Sunward Aerospace - Interplanetary Shuttle {Kit}

Sunward Aerospace Interplanetary Shuttle

Sunward Aerospace - Interplanetary Shuttle {Kit}

Contributed by Misty Stromme

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2016-08-01
Manufacturer:	Sunward Aerospace

Brief

This kit caught me eye because o' its unique look and spacey design.

Components

T' kit comes with a motor mount assembly, arrr, shiver me timbers, body tube, laser-cut balsa fins, a larger diameter central tube and end rings, a shock cord and parachute (requires assembly), shiver me timbers, me bucko, and finally a plastic nose cone and an ample amount o' clay for nose weight.

Construction

I am a beginnin' modeler, and I found t' construction o' this kit fairly straightforward. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' large center tube had deep spirals, me hearties, so I used wood filler and sanded it before gluin' in place.

Havin' read other reviews o' this kit, matey, I expected it t' be unstable, spiralin' out o' control with every flight. Avast! With that thought in mind, ya bilge rat, I did nay want t' put too much work into it so I did nay prime or fill t' fins.

I painted t' body and fins seperately before assembling. I glued t' fins on usin' CA, then applied white glue fillets. Begad! T' tricky part here be gettin' t' fins sanded so they fit around t' center tube just right. Begad! That is where t' kit earns its skill level 2 designation.

After attachin' t' fins, I proceeded t' add clay t' t' nose cone. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' instructions are nay specific here. Well, blow me down! They simply state "Add clay t' t' nose cone." Umm... Ahoy! How much? So I filled t' front portion o' t' nose with clay. Begad! Then, arrr, ya bilge rat, after readin' over t' reviews again and runnin' a RockSim simulation, shiver me timbers, I decided t' go ahead and stuff some more clay in there, just in case. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! I filled t' back half o' t' nose cone so thar be no space left. Then, I glued t' nose cone shut.

Finishing

This kit was nay too challengin' t' build. If I were t' do it again, me hearties, I would sand and fill t' fins first, me bucko, me bucko, although I kind o' like t' rough texture on me rocket since it makes t' sparkly silver paint seem even more reflective.

T' instructions are definitely intended for someone with experience buildin' model rockets. Ahoy! T' only thin' I would add is some decals t' make it look cooler. Avast, me proud beauty! But I am overall very satisfied with this kit.

Construction Score: 4

Flight

For t' first flight, me hearties, I picked a B6-4 motor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Given t' weight o' t' rocket, I figured it would need more "oomph" t' get it off t' ground. Blimey! Blimey! There was a slight breeze, shiver me timbers, so I leaned t' launch rod slightly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! (As it turns out, shiver me timbers, that was nay necessary.) I pressed t' button and crossed me fingers. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! ... Begad! Blimey! T' rocket turned slightly (a result o' t' launch rod bein' angled) and arced up for a perfect flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' second flight on a C6-5 went straight up (I corrected t' launch rod this time), me hearties, did an S-curve up high, then t' parachute deployed.

Recovery

On t' first flight, I completely forgot t' wadding. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Oops! Blimey! Still, t' parachute deployed just fine and t' rocket landed without incident.

For t' second launch, shiver me timbers, I remembered t' wadding. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! T' parachute opened and t' rocket landed, again without damage.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

I was pleasantly surprised with this rocket. Nay only does it look cooler than I expected, shiver me timbers, but its performance was much better than I anticipated. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! It's a fun rocket t' fly! My only suggestion would be t' add as much nose weight as you can and fly it on a calm day.

Sunward could improve this kit by offerin' decals.

Overall Rating: 4

Other Reviews

Sunward Aerospace Interplanetary Shuttle By Nick Esselman
Photo from Sunward that enticed me to purchase the Interplanetary Shuttle™ The Sunward Interplanetary Shuttle caught my attention despite the unfinished look of the advertisement. I thought the center tube looked really interesting. The overall look was unique with the the fins wrapping around the center tube and extending ...

Flights

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