CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, arrr, me bucko, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Begad! Ya scallywag! My first cluster be Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, matey, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Ya scallywag! It only takes about 5-6 days for me t' get me goodies! All goods are well packaged for transport; me Pheord package had a bashed corner, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, matey, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Eye catchin' design, me bucko, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Aye aye! Everythin' be present and correct, matey, and o' t' usual best quality associated with Fliskits products.

T' kit is essentially a 18mm body tube, shiver me timbers, surrounded by five fins, covered with a card shroud. Begad! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, ya bilge rat, it seems). Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, me bucko, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Ya scallywag! Avast! On me Deuce, shiver me timbers, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me. Blimey!

T' instructions are very concise, and very clear. At no point was I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, ya bilge rat, and thar are hints and tips for construction, throughout the documentation.

Construction starts with t' fins. T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Begad! Blimey! First t' left side ones. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These are stuck onto t' balsa, the fins are cut, matey, and then t' right side decals are attached. Blimey! Blimey! T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, you have t' crease t' decal, me hearties, which spoils it. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! I got round this by usin' t' blade of me hobby knife t' 'pick' at t' edges o' t' stickers, matey, until I had enough backin' paper free t' get a grip .... Begad! Blimey! a rather tedious task, I found.

Next, matey, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! This be about 1mm short, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This was later covered by a fin, matey, so is mostly unnoticeable. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, shiver me timbers, and received an almost immediate reply from Jim who says he’s lookin' into it immediately - theres a good example o' t' high level o' customer service t' be expected from Fliskits.

Attachin' t' fins is next. T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, ya bilge rat, t' take t' central bodytube. Avast! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Ahoy! Ownin' a Deuce, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. After t' fins have been left t' dry, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Avast, me proud beauty!

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, which came with a hobby knife. Ahoy! Avast! This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. Arrr! I'd consider a piece of kit, me bucko, shiver me timbers, like this, matey, t' be essential in buildin' a model with this much cutting involved; and is a very handy item t' have for general template cuttin' etc. Begad! Aye aye!

Now onto t' 'antenna'. Arrr! These are made o' five 150x1mm lengths o' steel wire, which require bendin' into shape, with a pair o' long nosed pliers. Begad! The steel used is VERY strong (again, shiver me timbers, arrr, reflectin' t' high standards o' Fliskits component quality), and was a bit o' a devil t' bend. Aye aye! This said, I managed to bend one joint t' wrong way, and in tryin' t' correct this snapped t' wire (DOH!). I calculated that this 'antenna', could be bodged onto t' model, and carried on with a broken 'antenna'. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' 'antenna' are then attached along the sides o' t' fins, ya bilge rat, and a launch lug attached. Begad! Begad! T' snapped 'antenna' came in handy here, arrr, as it meant thar was a side o' a fin with no wire, ya bilge rat, makin' gluing on o' t' launch lug easy. Blimey! Ahoy!

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, in order t' seal them. Ahoy! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", t' bird is ready t' go, matey, and looks great! There is a lot of detail, and humour, me hearties, in t' artwork; and is a good colour t' show up in the sky. Ya scallywag!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Arrr! Arrr! Ratin' should be 4.75 but 1/2 be t' smallest I can deduct

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:
T' Pheord is designed t' fly on B6-0 and C6-0 engines. Begad! Ahoy! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Avast! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, shiver me timbers, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Ahoy! After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord was launched. Ya scallywag! It went straight up, ya bilge rat, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, t' smoke lingered for a while). Ya scallywag! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

Descent was stable, shiver me timbers, straight, me hearties, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', shiver me timbers, me hearties, bouncin' once. A very quick, arrr, and fun, shiver me timbers, flight. I then launched it on a C6-0. Ahoy! This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. Ahoy! Blimey! This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Aye aye! You get a much higher flight, ya bilge rat, much better smoke trails, shiver me timbers, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. Avast! Begad! T' Pheord still landed only a few meters from t' pad, so there’s no danger o' loosin' it - even on the smallest field. Aye aye! I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), matey, shiver me timbers, whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, another superb flight and recovery. I've included some photos o' this flight.

Flight/Revovery Rating: 5 out o' 5 - add a bonus point when flyin' on a C

OVERALL:
This is, arrr, typically for Fliskits, me hearties, a VERY good kit overall. Arrr! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, this kit is exceptional value for money. Begad! Blimey! Estes kits cost more than that, over here, arrr, before you add delivery costs! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, me hearties, me hearties, or noticeable wear, after three flights. Ya scallywag! Begad! I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, matey, like me, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. Blimey! I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. Blimey! T' face card also contained launchin' requirements for another Fliskits product (the HUGE Richter Recker). Ya scallywag! I pointed this rather embarrassin' (and amusing) typo out t' Jim on t' Rocketry Forum, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. Begad! Avast! T' emphasis, with this bird, is on fun, fun, shiver me timbers, me bucko, fun; and it provides! Its challenging, me bucko, but uncomplicated, me hearties, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Arrr! Begad! Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Begad!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5 If you dont have one - get one! If enough people get one, Jim will be able t' reprint t' face card, arrr, me hearties, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!