FlisKits Cheetah

FlisKits - Cheetah (MS001)

Contributed by Russ Anthony

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Diameter: 0.98 inches
Length: 23.80 inches
Manufacturer: FlisKits
Skill Level: 2
Style: Multi-Stage

Rocket PicBrief:
T' Cheetah is a basic 4 fin, dual stage, 24" rocket with streamer recovery usin' high quality components. Begad! Well, blow me down! An individual production number is included on t' package card with t' first 100 kits. I own production kit #1 and #25. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! FlisKits rates t' kit as Skill Level 2. Arrr! Avast!

Construction:
T' followin' parts were included in t' kit:

  • 1 Nose Cone
  • 1 17" Body Tube
  • 2 2.75" Body Tubes
  • 1 1" Stage Coupler
  • 1 Engine Block
  • 4 Centerin' Rings
  • 12" Cotton Thread
  • 24" Keelhaul®©™® Thread
  • 36" Crepe Streamer
  • 1 Medium Screw Eye
  • 2 3/32" Balsa Fin Stock
  • 1" Launch Lug
  • 1 Tape Disk
  • 1 Instruction Sheet
  • 1 Fin Pattern Sheet
  • 1 Decal Sheet

Also included be a corrected separate Fin Markin' Guide.

PartsT' assembly instructions consisted o' seventeen steps printed on four pages. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' steps were easy t' follow, with many illustrations showin' placement, matey, shiver me timbers, dimensions, matey, etc. Care must be taken with this model, me hearties, as t' placement o' couplers and tubes can be tricky with any multi-stage rocket. Measure twice, ya bilge rat, cut once! A misplaced coupler or body tube can result in another order t' FlisKits since thar are no extras. Avast, me proud beauty! As per FlisKits standards, me hearties, matey, t' fit o' all parts is exact. O' special mention be t' external shock cord and t' special mount that runs from the interior engine mount, arrr, me hearties, matey, out t' body tube at t' Center o' Gravity and back up to t' nose cone. Arrr! This mountin' technique is unknown t' many modelers, so I asked Jim Flis t' reason for it. Blimey! Avast! His answer was: "For such a large rocket, ya bilge rat, you will note that it has rather small fins that have a very long root to tip length. My experience with this design (which I first flew about 20 years ago) is that these fins have a tendancy t' snap off if t' model is comin' down with t' recovery device attached t' t' inside o' t' body and the body comin' down fins first. Begad! By mountin' t' shock cord outside t' body, ya bilge rat, at the mid point, me bucko, t' rocket will descend at an angle o' attack that protects these fins better (so long as it doesn't land on pavement.)" One guess where me first launch landed! I built t' kit stock, shiver me timbers, and t' exterior Keelhaul®©™® works great, matey, with t' model fallin' more horizontal than vertical. Avast, me proud beauty! One other small issue was that t' elastic shock cord, mentioned in step number 15, ya bilge rat, was left out o' t' kit and nay included on t' parts list. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Jim Flis confirmed that this will be corrected for subsequent production runs. Begad! Like all FlisKits models, me hearties, shiver me timbers, this one requires t' modeler t' gain skills by cuttin' fins with a provided template. Ya scallywag! There is a generous amount o' Balsa fin stock included, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, if practice is needed. T' kit was easy t' build overall, and resulted in a sturdy model.

Finishing:
With t' usual high quality FlisKits parts, matey, fine balsa fin stock, arrr, me hearties, real balsa nose cones, etc. this kit be a joy t' finish. Avast! Aye aye! T' body tubes required no filling, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me hearties, just a couple o' primer coats before one final coat o' yellow Krylon. I deviated from t' package color t' increase t' visibility for high flights. I be very happy t' see that t' kit included decals, although me personal preference is for water slide rather than t' included vinyl sheet. Blimey! They gave little trouble, although I did use a highlighter t' give them t' same color as the rest o' t' model. Well, blow me down! T' finished model looks quite attractive.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

LaunchFlight:
Like a few other FlisKits models, shiver me timbers, preparation for flight is a little more lengthy with an external mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Waddin' be added, matey, and t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord threaded through t' edge o' t' nose cone. Blimey! Multi-stage models require a few more minutes o' prep time with t' tape retension method that is required. Begad! I decided t' use a B6-0 for t' booster, and an A8-5 for t' upper stage, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, due t' t' small park I be launchin' in. Blimey! T' launch was very straight, with t' booster stage separatin' a surprisin' several hundred feet up. Well, blow me down! It recovered within 50 feet o' t' launch site. T' upper stage flew very high even on t' A motor, landin' well out o' t' park area. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Be warned: Anything more than a B6-0 + B6-6 might well result in a lost model, matey, even with yellow paint and a large launch area! I recommend A longer mylar streamer and colored trackin' powder with t' C motors as well. Avast, me proud beauty!

Recovery:
Due t' t' extreme height, t' landin' be on a pavement street a block outside the park. Ya scallywag! One fin snapped at t' root, arrr, but was smartly repaired. Ahoy! There be no other problem, me bucko, and I'm confident that it will recover nicely on any other surface. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I heartily recommend this kit. Aye aye! This is another high quality rocket kit from FlisKits, arrr, Inc. Blimey! T' kit components are first rate, finish nicely and come together t' make an extremely high flyin' model. Aye aye! For those modelers lookin' for a step up from "ready t' fly" kits, arrr, ya bilge rat, this will be a refreshing, attractive, sleek addition t' their fleet.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flights

Comments:

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R.W.A. (January 31, 2004)
Since writing the original review for the Cheetah, I have found another great reason to fly her. Local and regional NAR contests usually have an event known as "Open Spot Landing" where you try to land a rocket as close to a flag as possible. The Cheetah, with its streamer is perfect for this event. It recovers with very little drift. Often, a lazy contest director may place the flag within about 150 feet of the launch site, and a 1/2A6-2 will consistently place the Cheetah within 20 feet of the flag. I have entered and placed in three NAR regional Spot Landing contests and never landed farther than 35 feet away! In fact, our next regional is switching to parachute spot landing to make things more difficult. My Cheetah now has close to 15 flights and doesn't show any wear, (save for the pavement recovery incident.)
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A.T. (June 8, 2008)
I love this rocket, I don't even fly it with the 1'st stage as it shoots up out of sight with only 1 C6-5. I would recommend fiber glassing the fins with some 1/2 oz cloth, overall it's a great value, I would recommend it to anybody that wants a fun little rocket.
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T.W. (June 25, 2008)
Well, it SHOULD fly great... It looks amazingly like a downsized Astron OMEGA, the beloved Cineroc launch vehicle of yesteryear. Hmmmm... with a little ingenuity and a few spare parts and one of those micro video cameras...!

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