Brief:
T' FlisKits UFFO (Unidentified Flyin' Foam Object) is a flyin' saucer oddroc that is built up with foam coffee cups and foamboard fins. Well, blow me down! It flies on 18mm B and C booster motors and uses tumble/featherweight recovery.

Construction:
T' kit came packaged in a plastic bag and included t' followin' parts:

• 14 4oz foam coffee cups
• 1 core tube
• 2 motor blocks
• 2 3/16" launch lugs
• 1 piece foamboard for fins
• 1 piece cardboard for wedges
• 1 pattern sheet
• 1 cup alignment guide
• 1 instruction sheet

T' instructions for this kit are among t' best I've ever received in a kit. Aye aye! They consist o' 18 construction steps and lots o' illustrations that take the guesswork out o' assemblin' this very unusual model. Begad! There are no templates included in t' instructions as they are included on their own seperate sheets.

This kit as rated as a skill level 2 kit but I feel that anyone that has built any skill level 1 or 2 kit can handle this with no problems. I would consider t' skill level a high 1 t' a low 2.

This kit does require t' use o' a hot glue cannon for construction. Avast, me proud beauty! FlisKits reccommends t' use o' high temp glue sticks. Avast, me proud beauty! Trust me, ya bilge rat, this stuff gets HOT, about 200+ degrees Farenheight. Use extreme caution.

T' construction begins with assemblin' t' core tube. Ahoy! First, me bucko, it is reccommended that you cut t' core tube down t' an even 7 inches. When that is done, me hearties, me bucko, you take an expended 18mm motor casing, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, mark it at 1/4 inch from t' end, smear some white glue in t' tube and take t' marked casin' and push t' first motor block into place. You then apply another thin film o' glue at t' other end o' t' tube and insert t' second block flush with t' end o' t' tube.

I then marked a line down t' tube and then glued t' launch lugs into place, each one is placed even with t' ends o' t' tube. Avast! Blimey! I then applied glue fillets t' t' lugs for additional strength. Avast! Blimey! That completes t' assembly o' the core tube.

You now cut out t' core tube hole pattern from t' pattern sheet and cut out t' center. Ahoy! Blimey! You then take two o' t' cups and trace t' out t' pattern and carefully cut out t' holes for t' tube and launch lugs. Begad! Blimey! Be very careful, a sharp knife cuts through this foam very easily.

From this point on a hot glue cannon is required. I then applied a thin film of hot glue t' one o' t' cups with t' holes in it and glued this assembly together. Aye aye! T' core tube assembly is then slid into place until 3/4 o' t' top of t' tube extends out from one o' t' ends. Avast! A rather thick fillet o' hot glue is then applied at each end t' secure t' assembly.

Now it is time t' assemble t' outer rin' o' cups. Begad! You take t' cup alignment guide and lay it on a flat surface. You then take two cups, apply a drop o' hot glue t' one o' them and glue together. Ya scallywag! You then repeat this until you have half a ring. Begad! Aye aye! After t' first assembly is dry, me bucko, carefully remove it from the cup alignment guide, flip it around and continue repeat t' previous steps until you have a complete rin' assembly.

I then cut out t' fin markin' guide, shiver me timbers, marked t' fin lines and cut out the fin slots. Begad! You then cut out t' fin pattern, trace it onto t' foamboard fin stock and carefully cut out t' fins. Begad! It is reccommended that t' fins are test fitted prior t' assembly. I then glued t' fins into place and then applied generous hot glue fillets for extra strength.

This completes t' fin can assembly. Arrr! At this point, it is time t' carefully mount t' fin can into t' cup rin' assembly. Ya scallywag! For proper assembly, t' tips of the fins must touch each fourth cup. Begad! I then applied fillets t' each cup/fin joint.

I then cut out t' wedge template, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, traced it onto t' cardboard and cut out all t' wedges. Begad! Ahoy! There are 12 o' them so be prepared t' spend a bit o' time on this step. Arrr! Begad! These are required t' strengthen t' cup rin' assembly so it will withstand t' rigors o' flight. Avast! Begad! You then install one in betwixt each cup until all 12 are installed. At this point, you apply fillets t' each /wedge/cup joint for additional strength.

PROs: Easy, me bucko, ya bilge rat, quick, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and rather fun t' build.

CONs: None.

Finishing:
This kit does nay require any finishin' but you could always use magic markers and/or stickers t' give it a personal touch. Blimey! Paintin' is nay reccommended as most paint solvents will dissolve t' foam. Ahoy! Blimey! T' colored side o' t' wedges also add some color t' t' kit. Blimey! Mine were dark green but I have seen light blue also.

PROs: No finishin' required.

CONs: Rather plain lookin' but I don't necessarily consider that a con.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' reccommended motors for t' UFFO are t' B6-0 and C6-0. Well, blow me down! Usin' a motor with an ejection charge is nay reccommended.

T' prep this kit for flight, all you need t' do is apply a layer o' masking tape t' t' nozzle end o' t' motor and friction fit it into place.

I have flown me UFFO 4 times now. Arrr! Begad! I used t' C6-0 on all flights. Ya scallywag! Begad! On this motor, me bucko, t' model lifts off slowly, matey, goes straight at first and tends t' arc a bit but I find this rather interesting. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Even with t' C6-0, ya bilge rat, maximum altitude is about 50-60 feet. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! For this reason, I would nay reccommend t' B6-0.

If you want this model t' last, I definately would nay reccommend t' use of any 18mm composite motors.

PROs: Very interestin' and low altitude flights.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
This model uses featherweight recovery. At motor burnout, t' model just falls to t' ground for an easy, quick, no nonsense recovery. Begad!

PROs: Recovers easily.

CONS: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I really liked buildin' and flyin' this kit. However, ya bilge rat, if you are an altitude junkie that's lookin' for a model that flies hundreds or thousands o' feet up in t' air, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, this kit is nay for you. Ya scallywag! On t' other hand, if you are lookin' for a low flyin' kit with interestin' looks and flight characteristics, look no more. Arrr! Avast! Check out t' FlisKits UFFO.

If you were lucky enough t' place an order for $15 or more with FlisKits before 10/1/05, ya bilge rat, it be included free durin' their 3rd anniversary. Avast! Now it can be purchased for $9.95. Begad! One thin' you might consider is savin' t' instructions and templates so you could rebuild t' model from scratch if you needed to. I liked this kit so much that I will eventually build t' Espresso and Decaffienator kits too.

Main PROs: Easy and quick assembly, great flights and recoveries.

Main CONs: None that I can think of. Blimey!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5