Brief:
T' U.S. Ahoy! Rockets (USR) Weightlofter is a 7-motor mid power cluster rocket with six 24mm outboard tubes and one central 29mm motor tube. Begad! This also is a great kit for someone that is lookin' for a challenging, labor intensive mid power rocket build. A 24mm motor adapter is included so that it can be flown on a smaller central motor as well.

Construction:
I ordered this kit along with 2 others directly from USR. They were ordered and received without payment first. Arrr! When I received t' bill via email, me bucko, USR gave me a discount on me order that resulted in a total amount (includin' shipping) for less than t' cost o' t' 3 kits separately. Well, blow me down! Both t' ordering/payment arrangement and multi-kit discount are standard USR practices. Avast! Add in the impressively fast turnaround time on email communications (responses in less than one hour is in fact quite common!), me bucko, and you realize that you are dealing with a very customer driven business! T' kits all showed up on me door in 2 boxes just a few days after havin' me order confirmed.

T' Weightlofter kit comes inside o' a plastic bag with hang tag typical of most rocket kits you would find in a hobby store. Avast! Ahoy! Initially I thought that there had t' be more than just a couple o' tubes and a nose cone before opening the bag and I sure wasn't disappointed when I opened it--an amazin' assortment of parts came out o' t' large body tube! After verifyin' all parts were present and intact (which took a while), arrr, I read through t' instructions. The Weightlofter is rated a skill level 3 and I wanted t' scout out any potential "gotchas".

T' kit includes:

• 1 2:1 ogive balsa nose cone
• 1 18" x 2.25" body tube
• 
• 1 9" x 2.25" body tube
• 1 6" x 29mm MMT tube
• 6 3" x 24mm MMT tubes
• 1 coupler tube
• 2 1/8" thick plywood centerin' rings
• 1 2.17" plywood coupler bulkhead plate
• 1 1.21" x 3/32" plywood bulkhead plate
• 1 screw eye
• 1 3-fold paper shock cord mount
• 1 7' x 1/4" elastic shock cord
• 3 1/8" thick plywood fins
• 1 1/4" launch lug
• 1 16" mylar parasheet (parachute)
• 1 24mm motor adapter kit
• Decals
• Instruction manual
• Advanced Information Report (AIR) #3 -- Motor Installation, Clustering, shiver me timbers, and Staging

After lookin' over t' instructions, ya bilge rat, I saw that this was goin' t' be a much different build than I had anticipated at t' time o' orderin' t' kit. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! First off, thar be no tube slottin' or cuttin' t' be done. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' motor mount will take longer than a 3FNC t' build but mostly it's time spent waitin' for glue t' dry. Speakin' o' glue, me hearties, shiver me timbers, USR recommends that yellow wood glue (aliphatic resin) be used for assemblin' t' Weightlofter and I completely agree with that recommendation.

I started by lightly sandin' all motor mount tubes and t' short airframe tube (all USR tubes are glassine coated and practically seamless) so that t' wood glue would have somethin' t' bite into. I also smartly sanded t' slightly rough edges o' t' bulkheads and centerin' rings so that all parts would fit smoothly together.

T' short airframe tube is first marked with assistance from t' alignment guide in t' instructions t' aid in t' placement o' t' fins and outboard motor tubes. Blimey! Then I started t' assembly by gluin' and filletin' t' centering rings onto t' 29mm tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Both rings are near one end o' t' tube so that when inserted into t' small airframe tube with t' aft centerin' flush with end of the larger tube, shiver me timbers, about half o' t' motor tube is hangin' out. While t' central motor mount is drying, t' smaller 24mm motor tubes are gathered up and glued together in matchin' pairs. Avast, me proud beauty! After they have dried, each pair is attached t' the 29mm tube so that they are centered on each o' t' 3 lines o' t' main airframe tube. Well, blow me down! This leaves about half o' t' forward end o' these tubes exposed outside the diameter o' t' 2.25" main airframe tubing. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! At this point I allowed everythin' t' dry overnight before continuin' t' build.

