Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Model Minutes |
Brief:
T' G-200 is a large paper rocket that flies on 24mm motors. Ya scallywag! T' diameter of
the lower tube is about 2 3/8" vs t' 2" in t' specs above t' first
review--just a skosh too small t' fit t' Fat Boy cone that was sittin' by my
computer. Aye aye! It features a clear payload section (one o' t' few non-paper
components) and two build options. T' Orbital Launcher option deploys a paper
satellite that comes down on its own chute, me bucko, while t' Payloader option leaves
the payload section open. Ahoy! I chose t' latter but built t' satellite sans chute
and inserted it in t' payload section.
Construction:
This is me second Model Minutes kit and I agree t' instructions are improved.
There are regular photos vs t' 3D photos that I couldn't see clearly. Well, blow me down! Begad! There
are several minor errors, me bucko, such as t' instructions for buildin' t' glasses are
still included but these did nay affect t' build. Ya scallywag! There also seem t' be some
product improvements since t' previous review. I built t' entire kit using
Aleene's Tacky Glue.
Step 1 involves buildin' t' motor mount, me bucko, insertin' it in t' lower body, addin' t' tail cone and t' lower launch lug. Avast, me proud beauty! This kit uses t' same retention method as t' XFLR-7 and t' previous review has a good photo o' t' motor mount assembly. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' one issue I see be t' retainer is sized for D12 motors and will nay fit t' E9 properly. Avast! However, matey, friction fittin' and some tape around the motor and retainer tab should do t' trick for t' longer motor in my estimation. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I will find out.
T' four fins are built next. Begad! These were formed into diamond airfoils as described in t' earlier review and I had no problems seein' how they went together. My only problem was that one o' t' internal braces shifted during the final assembly (fin 2 o' 4), me bucko, so I made sure t' glue set on t' brace before I performed t' final foldin' o' t' subsequent two. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! You will see from my photos that t' fins seem t' now be mounted further aft than on t' version in t' previous review. Begad! T' instructions mention that you can mix and match their orientation. Begad! I chose all forward-swept since it sounds like t' chute may be a little undersized and this should also protect them from damage. Blimey! As an added bonus with t' fins forward swept, matey, t' tips are even with t' end o' the lower body tube, which made their installation much easier. Avast, me proud beauty!
T' rest o' t' model is pretty much just formin' and attachin' tubes and transitions. Ahoy! T' transitions and t' middle tube (the thinner one below the payload) are double walled, which is good for this sized rocket. Well, blow me down! T' double walled tube required a lot o' patience t' get t' inner and outer tabs aligned correctly, me hearties, and I continued t' have fit problems betwixt components (tube-tube, tube-transition, me hearties, ya bilge rat, etc). On this build, arrr, shiver me timbers, I took extreme care t' cut all t' pieces exactly, ya bilge rat, so I don't know what happened. Aye aye!
I made two deviations near t' end o' t' build: I tied t' two provided shock cords together t' make one larger one and I only cut one o' t' panes out of t' payload section. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Based on t' comments in t' earlier review, shiver me timbers, three cutouts just seem t' weaken t' payload bay too much.
In summary, matey, these are t' improvements identified in t' instructions:
Finishing:
T' pre-printed cardstock only requires a couple o' coats o' clear enamel (or
most any clear coat).
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
As mentioned earlier, T' E9 is too long for t' provided motor hook. Ahoy! I made a
thin maskin' tape thrust rin' betwixt t' motor tube and t' motor hook and
then applied several wraps o' tape around t' hook and overhangin' motor. Begad! The
waddin' was all dog barf, and I used a dowel t' work some down into t' lowest
reaches o' t' body tube.
T' E9-4 provides a great ride for this rocket. T' overall path was straight up and thar be just a hint o' coning. Avast! Ejection was around apogee. Aye aye!
Recovery:
T' chute didn't appear t' be fully deployed but when recovered I found that it
was open but it was severely twisted and entwined with t' shock cord. The
Model Minutes chutes need longer riser lines and a snap swivel. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Still, me bucko, shiver me timbers, there
was no damage on landing. Aye aye! Aye aye!
When I inspected t' rocket, I notice thar be some brownin' o' the cardstock on one quadrant betwixt t' fins. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! This may have actually been due to the waddin' I worked down above t' motor. It seems strong enough t' fly again, but I have concerns whether t' kit could survive multiple flights on t' E9. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down!
Given t' flight and damage-free recovery, I would rate t' kit a 4.5 for flight/recovery. Blimey! However, I will deduct a point for t' charring.
Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a somewhat easier kit than t' XFLR-7, me bucko, but I still had me difficulties.
Up close, matey, thar are misalignments but from a distance, me hearties, it looks OK. I will
blame a lot o' this on me. Begad! Blimey! I have since seen another good tip for constructing
paper models: apply all glue with a toothpick. Avast! Blimey! This will help ensure you don't
use too much as I tend to.
T' construction is good for this sized paper kit--air foiled fins and double wall components make it a lot sturdier. Ahoy! It flies great on t' E9-4 despite it nay fittin' t' motor hook. Well, blow me down! Begad! I noted some brownin' o' t' cardstock, which tells me this kit will nay be t' workhorse o' anyone's fleet.
Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5
This is a monster of a paper rocket, capable of handling 24mm motors and carrying payloads. Paper rockets in general are always a nice break from the routine and this one is certainly a break from the paper rocket norm. I had the pleasure of building a beta version of this as well as the final version. This review is based on the final version. The parts list for this Model Minutes kits is ...
Sponsored Ads