Brief:
T' Fruit Fly was a nice minimum diameter rocket from HotRod Rockets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is a simple build with elliptical wings reminiscent o' those o' an insect. Ahoy! Blimey! It has a resin nose cone and streamer recovery which should make it easier t' recover this light rocket.

Construction:
T' first step in construction is t' insert t' thrust ring. Well, blow me down! T' instructions call for t' use o' a spent 13mm casing. Blimey! I had only one that had been sawed up but checkin' t' length, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, thar was enough t' get t' rin' where it was supposed t' go. Begad! It was glued with white glue.

Next came t' cuttin' o' t' fins. Ahoy! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! A template is provided on a piece o' stiff cardstock which is a pleasant change from light bond paper. Avast! T' template was cut out and t' outlines o' 4 fins were traced onto t' balsa sheet. Avast! The cardstock meant that t' template kept its shape as well for t' 4th fin as it did for t' 1st. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' fins were then cut out with a razor cutlass.

One o' t' fins was selected t' serve as t' anchor for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. A small notch be cut out o' t' top and bottom o' this fin.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide. It too was printed on cardstock like t' fin template. While that be handy and appreciated for t' template, matey, it be less handy here. Begad! There were no real problems, ya bilge rat, it just did not wrap as easily as paper would have. Blimey! It was cut out, wrapped around t' BT, shiver me timbers, and t' marks were transferred. T' wrap guide joint was used as a mark for t' launch lug.

After t' fin lines were extended with an angle iron, me bucko, each was given a tick mark 1/4" from t' aft end to mark t' back o' t' fins. Aye aye! T' fins were then applied usin' yellow glue and a double joint.

T' instructions say t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' base o' t' fin with t' notches in it. Ya scallywag! Instead o' doin' that, I glued t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® along side o' t' notched fin with t' long end hangin' down. When that dried, I wrapped it around t' bottom and glued it along t' base on t' other side. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This prevented t' frustration o' tryin' t' tie a good knot and hide t' knot in the fillets.

Filletin' was done with white glue. It be applied t' t' joint and smoothed out with a finger. Begad! While this was bein' done, ya bilge rat, I took t' opportunity t' apply t' launch lug as well.

T' sewin' elastic was tied into t' Keelhaul®©™® and t' knot was firmed up with a bit o' white glue. Ahoy! T' provided streamer looks t' be a Sky Gripper from Hartle Engineering. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I used one o' t' provided tape strips t' affix it t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. T' cast resin nose cone proved t' be quite loose. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I applied several wraps o' cellophane tape around t' base and then used a razor cutlass t' trim back t' excess. Well, blow me down! Arrr! It then fit t' BT well.

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Fruit Fly began with priming. Begad! Ahoy! I decided nay t' try and fill t' balsa in what, perhaps, ya bilge rat, is a vain hope. Blimey! I am hopin' that a little o' t' grain will show through on t' final paint job t' give the "impression" o' t' vasculature found in insect wings. It may or may nay work but I decided t' give it a try.

I used some cellophane tape t' cover up t' part o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord that would be exposed t' most o' t' paint stream. Well, blow me down! T' rocket be then put in t' booth and given a coat of Kilz. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nose cone was sprayed separately hangin' from its harness. Arrr! I wish I had waited t' install it.

While waitin' for t' primer t' dry, me bucko, I got a suggestion from CharlaineC on TRF about t' veins in t' insect wings. Arrr! She suggested that I glue pieces o' thread on t' fins t' simulate them. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It seemed like such a sensible idea that I decided t' give it a try.

Before applyin' t' veins, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I first needed t' sand down t' Kilz. This was done with #400 sandpaper until t' fins were smooth. Aye aye! I then took out some black rayon thread and fixed t' end near t' root with a spot o' CA. When t' CA had grabbed, I proceeded t' stretch out t' thread along t' fin in a "random curved" manner, me bucko, tackin' it down with more CA. Arrr! When I reached t' endpoint o' a fin, I used a razor t' slice off t' excess.

I tried t' give three veins per side o' a fin. Ahoy! Blimey! My first impression was that it looked pretty tacky right but then I remembered feelin' t' same way when usin' thread t' give some relief t' a nozzle on a Dr. Booty Discoverer Thor. After it be painted though, it looked great.

I got about 3/4 through this time consumin' operation before I had t' give up and do other stuff in order t' stay gainfully employed. Begad! Aye aye! When I got back t' it, me bucko, I only had one fin left t' do and that went more smartly than I remembered. It still didn't look great, but I was countin' on t' paint t' change things.

I couldn't think o' a good way t' mask this rocket so I decided t' take a slow approach that I thought would work. Ahoy! I decided t' mask and do one fin at a time, hopin' that I could control things that way. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Accordingly, t' first fin was masked and then t' fin go 2 coats o' a Rustoleum copper. Begad! T' paint came out significantly darker than t' can lid indicated but I like copper.

When t' first maskin' was removed, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I found lots o' bleedin' from under t' tape. Ahoy! This as nay along t' edges of the fins but rather, shiver me timbers, at t' fore and aft tips. Thinkin' I would fix this later, me hearties, I tried t' do a better job o' masking the second fin. Ya scallywag! It too got 2 coats o' copper.

After peelin' back t' maskin' on t' third fin, I realized that I be fightin' a losin' battle. There was way too much leakin' under t' maskin' and t' rocket looked bad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' paint had helped with t' veins in t' fins but the rest looked bad. Well, blow me down! It be time for a new strategy.

Since finishin' is nay me forte and I did nay want t' strip things bare, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I decided that t' entire body was going to be copper. Avast, me proud beauty! T' booth be busy so I stuck t' rocket on a rod and took it out in t' yard where t' entire thing except for t' nosecone be painted copper.

T' rocket sat painted in nothin' but copper for a few weeks because I was too busy t' get t' it. Blimey! Aye aye! Then I found I had a day before me next club launch and I just gave t' cone a shot o' metallic purple. Avast! It would have t' do.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
When I prepped t' Fruit Fly for its maiden flight, I did want t' get it back so I started slow with a 1/4A3-3T. Blimey! Avast! Some tape be used for a friction fit and t' rocket was put on t' pad. Well, blow me down! After a couple o' misfires, it took off just fine but t' ejection charge snapped off t' Keelhaul®©™® just before t' attachment point t' t' elastic. Begad! Since t' steamer was on t' nosecone portion, me hearties, both parts were recovered with no other harm than t' snapped cord. Ya scallywag! A video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket flies well and will probably scream when I get it fixed up again. Blimey! Blimey! I need t' try it on an A but I need to rethink t' shock mount.

I like t' rocket and will repair it. Avast! Blimey! It has its niche in t' scheme o' things. Its easy t' build and need nay be a hassle t' assemble. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! That was me doing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5