I was really impressed with t' 1/8" plywood fins in this kit. Ahoy! Begad! They had t' telltale burned edges o' bein' laser cut, me bucko, were a precise matched set, and o' high quality material that assured me that they could hold up t' the thrust o' 7 motors while only bein' surface/wedge mounted. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions recommend airfoilin' or at least roundin' t' leadin' and trailin' edges. Begad! I chose t' only round t' leadin' edge. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Details, shiver me timbers, however, were light regarding attachment o' t' fins t' t' body. Begad! T' root edge required a fair amount of work as all 3 fins need t' use wedge attachment t' fit in t' valley between each pair o' 24mm tubes but remain flat t' attach along t' larger 2.25" airframe above it. Blimey! That meant sandin' a V shape into t' bottom 3" o' the root edge. Blimey! My Dremel with sandin' drum attachment made quick work o' this task. It only took a couple minutes or so per fin because I didn't need t' be as focused on looks as much as a good fit, which meant I left a slightly rugged edge for t' glue t' adhere to. Ahoy! It proved t' be quite beneficial t' do this! (Gotcha #1: I should note that one fin required some additional sandin' along the root edge because I had used a little too much glue t' attach t' 24mm tubes together earlier on.) Completin' this same task by hand for all 3 fins would have taken considerably longer and been significantly less enjoyable. The fins were attached one at a time with yellow wood glue, me bucko, aligned, me bucko, and held in place with maskin' tape until dry before attachin' t' next fin. Fillets were applied in t' same patient manner, which indeed took a while as thar are quite a few!

While I prefer rail buttons on me mid and high power rockets, t' Weightlofter would require some serious standoffs for t' rail buttons t' have enough clearance over t' outboard motor tubes. Arrr! That meant keepin' it simple by goin' with the included launch lug. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' 1/4" launch lug is cut in half at an angle (to help minimize drag). Blimey! One half is glued even with t' aft end and nested between a gap in t' outboard tubes and t' other half is mounted at t' forward end of the short main airframe tube. Ahoy! Ahoy! Fillets were applied t' them as well.

T' elastic shock cord is attached inside t' short main airframe tube with the tried-and-true paper 3-fold method. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' other end is tied t' t' screw eye and t' streamer is attached in t' middle (although I chose t' clip it on with a snap swivel from me range box).

T' payload bay and coupler were nothin' out o' t' ordinary. Begad! There are 2 bulkheads, matey, shiver me timbers, one that fits nicely inside t' coupler tube and a smaller one (~1.25" diameter). Blimey! These are glued together t' create a single bulkhead that is thicker in t' middle than t' edges, allowin' for a minimal but worthy weight savings. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' screw eye is twisted into t' bulkhead and t' subassembly is glued and filleted into t' coupler tube. Arrr! Once dry, me bucko, t' coupler tube is glued halfway into one end o' t' 18" payload tube. Avast, me proud beauty! USR recommends t' add noseweight for G and larger motors t' ensure stability and provide additional momentum durin' high thrust flights. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! For this purpose, shiver me timbers, I chose t' friction fit the nose cone. Begad! When t' time comes, weight will probably be a simple, ya bilge rat, flexible system that will allow flat washers t' be screwed into t' base o' t' nose cone. Blimey! And although nay mentioned in t' instructions, 1/16" vent hole were drilled into t' payload and main tube t' prevent any premature separations durin' flight.

The last step in t' build is t' assemble t' 24mm motor adapter, which consists of 2 tubes that are glued inside each other. Avast, me proud beauty! Maskin' tape is needed t' provide a snug fit and form a thrust rin' before usin' it.

