Edmonds Aerospace - Ecee Thunder {Kit}

Edmonds Aerospace Ecee Thunder

Edmonds Aerospace - Ecee Thunder {Kit}

Contributed by Todd Williams

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Manufacturer:

Edmonds Aerospace

[Rocket Pic] Brief
A BIG rocket glider kit that is easy t' put together, matey, looks and flies great.

Construction
T' instructions are both sides o' a single 11x17 sheet o' paper. Arrr! Ahoy! They may be just a little sparse for a complete beginner, ya bilge rat, but are adequate for anyone who has built a couple o' rockets. Aye aye! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! They do nay include any instructions on balancin' and trimmin' for glide, shiver me timbers, which would be helpful t' those without glider experience. I needed only t' make a minor adjustment t' add "positive motor retention" points for holdin' in me 24mm reload casing. Other than that they are complete and accurate.

T' laser cut balsa parts fit like a good jigsaw puzzle. Aye aye! I be able t' complete construction in one evening, which is amazin' considerin' t' size and sophistication o' t' model.

My finished model was balanced almost perfectly without any trimmin' when built accordin' t' t' instructions. Arrr! Very easy - time t' fly it!

Finishing
This kit looks good as is, and I chose nay t' paint t' keep weight down and get longer glide times.

Construction Rating: 4

Glider Flight
T' Ecee Thunder requires a 3/16" launch rod.

T' instructions say t' tape t' motor in, me hearties, which is adequate for D12s, ya bilge rat, but I added a more positive retention for t' 24mm reload casing. T' added weight is minimal, and I think it would be a nice addition t' t' kit t' include some more secure motor retention system as standard. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Preparation is simple: Slide t' piston back, matey, secure t' motor and fly.

T' Ecee Thunder needed no extra trimmin' for glide - it was ready t' go as built. Avast, me proud beauty! It is large enough that it was was still in pretty good trim after addin' a couple o' blind nuts and wirin' in a 24mm reload casing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fly with t' F12 reload does require some reinforcement - pay special attention t' t' wingtips and be sure o' all glue joints. Well, blow me down! Boost is nice and straight, and glide is impressive looking, if nay o' "competition" duration (but then, me bucko, how many big competition RGs have you seen?).

Flight Rating: 5

Summary
T' Ecee Thunder (like t' Deltie Thunder before it) is a show stopper and will get attention even at high power launches. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Easy t' build. Fun t' fly. Aye aye! Blimey! Recommended!

Pros: ease o' construction and flight, great looking, easy t' trim
Cons: could use some sort o' motor retention, ya bilge rat, kits hard t' find

Overall Rating: 4

Flights

Comments:

D.U. (August 1, 2000)

The first thing you see is that it's BIG. Then when you hold it, you realize that it's really light! I would have liked to see more about balancing and motor selection. I saw a guy try to fly this on an D12-5. Big mistake, much too much delay. Perfect on a D12-3. Things I would improve: Bigger vent hole for ejection gasses. I saw three ETs blow off pieces of themselves if the ejection charge was too robust. Piston is REALLY hard to get back in hold and will quickly get crudded up. Grain on canard flap is the wrong direction and breaks too easily. Not one ET at NARAM 42 escaped broken canard syndrome. Reasons you should buy it anyway: It's a great flyer. It's a show stopper. The construction is amazingly easy. It's a marvelous, unique design. You'll fall in love with it. Try Totally Tubular to get one, they had a good supply of all the EA stuff last time I looked.

R.G. (March 4, 2002)

I had a canard failure on the first flight, it landed safely but due to mis-alignment of the locking arm the canard was split from the center just behind the notch for the arm to one edge. the only thing holding it together was the tape hinge. Also you must try this bird on an Estes E9-4, It's my favorite motor for this bird!

T.M. (October 14, 2005)

After nearly a dozen flights of my Ecee Thunder, I had a bizarre flight on what is my favorite motor for it, the Estes E9-4. I have flown this motor a half dozen times before, but on the last flight, the rocket re-kitted itself! It literally came apart along all the glue joints in the wings and stabilizers! My only guess is that the glue failed due to the extreme heat at Plaster Blaster 2005! It should be easy enough to reassemble. Good thing I wasn't flying the F21 that I had planned for the next flight!

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