FlisKits Deuce's Wild

FlisKits - Deuce's Wild {Kit} (CL002)

Contributed by Douglas Gardei

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Diameter: 1.64 inches
Length: 21.20 inches
Manufacturer: FlisKits
Skill Level: 3
Style: Cluster, Sport

Doug and RocketBrief:
Dual Canted 18mm motor mounts. Arrr! Blimey! Designed t' produce two distinctive smoke trails when launched.

Construction:
T' Deuce's Wild comes with Estes quality parts. T' Body tube is BT-60 sized, me hearties, and is topped with a nice Balsa nosecone. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! T' kit includes two 18mm motor tubes, and two thrust rings. No motor hooks are provided. Avast, me proud beauty! Two sheets o' balsa is used t' cut out t' four large fins form t' pattern provided. T' balsa I got was little on t' soft side for me tastes. You also get piece o' card stock, and a peal-and-stick pattern t' make t' two unique centerin' rings. T' recovery system consists o' a piece o' elastic for t' shock cord, and an official Fliskits 16" parachute that can also be cut down t' 12" or 8". Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit also includes two pieces o' 1/8" launch lug material... Arrr! Ya scallywag! which I believe is two small for this rocket... Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! 3/16th would be a lot better.

T' most challengin' part o' t' kit be t' motor mount construction. T' first edition o' t' instructions suggests a method that I think is impossible. I decided t' do it me me own way. Aye aye! Construction starts with drawin' a single line down t' length o' each tube, shiver me timbers, arrr, and markin' t' location where t' motor spacer will go.

Rocket Pic Then it is time t' make t' centerin' rings. Ahoy! T' backin' o' t' pattern is removed, ya bilge rat, and t' pattern is stuck on top o' t' cardboard stock. Arrr! Blimey! Usin' a sharp knife, t' centerin' rings are cut out. Well, blow me down! You will end out with three pieces. Well, blow me down! T' Lower Ring, ya bilge rat, Upper Ring, matey, and t' Motor Spacer.

This is where I differ from t' instructions. Avast! T' instructions want you t' glue t' spacer t' t' upper rin' first... what? How am I goin' t' do that? Gluin' t' tip o' t' triangle t' t' centerin' ring... Ahoy! by t' tip... Arrr! and keep it aligned? I have a better way.

I glued t' spacer t' one o' t' motor tubes. Ahoy! When t' glue set, I attached t' other tube t' t' other side. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I set t' assembly on a flat surface t' dry. Avast, me proud beauty! I cut t' upper centerin' rin' in half, removed some material from t' "tip", an glued them into position. Begad! Ya scallywag! I attached t' Lower Rin' followin' t' instructions.

T' fin markin' guide is used for two purposes... t' allow you t' mark where t' fins go... Begad! Begad! and provide t' pattern t' cut out t' voids in t' bodytube where t' motor tubes will be stickin' out. Blimey! Then t' motor mount assembly is glued into place.

T' rest o' t' kit is assembled like any other brand o' kit. Arrr! Begad! You have t' cut out t' fins by hand, shiver me timbers, but t' should be no problem for an experienced modeler... Blimey! besides... that is small stuff compared t' t' motor mount just assembled.

Rocket PicFinishing:
I decided that I wanted a smooth transition betwixt t' canted motor tube, me bucko, and t' body tube, so I used some Bondo Spot Putty t' fill in t' small gaps in t' joints. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! After I was satisfied with t' filling, I gave t' kit several coats o' Rust Oleum Light Gray Automotive Primer, sandin' betwixt coats.

I decided that I wanted t' paint t' rocket a scheme worthy its name... Avast! I wanted some bright bold colors, and gold t' add class. Well, blow me down! I gave t' entire rocket a base coat o' Yellow paint. Aye aye! Then I masked off two o' t' fins, and prepared a spiral up t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I used Sunny Red spray paint. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! After t' Red dried, matey, I masked off t' spirals, and t' two red fins, me bucko, and painted t' area betwixt t' fins gold. Ya scallywag! I also painted t' nosecone gold. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! There were no decals with t' kit, matey, those big fins are itchin' for somethin' wild :-)

When t' paintin' be finished, ya bilge rat, I assembled t' recovery system. T' shock cord was a standard piece o' 1/8" elastic, shiver me timbers, and under a foot length. Begad! Aye aye! I did nay want t' nose cone t' slap back into t' body tube. Avast! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! so I extended t' length o' t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Also, shiver me timbers, I would suggest usin' 1/4" shock cord with this size kit, since 1/8" cord wears out faster, and handles less weight. T' instructions were nay clear on which size chute t' use, matey, arrr, but I decided that t' 16" chute would be t' best choice due t' t' large win' span o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' shroud lines are attached with adhesive strips. Nay a good idea... Begad! I suggest usin' those hole punch reinforcement disks instead.

