Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Currently, only t' H144, me bucko, I405, me bucko, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, arrr, matey, me bucko, but more formulas and motor designations are comin' out soon. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey!

Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, ya bilge rat, me bucko, 480, and 740 motor. Aye aye! Begad! Each motor comes with a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), graphite nozzle, nozzle washer, arrr, forward bulkhead, arrr, and snap rings. If you buy t' system package, matey, you will get a forward closure for each motor. Ya scallywag! Arrr! You don't have t' share t' closure.

A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, propellant grains, delay grain, matey, arrr, two large O-rings, ya bilge rat, six small O-rings, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder. Ahoy! Begad!

An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. T' J528 breaks t' trend, me bucko, arrr, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Begad! Blimey! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, so they made t' grains 30 grams. However, matey, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, arrr, so this be nay an option with t' 740 motor. Begad! Blimey!

Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. This be t' order that I build them. I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Blimey! Aye aye! Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Begad! Arrr! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Ya scallywag! Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, damaged, ya bilge rat, arrr, or lost.

Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Begad! Blimey! Simply stack t' six smaller O-rings over t' delay element then place it on a flat surface and press the forward bulkhead onto it so t' delay grain goes into t' delay well. Well, blow me down! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Begad!

Once this is done, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Aye aye! Blimey! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, shiver me timbers, 10, 8, ya bilge rat, me bucko, or 5 seconds. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Aye aye! Blimey! Grease up the inside o' t' case, me bucko, and t' liner tube. This will make t' next step easier, and you will be thankful for t' grease when it comes time t' remove the spent components, trust me. Aye aye! Ahoy! Blimey! Press t' assembly into t' motor case (nozzle should be at t' end with t' thrust ring) until t' nozzle is about a quarter inch from t' snap rin' slot. Begad! Blimey! Insert t' nozzle washer, followed by t' snap ring. Arrr! Blimey! Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor. Begad! Begad! Blimey!

Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Well, blow me down! Install t' final snap ring, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, matey, so pour in as much as you need. Ya scallywag! Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Aye aye! Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Avast, me proud beauty! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To ignite t' motor, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Ignition is quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Of the two motors I flown, ya bilge rat, t' I405 was me favorite! I had t' pleasure t' see several I405 flights, me hearties, me bucko, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! After a launch of a Big Brute with one, Carl Tulanko asked me, matey, "What be that?" I told him a Loki I405. Begad! Later on durin' t' day, I had me PML Aurora loaded with one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. Ya scallywag! He said "No way! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. I only got t' see one J528 flight up close. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! If you like t' J350 and t' J570, me bucko, then you would love this motor! Lots o' umph!

Enjoy a video by clickin' HERE

Recovery:
Cleanin' o' t' Loki motor is identical t' that o' t' AMW and Kosdon motors. Remove t' snap rings, arrr, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of the case. Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or nozzle, shiver me timbers, me hearties, if you t' use t' other end). Begad! Blimey! If you are fortunate (and remembered to generously grease t' liner), me bucko, everythin' should come out with minor effort. However, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, me bucko, shiver me timbers, one o' t' bulkheads would mash itself into t' liner, makin' removal a chore. Arrr! Blimey! I used Baby wipes t' clean mine, which worked surprisingly well. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I mentioned that it is cheaper than other brands. Ahoy! Let's compare with this simple chart. Begad! Prices are retail list and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, shiver me timbers, me bucko, Pro38 standard, and Loki loads.

^** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Blimey! There is no closures. In a sense, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case. Arrr!

Another interestin' comparison be t' total impulse o' t' loads for the cases and how much they cost t' fly per total impulse. This comparison based off data from t' NAR/TRA/CAR combined list. Ahoy! All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Well, blow me down!

In t' near future, ya bilge rat, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. If you like fast burning, matey, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, me hearties, arrr, I605, and me soon t' be favorite, matey, arrr, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. Begad! Begad! I can't wait t' try out their I124 and J192 loads! Those loads have close t' a 4 second burn!

What I would like t' see in Loki's 38mm line is a 360 and 600 motor. I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. Begad! Begad! I would also love t' see Black and Spark loads introduced too. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I would have t' problem decidin' which loads t' buy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5