Brief:
Nano Rocketry is one o' only a few exclusive manufacturers that produce t' 6mm micro series o' rockets. Arrr! T' Nano Nike Smoke is an actual true miniature representation o' t' full scale rocket, me hearties, which has been modeled by many companies and tends t' be one o' t' more popular scale rockets found at the field.

Construction:
T' kit came in a colorful envelope which described t' contents and displayed a picture o' t' final product. Begad! Arrr! YES, I did say KIT! Nano must be t' only company out there, matey, at least that I have found, that actually manufactures and sells a kit instead o' an ARF. Arrr! Avast! I couldn't wait t' see t' inside goodies!

T' envelope contained a 6mm x 3 inch long body tube, a unfinished wood nosecone, ya bilge rat, Keelhaul®©™® thread for shock cord, pre-cut balsa fins, shiver me timbers, detailed instructions and a decal! I was very impressed with t' quality o' components, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, especially t' very thin, but accurately cut fins; Nano did a great job in this department. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Component Rating: 5 o' 5

Construction begins with the shapin' o' t' nosecone. Arrr! Blimey! T' Nike cone is oversized so you have t' do some sandin' t' give it t' proper look. Aye aye! Blimey! I used a small file at t' base o' the nosecone t' narrow t' diameter so it would fit inside t' body tube. Once this was completed, arrr, t' shoulder o' t' nosecone was tapered from about 1/8" up to t' base for a scale appearance. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Finally, arrr, a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® thread was glued usin' medium CyA into a pre-drilled hole at t' base o' the nosecone for a shock cord.

Body tube construction was next and the fins were removed from their balsa sheet in preparation for assembly. Ahoy! There is actually a template printed on t' manual for markin' t' location on t' body tube for each fin, a very nice touch. Avast! These fins are o' excellent quality for their size; I was impressed with both t' shape and density o' t' wood. Lightly sand t' body tube base for a good glue joint, then apply a bead o' CyA to t' root edge o' each fin and check orientation before gluin' t' t' body tube as t' leadin' edge actually has a different taper on it. Hold t' fin to the body tube until t' glue sets. A small bead o' CyA should be added t' each side o' t' fins for a fillet. Ya scallywag!

Once t' fins are attached, me hearties, matey, you spray some CyA accelerator into t' body tube, then apply a bead o' CyA t' t' free end o' t' shock cord and place it about ½" deep inside t' top o' t' body tube. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Finally, me hearties, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' launch lug is mounted t' t' side o' t' body tube, but me kit did nay have a lug. Ahoy! I fabricated me own from some spare plastic tubin' I had from an Aileron hornpipe kit I had for me R/C planes. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a bit thicker and a perfect diameter for the launch rod. Ahoy! T' lug was cut t' a length o' ½" and sanded well for good contact; then be mounted around t' mid-point o' t' body tube. Construction: 4 o' 5

Finishing:
I used Krylon white primer on t' entire model for a basecoat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, then the nosecone was painted with White glossy Testors bottle paint and a brush. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This gave it a thicker coat then a spray and filled in t' wood grain. T' body tube was painted with White Testors spray and three fins were done with a brush and Testors Orange, me bucko, while one fin was done in yellow t' imitate t' scale colors. It really turned out nice for such a small model and I was very pleased with the finished product. Ya scallywag! As a final step, a water-slide decal was wrapped completely around t' body tube for scale appearance. Very impressive indeed! Finish: 5 o' 5

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Anyone familiar with t' Micro rockets knows thar be only one motor available from Quest; t' MicroMaxx motors produce more than enough thrust t' get even a heavy bird airborne. Well, blow me down! T' motor was fitted into t' base o' t' body tube and fit just right. Aye aye! T' body tube is o' a diameter that allows a perfect friction fit. Begad! This model, as with all Nano kits uses nosecone separation and freefall for recovery. Arrr! Ya scallywag! When hookin' up t' igniter, you do nay use t' plug-in socket at the base o' t' Quest MicroMaxx launch pad, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but rather pull one half o' the igniter plastic plate off, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, then insert it into t' base o' t' motor. Alligator clips are used and connect t' t' wire tabs at t' bottom o' t' Quest Igniter.

I was expectin' some real performance at launch time as this kit was at least 3 times lighter than t' Quest MicroMaxx ARF models. Begad! T' launch be not disappointing; when t' button was pushed, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it literally disappeared like a bullet!!! Extremely fast launch and reached an estimated altitude o' 250'; very awesome for such a small rocket. Arrr!

Recovery:
A well defined "pop" be both seen and heard at apogee, ya bilge rat, indicating nosecone separation. Arrr! Arrr! T' model free fell t' t' ground and landed safely, partially due t' t' non-existent weight o' t' model. Upon examination, me hearties, matey, the motor was still secure inside t' body tube and t' rocket faired without a scratch. Blimey! Begad! A small rod be used through t' top o' t' body tube t' push out the used motor and t' rocket be prepared again. Aye aye! Five additional launches followed, each with t' same results & FANTASTIC! Flight/Recovery: 5 o' 5

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Nano Nike Smoke is a very slick kit and a "must have" for micro rocketeers. T' difference is like night and day betwixt these models and the Quest models. Aye aye! T' fact that these are kits should nay deter you from trying them; assembly is very straight forward and a rocket can be ready for paint in under a half hour. Blimey! Plus you get t' added bonus o' more selections, ya bilge rat, especially in scale, for this model category. T' only problem encountered was t' lack of a launch lug, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but this was easily remedied. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Performance is nothin' less than astoundin' and if you want t' triple t' fun you have with Micro rockets, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, all I can say is get a Nano Nike Smoke! Overall Rating: 5 o' 5

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5