Brief:
T' Mini Fantom is a downscale o' LOC's MPR/HPR Fantom. Ahoy! It is a simple 3 fin and nosecone design. Begad! I decided t' start on it because me other projects had me sittin' around and waitin' for glue t' dry.

Construction:
T' first surprise I got with this kit was with t' instructions. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I kept lookin' for them in t' little plastic case the kit came in and finally realized that they are printed on t' back o' t' face card. Ya scallywag! Since t' package itself it small, matey, arrr, this meant some small instructions. Avast! For me, shiver me timbers, they were difficult t' read but this is a simple kit and it is doable.

Actual construction began with t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! A line be marked 1/4" from one end and a slit was made on the line t' receive t' engine hook. Ahoy! T' centerin' rings were then slid into place on either end and glued. Aye aye! Both rings needed plenty o' sandin' on their inner surfaces t' fit t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' thrust rin' was then glued into place right over t' top o' t' engine hook.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide, but it was a bit different from what I am used to. With most wraparounds, shiver me timbers, I just tape into place and make t' marks. Begad! On this one, arrr, wrappin' t' guide all t' way would obscure some of t' marks. Aye aye! It was just taped at one end and then wrapped t' make a single circumference. Aye aye! Ahoy! I did nay like t' idea but it be no trouble at all. Ya scallywag! T' end o' t' fin markin' guide is taken up by a fin alignment template. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' lines for the three fins and t' launch lug were transferred and then an angle was used t' extend them.

T' fins came on a single small sheet o' balsa and were in good shape. Aye aye! Avast! I cut them out, matey, stacked them t' sand them even, and then sanded bevels in all but t' root edge.

For this project, I decided t' give another try t' t' idea o' usin' label paper t' "seal" t' fins. Each fin was placed on t' sticky part o' t' label paper with t' root edge flush with t' edge o' t' paper. T' fin was then rolled over t' leadin' edge and t' paper pressed into place on t' opposite side. Aye aye! A razor was used t' trim away t' excess. Avast! Begad! T' result was a bit better than t' last time I tried this, but I still need some practice.

As mentioned earlier, t' end o' t' wraparound fin markin' guide is taken up by a template used for t' placement o' the fins. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! A section representin' t' BT is cut out along with t' correct angle for t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions say t' cut along t' red line but t' guide is in black print only. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Even so, shiver me timbers, t' correct line be easy t' identify as it is dotted.

I had real doubts about t' efficacy o' this fin guide but must admit that it worked out fine. Avast! Arrr! Each fin was placed usin' a double joint o' yellow glue. Arrr! When t' glue be tacky enough t' stick, t' guide was used t' maintain alignment. T' launch lug was also glued into place along its line at this time.

For a shock cord mount, this kit intends for a piece o' elastic t' be threaded through a perforated piece of sticker and stuck into t' body tube similar t' t' old Centuri mount system. I declined t' do this. Avast! Avast! Blimey! I tied a Keelhaul®©™® thread around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and t' filleted it into place with some yellow glue. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! A small notch was cut into t' forward centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' passin' o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

T' inside o' t' airframe tube be swabbed with yellow glue, t' Keelhaul®©™® was fished through t' tube, and t' motor mount be slid into place with just a bit protrudin' from t' aft end. Arrr! The instruction call for t' motor tube t' be flush but I like t' leave a bit hangin' out. While waitin' for t' glue on the motor mount t' dry, shiver me timbers, I took t' opportunity t' add more white glue fillets.

When t' glue was dry, thar be nothin' left o' construction except t' tie t' elastic t' t' Keelhaul®©™® and plastic nosecone. I should comment here that t' plastic nosecone was one o' t' nicest I have seen with no mold lines.

PROs: simple, good materials

CONs: instructions difficult t' read (small)

Finishing:
T' built rocket was quite unpretentious, me hearties, little more than a generic 3FNC. I had hopes that t' paintin' and finishin' would change that.