Rocket PrepConstruction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
FlisKits recommends dual A8-3's, arrr, ya bilge rat, B6-4's, and C6-5's for t' Deuce's Wild kit. Begad! Ahoy! My local hobby shop was out o' B6-4's, so I bought a pack o' B4-4's instead. Aye aye! I uses Estes Solar Igniters coated with a thin layer o' Magnelite pyrogen t' assure reliable ignition o' both motors. T' flight with t' 2 A8-3’s be a nice and short. T' parachute fully deployed, and t' rocket landed close t' t' pad. Dual B4-4 motors offered another great flight. Begad! A shroud line came unattached from parachute, shiver me timbers, resultin' in minor damage t' t' root o' a fin. T' flight with dual C6-5’s was t' best. Avast! It exhibited a slight wobbled in flight, probably because t' wind be pickin' up. Begad! Avast! T' rocket landed on t' roof o' t' school.


Flights Two days later, me bucko, me bucko, me Deuce's wild kit was recovered off o' t' roof o' t' High School. Arrr! Begad! It be found floatin' in a puddle o' water. Well, blow me down! I be able t' remove t' motors before they dry and glue themselves into t' motor tube. Arrr! Blimey! T' Deuce has some water damage, and t' Balsa cone swelled with water saturation (or t' tube shrunk?), but that is a easy fix by leavin' t' rocket in t' hot car t' dry out... Avast! and t' adjust t' fit with sandpaper. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! One fin came unattached from t' body, arrr, arrr, probably because it had a small crack in it when I launched it on t' 2 C's, matey, and when in t' water... Well, blow me down! t' glue dissolved... Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' recovery system is shot... but I'll just put in an Estes 18" chute and replace t' shock cord with a 1/4" piece o' elastic. Ya scallywag! It will fly again... Avast, me proud beauty! I am itchin' t' stick two D13-7W's in it :-)

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
Overall, t' Deuce's Wild is a very nice it. Arrr! There is room for improvement, but you have t' give FlisKits credit. T' kit was very professional looking, me bucko, and t' design o' t' rocket is very unique. Begad! This kit is worth t' money, arrr, me bucko, and will turn heads at every launch. Begad! Just make sure your launcher can handle it, ya bilge rat, and pray that both motors light :-).

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Hank Helmen (November 13, 2008)

    This is a skill level 3, two engine canted cluster rocket. The Duce has one body tube and uses four fins. It comes with a very nice balsa nose cone and two parachutes. The motor mount is unique but goes together easily and works great. Two pre-cut engine mounting rings are included with in the hardware. A BT-60 body tube is supplied in the kit as well as 30" of thin shock cord. The 1/8" ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Mike Salter

    The Deuce's Wild! is (in my opinion) one of the most innovative kits available at the moment and will undoubtedly become a classic. It's unique point is the dual smoke trails from the canted motors, a great spectacle that grabs anyone's attention. The moment I saw the Deuce (when FlisKits first opened), I wanted one and soon set about trying to bring them to the UK...this basically involved ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Dick Stafford

    Brief: Just another quick review of The Rocketry Forum's favorite kit...large fins, 2 canted 18mm motors, 'nuff said! I won't repeat all of this information, I'll just be pointing out what I think are the high points, assuming you have read the other reviews, above. The parts are all of good quality, and the laser cut fiber motor mount components make assembly easy. With a balsa nose cone, ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Carl Tulanko

    Brief: The Deuces Wild is a very unique model rocket from FlisKits, a newer company on the block in the model rocket industry. The Deuce boasts a cluster using dual 'canted' 18mm motors, which gives it a really cool look both on the pad and in the air. The model came in a plastic bag, similar to Estes Rockets, but that is where the similarity ends. Inside the bag was a real balsa nosecone, ...

