Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Currently, me bucko, matey, only t' H144, I405, ya bilge rat, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, me hearties, me bucko, but more formulas and motor designations are comin' out soon. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, me hearties, 480, and 740 motor. Each motor comes with a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), matey, graphite nozzle, nozzle washer, me hearties, forward bulkhead, and snap rings. Aye aye! If you buy t' system package, me bucko, you will get a forward closure for each motor. Blimey! You don't have t' share t' closure.

A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, propellant grains, delay grain, me bucko, two large O-rings, six small O-rings, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder. Ya scallywag!

An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. Aye aye! T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. Begad! T' J528 breaks t' trend, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Avast! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, so they made t' grains 30 grams. Blimey! However, me bucko, me hearties, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, shiver me timbers, matey, so this be nay an option with t' 740 motor.

Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. Ya scallywag! This be t' order that I build them. Avast! I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Ahoy! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, shiver me timbers, damaged, matey, shiver me timbers, or lost.

Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Simply stack t' six smaller O-rings over t' delay element then place it on a flat surface and press the forward bulkhead onto it so t' delay grain goes into t' delay well. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Begad! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey!

Once this is done, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Avast, me proud beauty! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, 10, 8, or 5 seconds. Arrr! Avast! Blimey!

Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Aye aye! Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Aye aye! Grease up the inside o' t' case, shiver me timbers, and t' liner tube. Begad! This will make t' next step easier, and you will be thankful for t' grease when it comes time t' remove the spent components, me hearties, trust me. Press t' assembly into t' motor case (nozzle should be at t' end with t' thrust ring) until t' nozzle is about a quarter inch from t' snap rin' slot. Well, blow me down! Well, arrr, blow me down! Insert t' nozzle washer, followed by t' snap ring. Arrr! Begad! Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor.

Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Ahoy! Install t' final snap ring, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Avast! Avast! Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, ya bilge rat, so pour in as much as you need. Aye aye! Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To ignite t' motor, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Ignition is quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Of the two motors I flown, shiver me timbers, t' I405 was me favorite! I had t' pleasure t' see several I405 flights, me hearties, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! After a launch of a Big Brute with one, Carl Tulanko asked me, "What be that?" I told him a Loki I405. Arrr! Later on durin' t' day, I had me PML Aurora loaded with one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. He said "No way! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. Well, blow me down! I only got t' see one J528 flight up close. Ahoy! If you like t' J350 and t' J570, then you would love this motor! Lots o' umph!

Enjoy a video by clickin' HERE

Recovery:
Cleanin' o' t' Loki motor is identical t' that o' t' AMW and Kosdon motors. Remove t' snap rings, arrr, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of the case. Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or nozzle, ya bilge rat, if you t' use t' other end). Avast! Avast! If you are fortunate (and remembered to generously grease t' liner), me bucko, everythin' should come out with minor effort. However, me bucko, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, me hearties, arrr, arrr, one o' t' bulkheads would mash itself into t' liner, me hearties, makin' removal a chore. I used Baby wipes t' clean mine, which worked surprisingly well. Arrr!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. Ahoy! I mentioned that it is cheaper than other brands. Let's compare with this simple chart. Prices are retail list and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, ya bilge rat, Pro38 standard, and Loki loads.

^** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Avast! There is no closures. In a sense, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case. Blimey!

Another interestin' comparison be t' total impulse o' t' loads for the cases and how much they cost t' fly per total impulse. Aye aye! This comparison based off data from t' NAR/TRA/CAR combined list. Well, blow me down! All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Well, blow me down! Begad!

In t' near future, arrr, me bucko, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. Ahoy! Avast! If you like fast burning, me hearties, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, matey, matey, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, matey, I605, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and me soon t' be favorite, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. Avast! I can't wait t' try out their I124 and J192 loads! Those loads have close t' a 4 second burn!

What I would like t' see in Loki's 38mm line is a 360 and 600 motor. Begad! I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I would also love t' see Black and Spark loads introduced too. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I would have t' problem decidin' which loads t' buy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5