A local hobby shop be goin' out o' business and I bought everythin' that was left for $100. Begad! I figured it t' be about $300 worth o' stuff. Ahoy! In that, I gained a Custom Razor and since I like tube-fin rockets I went ahead and built this one.

This kit is designed as a Skill Level 1 for t' beginner and starter. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Yes, you build it, but it is nay necessary t' paint it as it comes with gloss yellow tubes and a black plastic nose cone. Blimey! Blimey! So I just built it t' way t' kit be originally intended.

See me Tube-Fin Rocket Comparison Page

T' Razor comes with a plastic nose cone, matey, a single 9" body tube, six (6) 1 7/8" tube fins, an 18mm motor mount with a motor retainer clip, me hearties, a short (12") piece o' elastic shock cord and a plastic 12" parachute. Begad! There are some water transfer decals for t' finishin' touch.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions for t' kit were thorough and allowed for any skill o' builder t' be successful in assembly o' t' Razor. Aye aye! They include diagrams t' ensure accuracy. Blimey! Blimey! They also included finishin' (although that is only puttin' on t' decals) and flight instructions.

As mentioned, I planned t' build this rocket smartly and with no plans t' paint it since t' body and fin tubes were already gloss yellow and t' nose cone was black. Blimey! I literally assembled this rocket in 5 minutes. Avast! Well, blow me down! All except t' shock cord and parachute. Aye aye! I used Quick Grab glue on this model (additional comments about Quick Grab glue) for everythin' except gluin' t' 3-fold shock cord mount into place.

I decided nay t' use t' 12" piece o' elastic because I feel it is too short, so I added 18" o' 1/16" Keelhaul®©™® t' it. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I used t' Keelhaul®©™® in t' 3-fold method o' shock cord attachment. Arrr! I also replaced t' parachute with a 18" x 3" plastic streamer just t' help in recovery. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! It is such a light rocket that I would rather see it drop faster.

Even though t' kit is designed so that you don't have t' paint, matey, t' tube spirals are very evident. T' black water-transfer decals include tube stripes, t' numbers 1 through 6 for each tube and t' word "Razor".

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. Aye aye! It's fast and easy, like a skill level one should be but also has too short o' a shock cord and this would have been a good candidate for a streamer (like Custom's Serval came with).

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Custom recommended t' followin' motors: 1/2A6-2, A8-3, matey, arrr, B4-4, B6-4, me hearties, C6-5, me bucko, and C6-7.

T' first day I could fly t' Razor be perfect! No wind and so I loaded it up with a C6-7 for its first flight. I had added a piece o' Rogue Perma-waddin' so preparation be easy. Ahoy! Begad! At ignition, this little guy was out o' here and it went very high, me bucko, in fact I lost track until t' trackin' smoke. Well, blow me down! Begad! It was clear that it was still goin' up upon ejection. T' streamer deployed and it be recovered close by.

T' next opportunity I had t' fly was also very nice, so I loaded up t' Apogee C10-7 and let her rip! Wow, zoom off t' pad and straight up, except for a little tight tail swing. Ahoy! Blimey! It was way up thar and I could track t' position by t' nice amount o' trackin' smoke in t' C10. It arced over and ejected and then I heard t' ejection a split second later. Ya scallywag! Avast! T' streamer was folded/rolled and got caught in t' shock cord and t' rocket fell t' t' ground with no damage. Blimey! Arrr! However, t' poor Rogue Perma-waddin' just isn't cut out t' handle t' powerful Apogee motor ejection charges!

T' third flight, in t' same day, was also on an Apogee motor, t' C4-5. Ya scallywag! This time I used some waddin' and t' remains o' t' Perma-wadding. Begad! Blimey! Again, ignition and a straight flight (no wiggle this time) and you could hear t' extra time in t' burn. Arrr! It was at apogee, matey, perfect, me hearties, arrr, when t' ejection charge fired. Arrr! I followed t' rocket down only t' find it missin' t' nose cone and steamer. Blimey!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, I would rate this kit 4 points. It is definitely a fun flier after changin' t' shock cord and addin' a streamer. Arrr! You can fly it on 1/2A's, ya bilge rat, A's and B's, but I be takin' it t' its limits. Make sure you have a calm day and a large field with C motors and have some fun!

Overall, me bucko, matey, t' Razor is good first rocket for someone lookin' for a Tube-Fin. Begad! It is fast t' assemble and gives nice flights. Aye aye! Make t' modifications though, shiver me timbers, me bucko, because otherwise I fear you'll only be gettin' a couple o' flights on it before bangin' t' body tube, arrr, shiver me timbers, breakin' t' shock cord or losin' it on a parachute. Well, blow me down! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 3 ½ points. Avast! Aye aye!