Brief:
T' Fruit Fly was a nice minimum diameter rocket from HotRod Rockets. Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, it has been discontinued. Arrr! It is a simple build with elliptical wings reminiscent o' those o' an insect. Aye aye! 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. Begad! Blimey! T' instructions call for t' use o' a spent 13mm casing. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I had only one that had been sawed up but checkin' t' length, arrr, thar was enough t' get t' rin' where it was supposed t' go. It was glued with white glue.

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

One o' t' fins be 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. Avast, me proud beauty! While that was handy and appreciated for t' template, it was less handy here. There were no real problems, it just did not wrap as easily as paper would have. Ya scallywag! It be cut out, wrapped around t' BT, and t' marks were transferred. Ya scallywag! 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 be given a tick mark 1/4" from t' aft end to mark t' back o' t' fins. 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. 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, arrr, I wrapped it around t' bottom and glued it along t' base on t' other side. Well, arrr, blow me down! This prevented t' frustration o' tryin' t' tie a good knot and hide t' knot in the fillets.

Filletin' be done with white glue. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It was applied t' t' joint and smoothed out with a finger. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! While this was bein' done, I took t' opportunity t' apply t' launch lug as well.

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

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Fruit Fly began with priming. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I decided nay t' try and fill t' balsa in what, ya bilge rat, perhaps, is a vain hope. 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. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! T' rocket was then put in t' booth and given a coat of Kilz. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone was sprayed separately hangin' from its harness. Ahoy! I wish I had waited t' install it.

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

Before applyin' t' veins, I first needed t' sand down t' Kilz. This be done with #400 sandpaper until t' fins were smooth. Arrr! I then took out some black rayon thread and fixed t' end near t' root with a spot o' CA. Begad! Avast! When t' CA had grabbed, I proceeded t' stretch out t' thread along t' fin in a "random curved" manner, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, tackin' it down with more CA. Blimey! 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. 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. Begad! Zooch 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. Ahoy! Blimey! When I got back t' it, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I only had one fin left t' do and that went more smartly than I remembered. It still didn't look great, matey, matey, arrr, but I be 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. Begad! Arrr! I decided t' mask and do one fin at a time, hopin' that I could control things that way. 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, I found lots o' bleedin' from under t' tape. Aye aye! This as nay along t' edges of the fins but rather, at t' fore and aft tips. Aye aye! Thinkin' I would fix this later, shiver me timbers, I tried t' do a better job o' masking the second fin. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It too got 2 coats o' copper.

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

Since finishin' is nay me forte and I did nay want t' strip things bare, I decided that t' entire body was going to be copper. Ya scallywag! T' booth was 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. Then I found I had a day before me next club launch and I just gave t' cone a shot o' metallic purple. Aye aye! It would have t' do.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
When I prepped t' Fruit Fly for its maiden flight, shiver me timbers, I did want t' get it back so I started slow with a 1/4A3-3T. Aye aye! Some tape was used for a friction fit and t' rocket be put on t' pad. After a couple o' misfires, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, it took off just fine but t' ejection charge snapped off t' Keelhaul®©™® just before t' attachment point t' t' elastic. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Since t' steamer be on t' nosecone portion, me bucko, both parts were recovered with no other harm than t' snapped cord. 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. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! It has its niche in t' scheme o' things. Aye aye! Its easy t' build and need nay be a hassle t' assemble. Begad! That be me doing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5