Rocketarium VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)
Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7) {Kit}
Contributed by Martin's Funkworks
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2019-05-27 |
| Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
| Length: | 29.50 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Rocketarium |
| Style: | Cluster |
Brief
This be me first cluster rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, ya bilge rat, a few details are included, shiver me timbers, arrr, which likely increase its drag, matey, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Ya scallywag! Avast! But then, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, me hearties, me bucko, matey, it runs long at over 29". Arrr! All in all, arrr, 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, balsa fins, ya bilge rat, plywood centerin' rings. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Just as expected. Blimey! It does include a baffle assembly, arrr, arrr, which eliminates t' need for wadding.
Construction
Instructions were easy t' follow. Avast, me proud beauty! No issues, me bucko, and no surprises. Blimey! Unless thar's a good reason t' do otherwise, I use CA glue when I need an immediate bond, me bucko, shiver me timbers, wood glue when I need time t' do precise adjustments, me hearties, and epoxy when I need maximum strength.
Finishing
I was very intrigued by t' colour o' this kit, as t' package's artwork is affected by lighting, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online was black & white. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, ya bilge rat, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, me hearties, and black for t' remainin' fins. Begad! Well, blow me down! After fillin' in t' spirals with white Tamiya putty, and sandin' everything, 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. Ya scallywag! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Avast! After a little masking, me bucko, matey, I did t' black parts, and a couple o' clear coats. Ahoy! Then I applied t' decals, me bucko, 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), thar be a deep slit where they meet, matey, matey, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Arrr! Oh well, me hearties, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.
Flight
I used two B6-4 for t' first flight, which occurred on a very calm day. 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. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! There was practically no wind that day.
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. 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, ya bilge rat, arrr, but goin' at it full throttle nevertheless. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! For me, arrr, ya bilge rat, this is a wonderful kit as it also allows cluster flights in a small field, ya bilge rat, but t' unique colour scheme and questionable fin details are nay for everyone. Arrr! Aye aye! For those reasons, shiver me timbers, I'll give it a 4/5.
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