Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7) {Kit}

Rocketarium VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)

Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7) {Kit}

Contributed by Martin's Funkworks

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2019-05-27
Diameter:	1.64 inches
Length:	29.50 inches
Manufacturer:	Rocketarium
Style:	Cluster

Brief

This was me first cluster rocket. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, me bucko, a few details are included, which likely increase its drag, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Aye aye! But then, ya bilge rat, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, arrr, it runs long at over 29". Begad! All in all, me bucko, it makes for a surprisingly beautiful kit with a very unusual colour scheme.

Components

Materials are very standard for an intermediate level kit: polypropylene nose cone, shiver me timbers, balsa fins, plywood centerin' rings. Just as expected. Ya scallywag! It does include a baffle assembly, which eliminates t' need for wadding.

Construction

Instructions were easy t' follow. No issues, and no surprises. Begad! Unless thar's a good reason t' do otherwise, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I use CA glue when I need an immediate bond, wood glue when I need time t' do precise adjustments, ya bilge rat, and epoxy when I need maximum strength.

Finishing

I be very intrigued by t' colour o' this kit, ya bilge rat, as t' package's artwork is affected by lighting, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online was black & white. Was it light brown? Light grey? Fortunately, t' instructions specified t' use o' Rust-Oleum's "Navajo White" for t' body and some o' t' fins, me bucko, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, matey, and black for t' remainin' fins. After fillin' in t' spirals with white Tamiya putty, me bucko, me bucko, and sandin' everything, matey, I ran a dowel through t' assembled rocket and laid it down like a shish kabob for a series o' about 10 light coatings o' Rust-Oleum flat white primer coatings over 2 days. Avast! Aye aye! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Aye aye! After a little masking, me bucko, I did t' black parts, and a couple o' clear coats. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Then I applied t' decals, matey, and finished off with a few more clear coats.

T' only issue I had with t' finishin' is that since t' body is actually made out o' two body tubes joined by a coupler (the baffle), me hearties, thar be a deep slit where they meet, arrr, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Ahoy! Oh well, me hearties, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

I used two B6-4 for t' first flight, which occurred on a very calm day. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' flight trajectory had a very shallow s-turn at first, and ended up goin' straight up.

Recovery

I upgraded t' parachute t' 15" nylon before t' first flight. T' rocket be recovered at about 60 ft from t' launch pad, with only minor scuffs t' one o' t' fin's black paint. There was practically no wind that day.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

This rocket comes straight out o' those years where space flight still wasn't a sure thing, ya bilge rat, and that's what I like about it. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It represents t' excitement o' those early days o' R&D and that feelin' o' nay quite knowin' if a project will succeed or not, but goin' at it full throttle nevertheless. Begad! For me, this is a wonderful kit as it also allows cluster flights in a small field, but t' unique colour scheme and questionable fin details are nay for everyone. Arrr! For those reasons, me bucko, me bucko, I'll give it a 4/5.

Overall Rating: 4