FlisKits be t' newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from me vantage point, arrr, ya bilge rat, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. Ya scallywag! Begad! I have built kits from 22 different manufacturers and when I received t' (3) FlisKits I had ordered, I be initially amazed at t' packaging. They are so professional lookin' that if hangin' in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in some factory somewhere.

T' packagin' includes a "hanger" section with a nice FlisKits logo and age recommendation on t' front and, me hearties, on t' back, t' sayin' "FlisKits are t' Best kits," address and a warnin' about plastic bags bein' dangerous. Ya scallywag! Begad! Inside t' bag you will find a Full One-Year Warranty with a Limited Liability Statement and t' NARRRRR flyin' code all neatly placed in a separate quarter-folded insert. Avast, me proud beauty! T' other kit I purchased even had a plastic parachute with FlisKits' name and logo on it. Well, blow me down! Begad! Like I said, me bucko, very professional.

This particular kit is K-SP002, ya bilge rat, Tumble Weed. Ahoy! Blimey! It is FlisKits' smallest kit standin' only 3.6" tall and usin' a 13mm body tube. Aye aye! You might place this kit in amongst t' Estes Mosquito, Estes Quark, and Rogue Gnat for doin' comparisons. T' only real problem in t' comparisons is that t' Tumble Weed is a bit more than three fins and a nose cone. In fact, me bucko, it has strong resemblances t' t' old Estes Astron Sprite.

T' Tumble Weed kit includes a 13mm body tube and balsa nose cone. Well, blow me down! Blimey! There is a sheet o' balsa t' cut out t' fins and a fin template. T' tail rin' tube finalizes t' outer structure. Ahoy! T' support items include a motor hook and gauze for mountin' t' motor hook. Finally thar be a 1/8" launch lug.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single sheet o' paper. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! They include an introduction and then 13 steps o' assembly instruction with an illustration for nearly every step. Blimey! Well, blow me down! At t' end o' t' assembly instructions are some finishin' tips. Avast, me proud beauty! You will need a sharp hobby knife, white glue, fine and medium grit sand paper, shiver me timbers, a pencil and scissors.

Assembly is straightforward however thar are some challenges associated with this rocket due t' its small size.

It is interestin' t' know that I have serial number #28 as marked on t' packagin' card. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I like t' fact it is numbered and if thar are problems reported, FlisKits would have a good idea o' t' number o' kits impacted. Begad! Begad! I did run into three problems with t' kit. Ahoy! Aye aye!

One o' these problems was identified by an extra sticker placed on t' outside o' t' packaging. It was t' fact that t' nose cone shoulder needed t' be cut down t' 1/4" length. Blimey! T' other two problems were nay pointed out with a notice and were discovered durin' t' build. Aye aye!

T' two problems involve step 1 o' t' rocket assembly. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' instructions mention that thar be a port hole pre-cut into t' body tube, which was nay t' case. Ya scallywag! In addition, t' fin markin' guide did nay fully wrap around t' body tube and if used t' mark t' fins would have caused a misalignment. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I caught both o' these and resolved them by cuttin' me own hole and usin' an Estes fin markin' guide t' get t' three fins equally spaced. Well, blow me down! FlisKits must have ID'd these just before or while I be building, arrr, ya bilge rat, because when I notified them they pointed me t' a correction sheet that was posted under t' kit on their website. All o' these items were addressed and they included a new fin markin' guide.

Movin' on with assembly, t' fins need t' be cut out from 1/16" balsa usin' a card stock template. Ya scallywag! T' large fins are nay a problem t' cut out, however, shiver me timbers, t' smaller fin tips were challenging. T' primary reason is because they were so small (see picture)! FlisKits recognized that some may mistake in cuttin' t' fins and provided at least double t' required balsa t' be successful. Very thoughtful. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Note: Picture t' left be t' remainin' balsa after cuttin' out me fins.

Once me fins were on, I slid t' tail rin' down. Ahoy! Arrr! It did nay fit right away and I had just a tad bit o' sandin' t' do on t' fins. Once complete, matey, it slid (and was glued) in place. Once in place, shiver me timbers, matey, I used a block and sandpaper t' sand off t' excess balsa that stuck out beyond t' tail ring. Avast! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Next, I cut fin tips, arrr, ya bilge rat, held all three together and did t' final shapin' with sandpaper. Avast, me proud beauty! These were then glued on.

