I Build Rockets - Ballistic Chicken

I Build Rockets Ballistic Chicken

I Build Rockets - Ballistic Chicken

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2011-03-21
Manufacturer:	I Build Rockets

Brief

T' Ballistic Chicken is a basic 3FNC, 18mm-powered rocket...with a cool chicken-head nose cone. Arrr! Blimey! It be t' first offerin' from Australia-based I Build Rockets. This was a beta test build, so t' final kit may vary slightly. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! (I modified t' shock cord attachment.)

Thanks, me hearties, Sascha, shiver me timbers, matey, for providin' t' opportunity t' test this interestin' kit...and for puttin' up with t' long delay in flyin' it!

Components

T' Chicken's body is an 18” length o' BT-50. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' 18mm motor mount assembly includes 2 wide cardboard centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, a block and a motor hook. Well, blow me down! T' fins are laser cut from lite ply, shiver me timbers, me hearties, which is especially nice given t' feather pattern on t' trailin' edges. Recovery is via a 12” Mylar ‘chute, me bucko, me hearties, which includes a swivel. Begad! Begad! T' shock cord is elastic and is attached with t' venerable tri-fold mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! That leaves t' plastic chicken head. This goofy lookin' chicken (read that as "cool") includes a plastic shoulder with a built in wire hook.

Construction

T' instructions are pretty basic but t' build is straightforward. T' mount builds like any other. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I liked t' laser cut fins. They appear t' be lite ply and are both sturdy and easy t' sand. Ahoy! Blimey! There isn’t much grain so I merely sanded t' leadin' edge round and gave them a single coat o' Fill’n’Finish. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! There is a also a laser cut stand-off for t' 3/16” launch lug. Begad! Blimey! A wrap around fin alignment guide is provided. Begad! Blimey! I used Titebond Trim and Moldin' glue throughout for bondin' and fillets.

I hadn’t used a tri-fold mount in around 15 years but didn’t have me standard Keelhaul®©™ twine on hand so I initially used t' mount. Avast! However, due t' unforeseen circumstances, arrr, me bucko, t' Chicken sat around unfinished for several months. Aye aye! Durin' this waitin' period, matey, I Build Rockets released some nifty laser-cut plywood parachute anchors. Begad! So, ya bilge rat, I pulled out me trusty wood workin' knives and removed t' tri-fold mount. Ahoy! T' 24mm anchor kit (see photo) includes t' plywood anchor, a screw-eye, a snap swivel, shiver me timbers, and a short Keelhaul®©™ leader. Ahoy! You attach t' screw-eye in a pre-cut center hole and apply a dab o' Epoxy t' insure it stays there. T' Keelhaul®©™ leader connects t' t' swivel and t' elastic shock cord. Since this assembly must be installed several inches down into t' body tube, me bucko, make sure you attach said swivel t' t' screw-eye! I then swabbed some glue deep into t' tube and inserted t' anchor usin' a long hemostat. Begad! Ahoy! It took a little manipulation t' get it positioned properly.

T' 'chute is pre-cut and includes t' holes. Arrr! You tie t' three riser lines on and attach them t' t' swivel. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Since this is nay a snap swivel, matey, attachin' it t' t' cord requires that you tie a loop with t' swivel and 'chute attached. Avast! Nay hard, but a snap swivel would avoid this (and make t' ‘chute removable).

Finishing

T' prescribed paint scheme is bright yellow, so a white primer is required. Begad! Blimey! I used 2 coats o' Painter’s Touch primer. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a day, shiver me timbers, arrr, I sprayed 2 coats o' ‘new’ Krylon. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' latter covered well but I didn’t like t' wide spray pattern. Ya scallywag! Blimey! One water slide decal is provided, which really spruces t' Chicken up. It is a good quality decal and be easy t' position. Avast! Blimey! After another day o' drying, I shot a clear coat t' protect t' decal.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

T' recommended engines are t' B6-4 and C6-5 so I started with t' B6. Ya scallywag! I used dog barf and tamped it down onto t' shock cord anchor. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' cone is a little loose so I added some maskin' tape until it was snug. T' Quest B6-4 gave it a nice flight.

Recovery

Ejection was with t' nose down. Unfortunately, me hearties, one fin stripped off at ejection. It be found later in t' day but thar wasn't enough time t' make a field repair. I wonder if t' thick Trim and Moldin' glue didn't adhere well? When I re-attach it, I'll use plain old wood glue.

T' shock cord anchor worked great! It keeps t' 'chute near t' front and, me bucko, me hearties, despite it nay bein' a baffle, seems t' help protect t' 'chute. I say this nay only because thar was no damage, me hearties, arrr, arrr, but t' waddin' was still in place. I hear these anchors will be incorporated into t' kit.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary

T' thin' that I liked most about this kit was t' off-beat chicken theme. I just love t' head/cone! I also liked t' laser cut fins. I'm glad that future kits will have t' plywood shock cord anchor. Begad! I assumed they will when assignin' a numerical rating.

T' Chicken flies just fine. T' one hiccup was t' fin shearin' off. This may have been partially due t' me choice o' glues. At this writin' and havin' only one flight under me belt, matey, I'll rate t' flight as 'good' (I consider that average) and t' overall ratin' as very good.

Since t' new EMRR/RocketReviews.com should allow me t' mangle this review, I'll update this after I fly it again.

T' only 'gotcha' I see be t' availability o' t' kit. Australia is far away and shippin' isn't cheap. If you have an interest, me hearties, contact Sascha via his web site. Maybe he can strike up a deal with a U.S. Ahoy! based supplier?

Overall Rating: 4

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