you cut out t' two halves, me bucko, me hearties, you must then cut t' bulkheads in half so you end up with 4 pieces. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I test fit me bulkheads on t' engine mount before cutting them in half. Begad! I used a Dremel fitted with a drum sander t' form a good fit around t' engine tube.

T' win' assembly comes next. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You take one o' t' wings and attach t' two quarters o' t' bulkheads t' either side o' t' root edge o' t' win' so the win' is at 90 degrees t' t' two bulkhead pieces. Arrr! You do t' same for t' other wing. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Once win' assembly is completed, you are again referred t' t' wrap section. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! I ran into some minor problems with me Maelstrom wrap.

T' fin wraps are printed on crack and peel decal paper that must be cut out before applying. Aye aye! Unfortunately, t' crack and peel does nay always work and in me case, shiver me timbers, bendin' t' paper t' crack t' backin' left noticeable white lines on t' black win' and fin tip wraps. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Also, t' ink seemed all t' willin' to peel and be easily scratched off, even by t' metal ruler I used t' cut out the wraps. Ya scallywag! What I would recommend is t' coat t' wrap paper with a couple coats of Krylon Clear Coat (it was too late for this build). Begad! I tested this on leftover scraps o' t' decal paper and it both worked and looked great! Once I had wrapped t' wings and t' fin tips, I used a black Sharpie marker t' color in t' exposed balsa on all exposed edges. I then coated all edges with white glue t' seal both t' marker ink and t' edges o' t' wraps. Ya scallywag! One thin' that seemed t' be missin' from t' instructions was any mention o' t' wraps for the bulkheads. I cut me bulkhead wraps into four pieces and placed them on the individual bulkhead pieces before mountin' t' wings t' t' body tube.

T' next step is t' mount t' wings t' t' BT. If you cut everything correctly, matey, t' root edge o' t' win' will lie flush with t' BT and the bulkheads will line up over t' engine tube. I needed t' sand a bit off the right win' t' get t' root edge t' lie flat. Blimey! T' bulkheads were almost perfectly lined up with about a 1/16" gap betwixt t' two halves which form a V shape over t' engine tube.

T' body shroud is then put on. T' kits comes with a blank, arrr, two piece paper shroud t' you can color t' your imaginations desire. Both t' NSL and Maelstrom wraps kits included 1 piece shrouds printed on heavy, matey, glossy paper. There are some small cuts t' make, and t' paper is thick. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used several passes with a sharp X-Acto knife usin' a ruler as a guide. Once t' shroud is cut out, you lightly score t' folds with your knife, shiver me timbers, put glue on t' glue tabs, ya bilge rat, and brin' it all together. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' creases on t' shroud were white, so I used a ultra fine point Sharpie t' color these in which worked very well and made t' creases practically invisible. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Once t' glue has dried on t' shroud, you place it over t' BT and win' assembly. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! Usin' a sharp pencil, shiver me timbers, arrr, I traced the outline o' t' shroud onto t' body tube and wings. Then, you remove the shroud, shiver me timbers, and use t' lines as a reference point for t' glue. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! I decided t' paint the body tube at this point. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! (See me finishin' notes below.)

After t' paint had dried, me bucko, I put glue inside t' lines I drew earlier. After you lay down t' glue, shiver me timbers, you put t' shroud back onto t' kit and let it dry. Begad! Aye aye! T' shroud surroundin' t' bulkheads tended t' want t' separate a bit, so I placed a light weight on top t' model t' keep t' shroud pressed against the bulkhead while drying. Avast! I added white glue fillets t' all t' joints for added strength and t' improve t' appearance. I also touched up any exposed balsa with a Black Sharpie. Ahoy! My shroud had a 1/8" overhang in t' rear, but the instructions show this area t' be flush. Ahoy! I decided nay t' trim t' shroud because I thought t' overhang looked pretty cool, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, kind o' a 3D effect. I then glued on t' fin tips and added fillets t' t' joints for strength.

All that remained be t' build, mount, matey, and paint were t' two gun assemblies and launch lug with standoff. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I hand painted me cannon and lug assemblies before attachin' them t' t' body tube.

Finishing:
I masked off t' wings t' protect t' wraps and also put Testors thin masking tape on t' three areas where t' guns would mount and where t' launch lug attaches. I cut t' maskin' tape t' size t' exactly match t' size o' t' gun and lug mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! I also carefully masked off t' areas inside t' lines I traced around t' shroud so that t' shroud would be able t' adhere t' t' unfinished body tube and nay t' t' paint. Avast, me proud beauty! T' balsa nose cone be given two coats of sandin' sealer with a light sandin' in betwixt coats. Aye aye! Two coats o' Krylon grey primer on both t' nose cone and body tube and then two coats K brand (German) black metal flake auto touch up paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Although t' auto paint is more expensive, me bucko, it goes on thick, it is fast dryin' and gives a rock hard finish that can take a lot o' abuse. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Once I had fully assembled t' rocket, I gave the whole assembly 2 coats o' K Brand Clear Coat.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launch day be almost perfect, matey, with a 5-10 mph wind. Begad! I added three sheets of waddin' t' t' BT and inserted t' parachute. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I always get nervous launching rockets that I spend a lot o' time building, matey, so first flight was with a "safe" A8-3. T' Stingray really took off fast, weather cocked a bit into t' wind and flew t' about 250 feet. Blimey! Aye aye! Ejection occurred just after apogee and she smartly floated down for a safe landing. Well, arrr, blow me down! Looks great goin' up and comin' down. Second flight was with t' next recommended motor, B4-2. Arrr! She weathercocked a bit more this time, me hearties, and had another perfect recovery. Begad! Aye aye! Last flight was with a B6-4. I would estimate about 420 feet on this flight, and a experienced a lot more weather cocking. Ya scallywag! Begad! I must have over packed t' wadding because t' parachute did nay fully deploy. Avast, me proud beauty! Fortunately, I launch in tall grass and it had a fairly soft landing. Arrr! I did lose one o' t' cannon mounts--easily replaced since FlisKits always includes plenty o' extra balsa in their kits.

Recovery:
PROs:

• Plenty o' shock cord, arrr, t' Keelhaul®©™® can take some punishment and it helps t' protect t' elastic.
• Good descent rate, matey, even under slightly windy conditions
• Rocket survived a 400+ foot free fall with negligible damage

CONs:

• None

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
What can I say? I am hooked on FlisKits! This is yet another example o' a superbly designed kit with plenty o' attention t' detail. Ahoy! Begad! I would love t' see the crack and peel wrap sheets go away and I would suggest usin' a stronger ink on t' Maelstrom wrap kit so it does nay scratch quite so easily.

PROs:

• Quality parts
• Great instructions
• Many finishin' options

CONs:

• Crack and peel wrap sheets for Maelstrom wrap kit

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5