(06/02/01) I purchased another Rugged-Rocket, me bucko, t' Rocket Vision Six-Pack, me hearties, matey, to have built and fly on a vacation in Arizona . Well, blow me down! Arrr! . Begad! . right after which it was announced that Rocket Vision was goin' out o' business. Well, blow me down! Oh, shiver me timbers, me bucko, well, I'll go ahead and give it a quick review and add it t' me newest comparison page on Tube-Fin rockets.

See my Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

I never had a Tube-Finned rocket in me youth but gave it a try a few years ago with a Rogue Hex Courier and really liked it. Avast! But it be the Custom Serval that I really enjoyed. Aye aye! Avast! I bought t' Six-Pack with t' hopes of havin' t' same fun and gainin' a heavier model that could take some flying abuse.

T' Six-Pack follows the same pattern o' all t' Rugged-Rockets includin' a single thick, matey, phenolic body tube, with a motor tube insert, a plastic nose cone, a Keelhaul®©™® shockcord, parachute protector and parachute. Ahoy! For fins t' Six-Pack has six thick, phenolic tubes pre-cut at a slight angle. Well, matey, blow me down! Nice looking. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! What this rocket had over me first Rocket Vision rocket, me hearties, the Solar Venture, shiver me timbers, matey, was a motor retention system which consisted o' a motor hook that was sandwiched betwixt t' body tube and t' motor insert.

CONSTRUCTION:

Assembly o' t' Six-Pack was straight-forward and very easy. Ya scallywag! T' instructions were on a single 8.5" x 11" page. They were in logical order, ya bilge rat, but no illustrations. T' only illustration for assembly purposes was on an extra piece o' paper that showed how t' motor retention was added.

Shockcord installation, is really t' only part o' this rocket kit that I don't like. Rocket Vision provided a small piece o' cardboard that t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is mounted t' t' inside o' t' body tube with. Avast! You tie a knot in t' Keelhaul®©™®, slot t' cardboard, shiver me timbers, and glue t' cardboard into the rocket body tube with t' Keelhaul®©™® sandwiched betwixt t' cardboard and t' body tube. Aye aye! It positions t' shock cord like an Estes' 3-fold paper mount does with one exception: t' Keelhaul®©™® knot sticks out. Arrr! Is this a big deal, ya bilge rat, yes! With the small diameter body tube and havin' t' pack in t' parachute protector and parachute, matey, me hearties, this knot gets in t' way. Begad! Arrr! I would suggest two things: 1) don't use the knot, and/or 2) use enough epoxy t' bury it and make it a large smoothed out bump in t' body tube. I cut me knot off after 3 flights.

Finishin' is a dream. Avast! Begad! No spirals! All you really have to worry about it how smooth your epoxy junctures are. T' kit comes with water-transfer decals but I did nay use them.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Begad! Blimey! Just don't like that shockcord mount and t' instructions could use illustrations t' reach a larger group o' modelers . Arrr! Blimey! . Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! . Blimey! Blimey! kind o' a moot point now.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Rocket Vision provided t' followin' Motor Selection guide in t' instructions:

• D12-7 - 765 feet
• E28-8 - 2,770 feet
• F72-10 - 2,638 feet
• G55-10 - 3,450

I be pleased t' get the rocket in t' air durin' our vacation t' Arizona. Begad! I had t' buy t' motors at the launch and it bein' an AHPRA launch thar were nay many choices for smaller, shiver me timbers, 24mm motors. Ahoy! Blimey! But I did purchase some E28-7's.

T' first launch was nice on t' E28. Arrr! Blimey! It punched off the pad and I was able t' follow it for t' full flight. Aye aye! Blimey! I could tell it be still travellin' upward when t' ejection charge fired. Blimey! Blimey! Descent be fine and I recovered t' rocket within 100 yards o' t' pad. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I was fortunate nay t' lose my RMS Casing, it appeared that t' ejection charge pushed it past t' motor retention clip. Ya scallywag! Blimey! A nice reminder for me t' always use tape or a tie-wrap t' make that motor hook stay on t' casing. I lost one this way when I be first gettin' into RMS.

My next opportunity t' fly was back home so I made a decision t' convert this rocket into an 18mm motor. Avast! Blimey! After all, flyin' a foot-long rocket t' 1/2 mile high does increase your chances o' losin' it and since it couldn't be replaced I wanted t' keep it around. Ahoy! Blimey! I glued an 18mm motor mount into t' existin' 24mm and bent t' motor retention pin t' hold t' 18mm motor.

Oh, me hearties, me hearties, for you folks that love altitude, it's nay so bad. Here's what 18mm motors can do:

T' next two flights were on C6-3's and were quite enjoyable. T' second flight on t' C6-3 didn't have a full parachute deployment. Ahoy! It was pushed out o' t' body, but t' parachute never unfurled and the rocket dropped into some taller grass without damage, holdin' up t' its trademark o' bein' a "Rugged Rocket".

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. Easily converted t' an 18mm flier (just use an adaptor if you don't want t' make it permanent) for enjoyment in t' smaller fields. Begad! Ya scallywag! Solid and stable flights.

Overall, matey, ya bilge rat, t' Six-Pack is good rocket for someone looking for a Tube-Fin. Ya scallywag! Altitudes o' over 3,000 feet or as low as 200 feet allow for the variation that many look for. Too bad we can't get them any more! Blimey! I give the kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Ahoy!