Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 4.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | LOC/Precision |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This rocket is a high power flight capable, bein' large it is supposed t' make
a low and slow flight. I am writin' this review because John Cocker's review
does nay seem detailed enough and his article is for Level 2 capable EZI-65 but
that would be overkill if one only wants t' use this rocket for his Level 1. Well, blow me down! Arrr!
Construction:
T' kit came in a plastic bag, arrr, one long tube with slots for airframe, and one
shorter tube as a payload section. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone is quite large. Avast! Avast! It came with
only 2 plywood centerin' rings, me bucko, and I recommend gettin' an additional centering
rin' o' t' same size. Arrr! T' motor mount tube is a little short, arrr, me bucko, it is better to
get somethin' a little longer, matey, but t' stock should be okay. T' fins are
regular plywood. Unlike t' LOC IV which has through-the-wall fins but nay to
the motor mount, me bucko, this kit's fins goes t' t' motor mount which is one o' the
reasons why I chose it over t' LOC IV. Begad! Aye aye! T' shock cord is standard nylon
elastic which be t' same kind as in your underpants, arrr, only that it should stay
where it belongs, me bucko, me bucko, in your underpants. Ya scallywag! Get at least 20 ft o' tubular nylon or
Keelhaul®©™®, if you use nylon somehow protect t' first 3 ft o' t' nylon from
ejection charge, me hearties, or else after a few flights t' nylon will burn and break. Ahoy! I
don't recommend usin' t' LOC shock cord mount either, instead get an eye bolt
and some washers. Begad! Blimey! Drill a hole in one o' t' centerin' rings and bolt t' eye
bolt and put washer betwixt t' eye and t' centerin' rin' and another between
the centerin' rin' and t' nut. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Make sure t' eye is parallel t' t' airframe
as you will nay have much space for t' eyebolt. Aye aye! Blimey! Attach a quick link t' the
eyebolt, and ALWAYS put some epoxy on t' thread o' t' eyebolt (but NOT the
quick link!) because you won't have access t' t' other side o' t' centering
rin' in case t' eyebolt/nuts loosens. Avast, me proud beauty! One thin' I like about quick links is
that it allows you t' basically disassemble t' rocket and remove all the
recovery harness t' make it easier t' paint.
If one has good experience with buildin' LPR kits, one should nay need the instructions. Blimey! I never read t' instructions while puttin' together t' kit, matey, me hearties, so I can't comment on that, ya bilge rat, but I do know t' instructions comes on t' back of the card o' t' packaging. T' rocket is very large when put together, arrr, matey, shiver me timbers, if one has nay built rockets weightin' over a pound, me hearties, this rocket will surprise you! I haven't built many rocket weightin' over a pound except t' NCR Lance Beta and this rocket makes t' Lance Beta look like a dwarf!
One thin' about t' fin attachments, matey, do use internal fillets after gluing the fins in place. Avast, me proud beauty! I recommend 3 CR's because one centerin' rin' would go on top o' t' MMT (that's t' one with t' eyebolt and quick links, me bucko, make sure the eye faces up!) and a second CR goes on top o' t' fin tab. Blimey! (Before doin' any of this please try t' peel off t' glassine layer o' t' MMT, it allows t' glue to soak in makin' a stronger bond.) After t' glue cures glue t' whole assembly (MMT) into t' tube, me hearties, arrr, makin' sure t' second CR lines up with t' top of t' slots. Then glue each fin and fillet t' inside. Arrr! After all t' joints inside has been filleted and t' glue has cured, go ahead and glue in t' last CR. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I know it's a bit o' an overkill t' do internal fillets, matey, but it's better safe than sorry (this rocket will be me L1 cert flight so I want t' make sure nothin' goes wrong...)
Finishing:
Always take t' nose cone, wash it with soap and water t' remove t' release
agents. Aye aye! Even after doin' this t' paint still doesn't like t' stick t' t' nose
cone... I used Polyfiber UV fill prime, me hearties, ya bilge rat, at 38 dollars a quart it is a bit too
expensive but it sands like a dream and it might be a good idea t' use anyway
since UV lights will damage epoxy and your rocket is held together with epoxy
so its better t' keep them out. Blimey! A few coats on t' rocket and wait a few hours
makin' sure t' primer dried, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, then sand, shiver me timbers, sand, me bucko, me bucko, sand! This stuff sands as good
as Elmer's wood filler. Begad! I then took t' rocket apart since this is such a large
rocket, I painted t' nose cone and t' payload and t' body section
separately. Aye aye! I painted t' nose cone gold and t' payload is painted red with
black roll patterns, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' body is white with a red fin can. Blimey! I used krylon
and after everythin' dried I went over with clear coat then Lacquer and it
makes a very shiny and glossy finish.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
My first flight on a G80 is very good, perfect boost and recovery despite the
strong wind. Well, blow me down! Avast! I be goin' t' certify on this rocket so I had t' make sure
everythin' works t' way it is supposed t' work. Ahoy! T' parachute came out at
apogee and it drifted quite a bit (because o' t' wind). I had t' walk a bit to
get t' rocket back, it landed without damage.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
I feel this rocket is good and it is easy t' put together. Blimey! Anyone who puts
together a LPR should be able t' put this kit together, however t' shock cord
isn't that good, matey, and they could use a longer motor mount.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
( Contributed - by John Coker) Note: For more EZI pictures, visit John's site. The Loc/Precision EZI-65 kit is the rocket which is supposed to get me my Tripoli level 2 certification. This is a high-performance rocket which is reasonably stable and should give outstanding flights on I and J motors. (Of course, as is typical for me, I've done things backwards and have already ...
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Y.L. (December 24, 2001)