Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
Length: | 23.80 inches |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits ![]() |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Multi-Stage |
Brief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, dual stage, 24" rocket with streamer
recovery usin' high quality components. Avast! Aye aye! An individual production number is
included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. Ahoy! Aye aye! I own production kit #1
and #25. Arrr! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Well, blow me down! Begad!
Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:
Also included was a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.
T' assembly
instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. Ahoy! T' steps were
easy t' follow, with many illustrations showin' placement, arrr, dimensions, etc.
Care must be taken with this model, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can
be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Measure twice, shiver me timbers, cut once! A misplaced
coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no
extras. Aye aye! Ahoy! As per FlisKits standards, me hearties, t' fit o' all parts is exact. Well, blow me down! O' special
mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the
interior engine mount, matey, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up
to t' nose cone. Arrr! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, so I
asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. Arrr! His answer was: "For such a large
rocket, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root
to tip length. Ahoy! My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20
years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is
comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the
body comin' down fins first. Avast! By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, matey, at
the mid point, matey, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects
these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess
where me first launch landed! I built t' kit stock, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™®
works great, me bucko, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. One other
small issue be that t' elastic shock cord, mentioned in step number 15, was
left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Jim Flis confirmed that
this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Arrr! Like all FlisKits
models, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a
provided template. Begad! There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, me bucko, if
practice is needed. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' kit be easy t' build overall, me bucko, and resulted in a sturdy
model.
Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, me hearties, fine balsa fin stock, me bucko, real balsa
nose cones, etc. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! this kit was a joy t' finish. T' body tubes required no
filling, shiver me timbers, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon.
I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights.
I was very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, although me personal
preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Blimey! They gave
little trouble, me bucko, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as
the rest o' t' model. Aye aye! T' finished model looks quite attractive.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, preparation for flight is a little more
lengthy with an external mount. Waddin' was added, me bucko, and t' Keelhaul®©™®
shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Multi-stage models
require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is
required. Begad! I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, me bucko, and an A8-5 for t' upper
stage, matey, due t' t' small park I was launchin' in. Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch was very straight,
with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. It
recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. Arrr! T' upper stage flew very high
even on t' A motor, landin' well out o' t' park area. Be warned: Anything
more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, me bucko, even with yellow
paint and a large launch area! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored
trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Blimey!
Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, me hearties, t' landin' was on a pavement street a block outside
the park. Begad! One fin snapped at t' root, shiver me timbers, but be smartly repaired. There was no
other problem, ya bilge rat, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other
surface. Ya scallywag! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. Avast! This is another high quality rocket kit from
FlisKits, Inc. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit components are first rate, finish nicely and come
together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Ahoy! For those modelers lookin' for
a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, me hearties, this will be a refreshing,
attractive, sleek addition t' their fleet.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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R.W.A. (January 31, 2004)