  • FlisKits Deuce's Wild By Jason Toft

    (by Jason Toft - 04/15/03) Brief: An awesome little rocket with dual canted motor mounts. Just BEGGING to be upscaled Construction: When I received my Deuce, there was one 17 inch BT-60 tube, a balsa ogive nose, fin stock, motor mount materials, and other miscellaneous materials required for construction. (launch lugs, chute, etc.) I opened the package and inspected the quality ...

Flights

Comments:

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J.F. (October 2, 2002)
As the manufacturer of the Deuce's Wild, I wanted to make a couple of comments about the kit and the review: First, and quite important, the Deuce's Wild! (and all FlisKits rocket kits) come with VERNON Estes quality parts. A significant difference we beleive, in the eyes of the long-time rocketeers. As for the motor mount, we have has several people construct the motor mount as described in the instructions with no problems, but we are still looking into possible changes per Doug's input. Cutting fins out by hand is a *feature* of FlisKits products. Gives a modeler a reason to learn how to use the tools of the trade, in our opinion. FlisKits is in the process of lengthening the shock cord on most of our kits, but the cord currently packaged with the Deuce's Wild is 18". If the one received with this kit was "less than a foot", then a problem got past our QC and will be corrected. We have also found tape disks with a much higher tack adhesive, so FlisKits parachutes will exhibit much higher quality and long life for your model. The paint job, pictures and vid's are all WONDERFUL. You did a FINE job constructing this model! KUDO's!
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L.V. (November 23, 2002)
I also have a Deuce's Wild kit #7. I too had a little problem with the motor mounting, but the rest of the kit went together great. I like the idea of cutting out the fins. I remember that from my early days of building rockets. I hope they don't change that. Mine has flown twice so far both times on a pair of B6-4s.Both flights straight and perfect. I also left the chute large. The dual smoke trails are really neat. This rocket is well worth the cost and is a lot of fun. Thanks Fliskits!!!
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G.D. (December 1, 2002)
My Fliskits Deuces' Wild is production #33. Just building it slow. Nice kit!
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J.F. (January 3, 2003)
UPDATE from FLisKits: For the record, after talking with other folks and reviewing the kit, parts and instructions, FlisKits decided that Doug was right on the money in regard to the motor mount assembly on the Deuce's Wild. Therefore, we have created a set of laser-cut rings and changed the assembly instructions to match what Doug came up with. These new rings, with modified instructions are already shipping with new orders. Additionally, FlisKits has contacted all customers who have purchased but not yet built their Deuce's Wild! kit and have shipped them a set of rings and instructions for use. We (FlisKits) have a very good product set, but not a "perfect" product set. Your help, feedback and suggestions go a long way toward helping us reach perfection. You talk, we listen and everybody benefits! Thank you!
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C.T. (January 24, 2003)
I just finished building my Deuces Wild and wanted to add that this kit is a MUST HAVE for anyone's fleet. I was one of the first if not the first to use the new "Laser Cut" black fiber Centering Rings during construction and they were a dream to work with; it takes all the worry of cutting your own out of the picture...Well done FlisKits! I alos agree with the ease of construction that Doug has posted and the results are astounding. Mine will fly this weekend and I will post a report.
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J.W.M. (May 6, 2003)
I got my Deuce in the mail on Sat and built it that nite! It has the new laser cut rings and went together like a dream! Painted on Sunday and I can't wait to fly it (raining and 40 M.P.H. winds today). I gotta a bulk pack-o-motors and a fresh charge on the launch batteries just waiting for the sun!!
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D.A.S. (August 19, 2003)
After losing my beloved and much-launched Flea at a CMASS launch, I had the good fortune to purchase my second FlisKit, the Deuce's Wild, from Jim himself! This is definitely a "builder's" kit. The jewel-like quality of the components, and excellent instructions, make it a real kick to build. You can really sink your teeth into this one. It's no wonder this kit keeps getting rave reviews- they are well-deserved. It looks bad to the bone with those huge fins and dual motor mounts. I can't wait to get my Deuce to a big field and fly it. Keep up the good work, Jim and Brian!
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S.E.O. (August 30, 2004)
Sent My DW up on it's maiden flight. The canted motors are very cool. This kit is definitely worth every penny!

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