| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2010-12-30 |
Brief
T' Machspeed is a tiny kit which is superlight and streamlined, arrr, creatin' a great speedy little rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It flies on an 18mm motor, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, and, shiver me timbers, as its name suggests, me hearties, it can easily go supersonic on an Aerotech D24-10 (an 18/20 reload). T' rocket weighs less than half an ounce and is a bit hard t' make as it requires airfoil sanding. It goes really high and is t' spot in a non-clear sky. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It is minimum diameter and t' motor is friction-fit.
Components
- nine-inch 18mm body tube
- engine block
- die-cut fins
- shock cord (which is quite small, arrr, but works well)
- shock cord mount
- react-a-pack epoxy
- nose cone
- short streamer
T' kit is quite light doesn't come with a decal - I presume t' help weight and aerodynamics. Avast! Avast! But hey, matey, ya bilge rat, you can make a cool decal right?
T' epoxy is extremely important. I had this kit before and left out t' epoxy on t' fins. T' fins ripped off and broke t' BT - me first CATO. Ya scallywag! T' epoxy holds them strong.
Construction
This kit is nay your average 3FNC kit. Avast, me proud beauty! It requires what I call "effort." You have t' make t' airfoil t' make t' kit more aerodynamic. T' instructions also ask you to "paper" t' fins which makes them easier t' paint and also much much stronger. Otherwise, me hearties, shiver me timbers, arrr, construction is a breaze - except you have t' watch t' weight.
Finishing
Finishin' is easy and short. Blimey! Primer. Primer. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Gloss red. Aye aye! Blimey! Gloss red.
Flight
Flight prep is easy. Ya scallywag! Add wadding, a motor, arrr, arrr, and an igniter. Avast! Then ... Begad! Blimey! Woosh!!
I first tried this on t' smallest motor I could find - an A class motor. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! It zipped t' t' sky which made me nervous about tryin' a D engine.
But, I decided t' stick one in there. It zoomed off t' pad, arrr, me hearties, far in t' t' sky, ya bilge rat, and t' guy at t' RSO table said, outloud, ya bilge rat, "Oops.. Ya scallywag! gooodbye!" It didn't make an audible boom, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, as rockets do nay do this, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but it flew high and fast. I am sure it broke Mach. Arrr! It took forever t' come down and we lost site o' it because t' streamer is short.
Recovery
HaHa. Ya scallywag! Dumb luck I guess. I went home sulkin' because I had lost a 29 dollar Aerotech motor. Blimey! T' next mornin' I went out for a jog. Passin' t' launch site, I spotted a bright streamer . Aye aye! It was me prized rocket with t' motor in it, me hearties, matey, and it was in great condition.
Summary
Great, high flying, high performance, shiver me timbers, low power rocket with some crazy muscle.
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