FlisKits be t' newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from me vantage point, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. 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. Arrr! They are so professional lookin' that if hangin' in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in some factory somewhere. Well, blow me down!

T' packagin' includes a "hanger" section with a nice FlisKits logo and age recommendation on t' front and, on t' back, matey, t' sayin' "FlisKits are t' Best kits," address and a warnin' about plastic bags bein' dangerous. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' other kit I purchased even had a plastic parachute with FlisKits' name and logo on it. Avast! Blimey! Like I said, shiver me timbers, very professional.

This particular kit is K-SP002, Tumble Weed. Avast! It is FlisKits' smallest kit standin' only 3.6" tall and usin' a 13mm body tube. You might place this kit in amongst t' Estes Mosquito, arrr, me hearties, ya bilge rat, Estes Quark, and Rogue Gnat for doin' comparisons. Avast! 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, it has strong resemblances t' t' old Estes Astron Sprite.

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

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single sheet o' paper. Blimey! They include an introduction and then 13 steps o' assembly instruction with an illustration for nearly every step. At t' end o' t' assembly instructions are some finishin' tips. You will need a sharp hobby knife, white glue, fine and medium grit sand paper, 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. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! I did run into three problems with t' kit. Begad!

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. Well, blow me down! T' other two problems were nay pointed out with a notice and were discovered durin' t' build. Aye aye! Well, blow me down!

T' two problems involve step 1 o' t' rocket assembly. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions mention that thar be a port hole pre-cut into t' body tube, which was nay t' case. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! In addition, me bucko, t' fin markin' guide did nay fully wrap around t' body tube and if used t' mark t' fins would have caused a misalignment. Begad! Blimey! 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. Arrr! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! FlisKits must have ID'd these just before or while I was building, arrr, because when I notified them they pointed me t' a correction sheet that was posted under t' kit on their website. Aye aye! Blimey! All o' these items were addressed and they included a new fin markin' guide.

Movin' on with assembly, me bucko, t' fins need t' be cut out from 1/16" balsa usin' a card stock template. Well, blow me down! T' large fins are nay a problem t' cut out, matey, me hearties, however, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! Very thoughtful. Begad! Note: Picture t' left be t' remainin' balsa after cuttin' out me fins.

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

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

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

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

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' 1/2A2-3 and t' A3-4 motors. They indicate t' finished weight is 0.2 ounces, matey, arrr, so you know even t' 1/2A is goin' t' put some distance betwixt you and t' rocket smartly ... Blimey! so you better have more than 1 spotter. Begad! Well, blow me down! 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. Ya scallywag! There is a motor hook, however, ya bilge rat, it is thar t' catch t' motor upon ejection so that t' motor is hangin' way back. Ahoy! 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. I really didn't want t' loose this little Tumble Weed. T' first flight showed just how fast this rocket will come off t' pad (I missed t' picture, in fact, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I missed all 3 flights). Avast! Yes, it is very fast. I was able t' follow t' rocket up, which was nay straight but like a very large corkscrew, me hearties, arrr, and I did see ejection. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' ejection, arrr, ya bilge rat, with a big "flame-pop", me bucko, seemed t' send t' rocket away fast and on another trajectory. Well, blow me down! Arrr! 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. Aye aye! Arrr! This flight was much more straight and it did tumble back. Ya scallywag! I assumed it tumbled because t' motor casin' was still in, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast! This flight was also more straight than t' first and it tumble recovered. Well, blow me down! But, me bucko, t' motor kicked on this flight too.

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

I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Well, blow me down! As FlisKits "mini" entry it definitely competes in looks with t' Estes Mosquito and Quark. Ya scallywag! You'll pay almost double o' those kits, but for t' distinctive look, it is worth it. Avast! Ya scallywag! I don't understand t' motor hook issue I had and I would love t' see some set o' decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Buildin' it requires some nimble fingers and patience. 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. Begad! Arrr! Also, 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, add MMaxx motor mount, arrr, me hearties, add needed nose weight t' make stable).