Overall, this turned out t' be an easier yet more labor intensive build than what I had originally thought it was goin' t' be when I looked through the instructions. Avast! Because o' t' complicated motor mount assembly and fin attachment, me hearties, t' Weightlofter is worthy o' t' manufacturer's ratin' as a skill level 3 kit in me book. Aye aye! Gotcha #2: T' USR Weightlofter is designed for clustered mid power flights, nay necessarily large single motor flights. Arrr! With the rocket fully assembled per t' instructions, thar be only 4.5" available inside t' airframe from t' forward end o' t' motor mount tube to the bottom o' t' payload tube coupler for wadding, shock cord, and chute. That's enough room for those parts but it's still a relatively small volume of space. Begad! I recognized this situation was goin' t' occur back when I read through the instructions (before even beginnin' t' build and again when doin' a dry fit o' t' parts), arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, but I be content with buildin' this kit stock. Begad! A simple resolution for anyone desirin' more room could easily build this kit with 2.25" tubin' flip-flopped--the 18" tube attached t' t' motor mount and t' have a shorter 9" payload section.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone was prepped for paint by glazin' it with 20-minute finishin' epoxy, me bucko, matey, sandin' t' rough spots with 220 grit sandpaper, applyin' a thin coat o' diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and followin' that with more sandin' t' give it a hard, smooth shell. Well, blow me down! T' fins had a coat o' diluted Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish smeared on and sanded as well t' remove any traces o' wood grain. Well, blow me down! In an effort t' minimize a buildup o' paint inside t' outboard motor tubes (and therefore make it difficult t' insert/remove motors in t' future), I balled up some newspaper and stuffed it inside all 6 outboard motor tubes. Avast! My paint stand has a used 29mm SU motor t' support t' rocket in t' central MMT, so no worries about gettin' any paint overspray there. T' entire rocket was then given a coat o' Krylon gray primer and sanded with 320 grit. I found some low spots that needed a little extra FnF and sanded everythin' smooth followed by a coat o' Krylon white primer. Begad! Arrr! A third gotcha presented itself during primin' (and paintin' later on) because o' t' gap betwixt t' 24mm tubes. Care needs t' be taken t' get paint in thar but nay so much at one time t' cause a run. Blimey! Arrr! One more pass with 400 grit sandpaper t' make sure everythin' was smooth and it was ready for final paint.

T' suggested paint scheme is florescent colors in a pattern t' detect body roll durin' flight, otherwise it is left up t' t' builder t' come up with anythin' more decorative than that. Avast! I like how t' Weightlofter is similar in size and stature t' me USR Banshee so I thought I would use a similar paint scheme on t' Weightlofter. Arrr! Blimey! I would have used t' same colors but I did not have enough orange. I did have plenty o' yellow and blue though. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' yellow was sprayed first and allowed t' dry before maskin' t' stripes with clear tape and layin' down t' blue. Avast! After waitin' a good 24 hours, t' rocket was rubbed down with 3M Rubbin' Compound and an old T-shirt t' give it a nice shine and help smooth out any minor flaws or ridges in t' paint.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' Weightlofter can be flown on 1, 3, 4, 5, or 7 motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Any empty outboard motor tubes act as stabilizers when empty. Regardless o' t' number used, matey, ya bilge rat, there must be one in t' central mount for t' recovery device t' be ejected. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! All outboard motors should be plugged or zero-second delay booster motors if BP or have t' ejection charge removed if AP t' prevent any unwanted damage from ejection charges. As noted in t' instructions, matey, matey, nose weight is needed for most clustered flights. Arrr! No suggestions are give on how t' add noseweight but fender washers screwed into t' base o' t' nose cone have been an effective, adjustable, matey, me hearties, and easy solution with me USR Banshee and Miniroc 1.2 kits and shouldn't be any different here since t' nose cone is friction fitted into the payload tube. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! For anyone new t' clusterin' and/or composite motors, the included AIR #3 document is a basic primer that explains t' concepts of friction fittin' motors, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and how t' properly wire and ignite clustered flights (also referred t' as parallel staging), matey, shiver me timbers, both o' which apply t' t' Weightlofter design. Begad! Information is also included on how t' ignite multi-stage composite motor rockets.

T' first flight be on just a single motor, arrr, a F52-8T. Begad! T' rocket was only covered in primer for this flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I don't normally like t' fly unfinished rockets but I be anxious t' see how this rocket would perform. Ignition was instantaneous and on t' first time thanks t' t' Quickburst Twiggy ignitor used in place o' t' Copperhead that came with t' reload. Ahoy! With t' calm skies, boost be as vertical as I've seen a rocket go. Ahoy! Accordin' t' simulations, me bucko, I was expectin' about 1500' with t' F52. Begad! I'd say that I got every bit o' that if not a hair more. Avast, me proud beauty! Impressive!

