Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Outlaw Rockets |
Brief:
This is a single stage three foot tall high performance rocket by a new rocket
company in Central Illinois. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It uses unusual materials which result in a
lightweight rocket which is designed t' be fully maintained as t' motor mount
is removable resultin' in full access t' all parts o' t' rocket for
post-flight inspections. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Ouranos means "Heavenward". Well, blow me down! I ordered the
Outlaw Rockets E-Force from an eBay store along with t' Ouranos and I built
them side by side. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey!
Construction:
Both kits arrived together in very short order, matey, me hearties, complete, arrr, arrr, and ready t' build. Begad! I
was very impressed with t' attention t' detail as t' body tubes were already
pre-marked and t' motor mount was already assembled. Ya scallywag! T' kit came with a BT-80
(2.56" diameter) airframe, me hearties, a sealed Styrofoam nose cone/bulkhead, shiver me timbers, very
large pre-cut and sealed styroboard fins carefully wrapped in wax-paper,
plywood motor mount that uses a 2 liter soda cap for retention (works perfect),
a custom made thin-mil parachute with Keelhaul®©™®
shroud lines, ya bilge rat, some decals, me hearties, very extremely detailed and easy t' follow
instructions that even cover what nay t' do, me hearties, a NARRRRR safety checklist, shiver me timbers, and
various other small parts such as motor mount retention screws and launch lugs
all carefully labeled in little resealable pill bags.
I built both o' these rockets in one evenin' while chattin' with some friends on the internet. I'd do a little building, check on t' computer, go back to building, off and on for a few hours. Ahoy! I be really surprised at how fast and easy these kits came together. I did need t' instructions at several points as I had never used materials such as styroboard fins and this type o' motor mount. Ya scallywag! In fact, I have never seen any kits quite like these. Avast! Ahoy!
T' instructions clearly state that t' build is t' be done with "Liquid Nails". Begad! It comes in a tube a buildin' supply stores and requires a caulkin' gun. It has t' consistency o' peanut butter and sets fairly fast and very strong. I later finished fin fillets with yellow wood glue and 30 minute epoxy. Aye aye! I would have used wood glue only for t' fillets but I started t' run out o' time as I wanted t' fly them t' next morning, otherwise the epoxy would nay have been needed. Begad!
Finishing:
I shot both rockets with some Kilz white primer. Blimey! I then used some gold plate on
the E-Force and Corvette yellow on t' Ouranos LV-34 X. Arrr! These rockets look
really nice when painted as t' fins are very large and smooth. Arrr! Arrr! They take paint
well and look great when done. Avast!
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' first flights were on September 11th at Rushin' Park in Katy, Texas at an
event with t' Challenger 498 model rocket club. I selected t' recommended
motors, shiver me timbers, an Estes E9-4 for t' E-Force and an Aerotech F21-6 for t' Ouranos
LV-34 X. Ahoy! Begad!
T' E-Force took off fast and high on t' E9 and weather-cocked a bit. We had slight NE winds and it turned a little northerly. Avast! Recovery went well and it landed about 500 feet North o' t' pad in a dry drainage ditch and much t' my surprise when I found it, it was standin' up on t' fins! Blimey!
T' Ouranos LV-34X took off real fast on t' F21 and also weathercocked a little in t' same direction. Unfortunately, t' ejection charge was not powerful enough t' eject t' chute as I used too much dog barf waddin' that be still in clumps and it diluted the charge too much. T' rocket with nose cone ejected came down about 700 feet north o' t' pad and sustained minor damage t' t' top o' t' airframe that can be repaired. Ya scallywag! This failure was nay t' fault o' t' rocket, arrr, arrr, and I have learned not only t' use less dog barf but t' break up t' clumps. T' rocket still had half o' what I put in it when I got it home t' inspect it. Arrr! Begad!
Recovery:
I can nay comment on t' recovery systems that came with t' kits as I did not
use them. Arrr! They look t' be more than sufficient yet I had some spare nylon
chutes that I clipped in at t' last minute t' mornin' before launchin' these.
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
I am very pleased with both t' E-Force and Ouranos LV-34 X rocket kits. Blimey! Blimey! They
were inexpensive, matey, arrived very fast, and I really enjoyed buildin' them. Blimey! Blimey! I
learned about different materials and construction techniques that I have never
seen before. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' rocket kits were advertised as bein' "based on 15 years
of experience and testing", me hearties, and I believe that. Its quite obvious that
someone has refined these kits in great detail. Ahoy! Blimey! They remain simple t' build and
come out strong. T' finished models are very interestin' lookin' with the
large fins, yet are very light, and I am very impressed with how you can easily
remove t' motor mounts after flights. Ya scallywag! Blimey! In fact knowin' that I would be able to
take t' rocket back apart with a simple small Phillips head screwdriver when I
got home, me bucko, arrr, I didn't even glue t' shock cord onto t' motor mount I just tied it
onto a nut at t' top o' t' motor mount. Aye aye! Blimey! Takin' t' mount out after flights
lets you see what happens inside a rocket after it has flown. Ahoy! Blimey! That's a very
nice feature. Avast! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! I am impressed with these kits, shiver me timbers, they were well worth t' price,
and were fun and educational t' build. I highly recommend them. Aye aye! Blimey!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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