T' motor hook is glued in place and t' provided gauze is used t' secure it t' t' body. Avast! Avast! This is done betwixt two fins. Blimey! T' launch lug is glued betwixt another set o' fins, arrr, while t' vent port is betwixt t' last set o' fins.

I didn't get too fancy in finishing. Arrr! I hit t' rocket with about 3 coats o' primer, me hearties, sandin' in betwixt and then used Krylon Gloss White on t' whole rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Once dry I taped off t' tail rin' and nose cone and then painted t' exposed rocket with Krylon Fluorescent Orange. Ya scallywag! Nay too bad looking. Aye aye! T' kit does nay come with any decals.

Overall, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Begad! Avast! Blimey! T' instructions were fine and t' extra balsa was a nice touch. Well, arrr, blow me down! Blimey! Havin' t' cut out balsa fins has never bothered me, however, shiver me timbers, it does add a level o' challenge t' t' kit especially t' tiny, tiny fin tips. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Also, shiver me timbers, I understand t' need for t' gauze on t' outside o' t' body, ya bilge rat, but I don't like its looks.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' 1/2A2-3 and t' A3-4 motors. Avast! They indicate t' finished weight is 0.2 ounces, me bucko, so you know even t' 1/2A is goin' t' put some distance betwixt you and t' rocket smartly ... Arrr! Ya scallywag! so you better have more than 1 spotter. Begad! I was able t' create a rocksim o' t' Tumble Weed™ and below is me 3D image and flight simulation from RockSim results.

T' rocket is prepped by simply placin' t' motor into t' bottom and slidin' it up until it hits t' nose cone shoulder. Well, blow me down! There is a motor hook, however, it is thar t' catch t' motor upon ejection so that t' motor is hangin' way back. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! This makes t' rocket unstable so that it will tumble on recovery.

I did all three o' me launches on a 1/4A3-2. Ya scallywag! I really didn't want t' loose this little Tumble Weed. Arrr! T' first flight showed just how fast this rocket will come off t' pad (I missed t' picture, in fact, I missed all 3 flights). Blimey! Yes, arrr, it is very fast. I be able t' follow t' rocket up, which was nay straight but like a very large corkscrew, shiver me timbers, and I did see ejection. Ya scallywag! T' ejection, ya bilge rat, matey, with a big "flame-pop", ya bilge rat, matey, me hearties, seemed t' send t' rocket away fast and on another trajectory. Blimey! T' rocket came in stable and hard into t' road (didn't tumble) and dented nose cone. T' motor had kicked out upon ejection.

For t' next 1/4A flight, I bent t' motor hook inward a bit t' try t' prevent t' motor from kickin' out. This flight was much more straight and it did tumble back. I assumed it tumbled because t' motor casin' was still in, but I was wrong; t' motor kicked out again.

For t' third 1/4A flight, I bent t' motor hook inward a bit more t' try t' prevent t' motor from kickin' out. This flight be also more straight than t' first and it tumble recovered. But, t' motor kicked on this flight too.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. T' rocket, as designed, shiver me timbers, is nay stable unless a motor is in place. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! If t' motor stays in place then it will nay tumble durin' recovery. T' motor hook is supposed t' keep it in place, however, on me three attempts it did not. Avast! Blimey! Could it be t' placement and size o' t' vent port? Maybe. Is t' Tumble Weed a good flier. Aye aye! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Yes, in comparison t' Estes Mighty Mites, Mosquito, Quark and t' likes. And I did find it all three times. Ahoy! Blimey! On a 1/2A or an A, I would be very afraid o' loosin' it. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Blimey! As FlisKits "mini" entry it definitely competes in looks with t' Estes Mosquito and Quark. Aye aye! Ahoy! You'll pay almost double o' those kits, me hearties, but for t' distinctive look, it is worth it. I don't understand t' motor hook issue I had and I would love t' see some set o' decals. Buildin' it requires some nimble fingers and patience. Blimey! Make this rocket an "add-on" when you call FlisKits t' purchase any other rocket and you will find it t' be a nice rainy day build kit. Aye aye! Also, matey, I will now watch for who converts this one t' Quest MicroMaxx motors...maybe it will be me (Idea: get rid o' t' motor hook, add MMaxx motor mount, arrr, add needed nose weight t' make stable).