The second flight came a couple months later. Ya scallywag! Begad! I was extremely fortunate t' find someone gettin' out o' t' hobby and had a large selection o' BP motors that he sold t' me for real cheap. Among t' selection be 2 packages o' D11-P motors and 1 package o' E9-8 motors. Avast! Well, blow me down! Perfect! I contemplated goin' for broke with 6 D11-Ps surroundin' a central E9-8 but A) I did nay have a 7-motor clip whip at the time and B) I did nay want t' risk launchin' it from 7 Estes ignitors even if I would have had t' proper clip whip. Arrr! Instead I decided t' be slightly more "economical" and get twice t' mileage out o' me motor supply by goin' with a pair flights on a trio o' D11-Ps around central E9-8 (the third flight is still pending...) Plus, ya bilge rat, I have a 4-motor clip whip. Now I only had to add some noseweight for stability but nay so much as t' hurt overall performance. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! A few large fender washers were screwed into t' base o' t' nose cone t' add about 2oz t' t' front end ensurin' stability for t' 3 D11-Ps and central E9-8 motors. I prepped all o' t' motors with maskin' tape at home the night before so I wouldn't eat up most o' t' launch day gettin' it ready. Avast, me proud beauty! The motors were readied and t' rocket was put on t' pad. Ya scallywag! After several minutes of hookin' up t' motors with t' clip whip t' connect up all 4 motors, we were ready for lift off. Well, blow me down! With a healthy 12V source, thar was no hesitation with ignition from 4 standard Estes ignitors! All motors lit and away it went. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! While I don't burn many BP motors much anymore, thar be definitely somethin' cool to be said about t' hiss o' a large BP cluster! T' Weightlofter cocked noticeably into t' stiff 10+mph winds.

Recovery:
T' bright orange 16" mylar parasheet (parachute) came preassembled and includes Keelhaul®©™ shroud lines and a snap swivel. Some interestin' information is given with t' parasheet as far as creatin' a deployment device (consistin' of a metal rin' or maskin' tape with all adhesive covered) t' allow t' chute to open more slowly, which isn't a bad idea with a large mylar chute. Ya scallywag! I used a couple o' pieces o' maskin' tape with t' adhesive turned against each other to form t' ring. Aye aye! I attached t' chute (with t' tape rin' near t' chute) t' a small knot in t' shock cord near t' payload tube. Arrr! Aye aye! A Nomex heat shield that I use betwixt several rockets be attached t' t' shock cord in lieu o' dog barf cellulose wadding. Begad! Begad! While thar be room for t' shock cord, shiver me timbers, parachute, beeper, and heat shield, matey, thar wasn't room for anythin' else. Ya scallywag! I can't see using anythin' longer than t' AT 29/40-120 casin' in t' central motor mount.

Ejection for t' first flight was right at apogee as t' rocket just tipped over. Arrr! T' mylar chute opened smartly but gently. Ahoy! My rocket beeper went into chirp mode at that time and I watched it land within a hundred yards o' the pad. Aye aye! T' chute proved t' be a perfect match for this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! There were a couple o' small holes burned into t' chute, ya bilge rat, but they're nothin' that some clear tape won't easily patch.

On t' second flight, arrr, t' windy conditions were hard enough on t' recovery system t' rip t' parachute right off t' shock cord. Arrr! T' snap swivel failed completely but t' rocket maintained a horizontal drag recovery (it was also aided by t' drag from me Nomex heat shield) down t' t' soggy grass field below. Avast! As much as I want me rockets t' recover as designed, I was slightly thankful for t' chute failure only because t' rocket landed easily within 200ft o' t' launch pad (unlike me USR El Lubbo's flight that recovered over 1/4 mile away earlier in t' day from t' winds!) Nay a scratch or dent on the Weightlofter. Aye aye! So in t' future I guess I'll have t' use a small nylon chute if I fly it in windy conditions...

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' U.S. Rockets Weightlofter is a super MPR cluster design that performs well with either a single AP motor or multiple BP motors. Ahoy! Blimey! It also is a kit that requires some patience durin' construction because o' t' sheer number of parts. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! With t' central motor mount bein' further aft than t' outboards, matey, it may be difficult t' use flash pan ignition for 7 motor cluster launches so investin' in some good clip whips is probably t' way t' go. For me, clip whips is definitely t' way t' go for 4 motor clusters!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5