T' first step be t' take t' cardboard colored rocket and make it white. Begad! This be done with t' application of 3 coats o' white spray paint.

T' face card scheme called for a white body, black fins and a green nose cone. Ya scallywag! My intention be t' go along with that scheme but I had been have really bad luck with paint lately. Ahoy! I decided t' try paintin' just a single fin first. I taped it off usin' Frog tape and then brushed on t' acrylic. Arrr! Arrr! T' result be less than stellar. There had been some seepage and it looked like one o' me earlier efforts. Arrr!

Since me maskin' jinx still seemed t' be active, shiver me timbers, I modified me plans a bit. I kept t' color scheme but decided to apply t' black t' t' entire base o' t' rocket from just below t' launch lug. Even I have trouble messin' up the maskin' o' a simple ring. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket was duly masked and t' paint brushed on. Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! It be given a little while t' dry.

Maskin' for t' green was simple. Avast! I applied tape around t' forward end o' t' BT and sild t' nose cone out a bit. Aye aye! I then wrapped some foil around t' body o' t' rocket t' protect it from spray. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' sprayin' itself be trivial. Two coats o' green were applied and t' maskin' was removed.

You may recall me overconfident statement about nay bein' able t' mess up t' maskin' o' a simple ring. I was selling myself short. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I be able t' mess it up and thar be some leakage under t' tape. Begad! Aye aye! On inspection, though, me bucko, me bucko, me hearties, I decided that I could live with it. Ya scallywag! T' black be a bit mussed, me bucko, t' green was great, me bucko, and I be happy that paintin' be over.

At this point I would very much like t' wax rhapsodic about t' wonderful waterslide decals but I cannot since there were none. Ahoy! Blimey! Instead, t' kit came with crack and peel stickers. T' stickers do really dress t' kit up, especially with t' face card color scheme, arrr, but in t' end, shiver me timbers, they are stickers. They are also quite stiff and a few of them refused t' stay layin' down along t' body tube.

T' artwork consists o' a pair o' chevrons for each fin, arrr, two name placards, shiver me timbers, two similarly sized "438"s and a couple o' little bitty things that were completely forgettable.

There is one matter havin' t' do with t' stickers about which I am unsure. Aye aye! One o' t' logos is a very good lookin' "Fantom". Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! At first glance, ya bilge rat, I thought thar was a second just like it, me hearties, but instead it is a mirror image. Aye aye! I don't mean that t' letters are slanted in t' opposite direction, arrr, I mean that t' letters are reversed. Ahoy! I have no idea if they are supposed t' be that way or not.

CONs: Thick plastic stickers instead o' decals

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
For its maiden flight, arrr, I decided t' start off easy with an Estes A8-3. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! T' rocket was prepped and put on t' pad and an announcement was made. Begad! Several o' t' people nearby were new and I heard a comment t' t' effect o' "Big deal, its just an A motor..."

T' countdown came and went and t' rocket went too. Aye aye! It really climbed well on t' A. Blimey! T' person who made the comment about t' A motor asked me t' verify what motor I was using. He was impressed. A video o' t' maiden flight o' t' Fantom Mini can be seen here.

For t' second flight, I loaded a B6-4. Arrr! Aye aye! This time, people were payin' more attention. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket again took off well and climbed great, just showin' a bit o' roll towards t' end. Avast, me proud beauty! T' chute ejected and Lindsey had a nice little walk goin' t' recover it. A vid o' t' second flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a well designed little kit with quality parts. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! It goes together and flies well. Arrr! Avast! It's nay t' most exciting thin' out thar but is quite respectable.

I have only two real gripes. T' directions printed on t' back o' t' face card were sometimes hard for me older eyes t' read and I would expect t' maker o' a quality product t' use waterslide decals. Ahoy! At t' very least, if stickers must be used, me bucko, I would like them t' be thinner and t' stick better.

Persons interested in t' ongoin' fate o' this rocket through photos and videos can find it here.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5