| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2014-02-18 |
| Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
| Length: | 14.28 inches |
| Manufacturer: | FlisKits  |
| Skill Level: | 1 |
| Style: | Sport |
Brief
I was asked t' lead a small rocket build and launch event. In preparation for this, I looked at several "Skill Level 1" kits from various manufacturers. Estes be t' usual "obvious" case for such classes, but I was a little unhappy that all o' their beginners kits seem t' have plastic fin units. I really wanted t' give t' kids a taste o' workin' with real wood fins. As such, I emailed Jim Flis and asked about t' possibility o' gettin' one o' his Jig-Tech rockets in builk for our class.
If you're nay familiar with t' Jig-Tech fins, ya bilge rat, me hearties, they're really awesome - basically t' fins fit together perfectly, me bucko, and are easilly glued up t' make your own fin unit. So it's sort o' t' best o' both worlds - you get t' instant alignment o' t' plastic fin unit rockets, but t' kids get a taste o' workin' with balsa.
Jim steered me toward one o' his newer creations, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' "DooDad" rocket. This rocket seemed t' fit t' bill perfectly - it's a "minimum diameter" rocket (meanin' t' engine fits right into t' body tube), yet it has an engine hook. This makes for a quicker, easier build than larger body tube rockets, and t' kids were excited t' find out it would also mean higher flights due t' t' lower weight and reduced body drag.
Components
- BT-20 12" body tube
- Balsa Nose Cone
- Laser Cut Basswood Fin sheet
- Elastic shock cord
- Keelhaul®©™ Shock Line
- Engine Block
- Engine Hook
- Screw Eye
- Launch Lug
- Illustrated hang-card
- Instructions
Construction
Construction o' this rocket went very well. In all but one sample case, t' fins fit together perfectly (one rocket had a slightly warped fin, which made it a bit tricky t' stay glued up). This group was particularly young, arrr, but we had dads helpin' their kids (one or two kids per dad) so t' kids had guidance while I led them step by step through t' build.
T' instructions are very well laid out and illustrated, matey, and done as well or better than any other rocket kit I've ever assembled. We only deviated from t' instructions in a few cases, based on me past build experience:
- I had t' kids sand t' fin sheets before poppin' them out.
- I had them sand t' edges o' t' fins square (by stackin' all t' fins together), and then round over t' leadin' edge, me bucko, before assemblin' t' fin-unit.
- Based on me experience puttin' together a sample kit before t' group build, I had them draw a line down t' body tube before puttin' t' fin unit on - which would be used for linin' up t' launch lug later.
- As per usual, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I never connect t' nose cone t' t' body until after finishin' is complete (so that you can easily spray t' nose cone a different color, ya bilge rat, and have two open ends t' handle t' rocket from durin' painting/drying).
But I just want t' emphesize that t' instructions were VERY good and complete, and these devations were by me choice, t' rocket could have been built just fine as speced out by t' instructions.
Gluin' up t' fin units went very well, and although we rushed t' dry time (between gluin' up t' fin unit and attachin' it t' t' body tube) quite a bit more than if I had been doin' this alone at home, me bucko, things still worked great.
Finishing
Bein' a beginner's kit, me hearties, our time frame, and a very young class, ya bilge rat, we did minimal finishing. As noted above, ya bilge rat, I had t' class keep t' nose cones separate so they could be sprayed and dried away from t' body tube. Most o' t' dads/kids chose t' simply spray t' body tube another color. A few attempted t' carefully spray t' body and fin sections different colors, me bucko, without any masking.
Given t' time frame, matey, we did nay do any fin or body spiral filling, me hearties, ya bilge rat, nor did we sand betwixt coats o' paint, arrr, at least on-site. A few o' t' class noted took t' rockets home for further finishin' - several girls did theirs up in stickers and sequins!
T' kit contains no decals, me hearties, which is fine by me since it allows t' price t' be kept low.
Flight
Most o' t' group came back about a month later (June '12) for a group launch. I started them out with A8-3's for t' first flight. Every single rocket flew perfectly, all o' them recovered close t' t' pad. For t' second flights, we upped it t' a B6-4, and again, all t' rockets had great flights. A couple people had their nose cones separate due t' build error but both pieces were recovered, and t' rockets suffered no damage.
I have since flown this rocket with a C6-5 and it is a fun little rocket t' launch, me hearties, givin' decent height despite t' weight o' t' wood fin unit.
Recovery
T' kit includes a rather short streamer. I'm honestly nay sure how much resistance it provides, but as noted above all o' our rockets were recovered in perfect shape. This rocket is tough enough t' "tumble recover", and t' body tube does nay provide much room for a longer streamer.
A small parachute could be tried, me bucko, matey, but again, I don't think it's necessary, me hearties, and thar be minimal body tube space t' pack one in.
Summary
I was very happy with this kit, arrr, ya bilge rat, and t' rest o' t' class seemed t' be pleased as well. A few o' t' dads had done model rocketry in t' past - none had heard o' FlisKits. All seemed t' be happy with t' product.
This is me third kit from Fliskits so I had high expectations o' how t' quality would be. As I expected, matey, I be nay let down. As a bonus, Jim Fliss offvers VERY nice bulk pricin' for groups such as ours.
T' kit was perfect for our needs, and I'm very glad Jim recommended it. It's particularly nice when t' owner o' t' company will chat with you about your needs ahead o' time.
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Flights
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Ken Johnson (March 13, 2014)
Great review. I wish I had thought to contact the manufacturer directly; my wife's school had summer camps for a couple of years and we just looked online for the best deal (it was never Estes) and like you, balsa fins were a must after the first time. We let the kids pick what color they wanted and left all the nosecones white plastic.
If we ever do it again, I might try this rocket. Fliskits are good quality, at least the ones I've built.