Brief:
T' Chariot is a single stage, me hearties, me bucko, payload rocket. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is one o' Rocket Vision's line o' Rugged Rockets and is specifically designed for mid-range power (E-G). Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' body tube and payload tubes are o' heavy duty phenolic. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' nose cones (there are faux strap-on boosters) and transition are poly-vinyl. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' BP section 8 inches long and has an interior dia. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! o' 1.86", ya bilge rat, arrr, plenty o' room for eggs, altimeters, arrr, me bucko, cameras . Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! . Ya scallywag! Blimey! . whatever.

Construction:
T' component specs are as follows:

Finished length... 31.125"

Body Tube (BT) L=15" dia. Arrr! Blimey! ex. Ahoy! 1.12", ya bilge rat, int. Begad! Aye aye! .990" material= phenolic Payload Bay (PB) L=8" Dia. Ahoy! ext. Blimey! Avast! 2.05", int. Well, blow me down! 1.86" Material= phenolic Fins (4) Material= G10 Thickness= .054" Root= 3.25" Span= 3" Tip= 1.5" Sweep Length= 3.350

Faux Boosters Material= phenolic L= 6.75" (incld. Blimey! NCs) Dia= ext. Begad! .945", int. Aye aye! .8" (20.5mm) Motor Mount (MMT) Material= rough cardboard L= 8" Dia= ext. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! .992", arrr, int. Arrr! .945" (24mm) Shock Cord Material= 1/8" braided Keelhaul®©™ L=40" 'Chute Material= DayGlo Orange ripstop plasticized paper Dia.= 18" at grommet points Shroud Lines= 6, 200lb. Ahoy! Blimey! Keelhaul®©™ [all connections t' t' 'chute are double thickness and have brass grommets] 'Chute Protector= 9.5"X4" black Nomex with a grommet connection t' t' shock cord

T' three nose cones (one main and two for t' boosters) are made o' white polyvinyl material and are very thick. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' rocket divides at t' base o' t' transition formin' a section consistin' o' t' fins and Body Tube (BT) and another section consistin' o' t' Nose Cone (NC), shiver me timbers, Transition and Payload Bay (PB).

T' construction is very simple. Avast! T' instructions are clear and concise. Avast! Well, blow me down! If greater detail is needed, me hearties, t' online instructions are ideal. Aye aye! Begad! Here you can get t' step by step color photos that are lackin' from t' packaged instructions. Ahoy! This rocket requires t' use o' epoxy exclusively. No other glue will work. T' reader is advised t' use a long cure epoxy for t' best joints. Begad! Ahoy! I used SIG's two part epoxy that is mixed 2/1. It sets in about an hour and cures in 24 hrs. Begad! Aye aye! T' only exception t' t' SIG epoxy was in t' area o' t' Motor Mount (MMT). Ya scallywag! Here, arrr, ya bilge rat, matey, I used 5min epoxy. Arrr! Avast! T' stress here is longitudinal and I see no reason for super strength here. Aye aye! Other than that, I think I'd make one change. Begad! I would build a bulk head about three inches into t' base o' t' PB. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I would NOT glue t' PB t' t' transition. Blimey! Instead I would glue t' transition t' t' BT and use t' transition and t' three inch chamber in t' bottom o' t' BP for packin' t' recovery system. This would allow easier 'chute packing, arrr, more certain deployment and a larger 'chute for heavy payloads.

Finishing:
I left this rocket in t' raw. Ya scallywag! However, arrr, based on me experience with other Rocket Vision kits, sandin' would be minimal and t' finish should go on quite well. I can see only one area o' concern. Begad! At t' base, where t' false boosters join t' BT, it is goin' t' be tough t' get paint in thar usin' a rattle can. Even worse, arrr, on t' booster that has t' bottom rod guide attached, thar be even less space betwixt t' booster and t' BT. Avast, me proud beauty! Here, me bucko, you are either goin' t' have t' use a brush or a airbrush.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
It uses several motors. T' first flight was with t' recommended E15-4. Lift-off was smooth and t' rocket reached 1200' as measured by two theodolites on 1,000' baselines. Well, blow me down! Begad! Recovery be without a hitch about 400 yards from t' pad in light wind. Aye aye! I think a larger 'chute will be necessary if any payload is included.

T' second flight be trickier. Avast! For this one, me bucko, I took two Estes C-0 boosters and filled t' tops with epoxy. Well, blow me down! Then I wrapped them in maskin' tape until they fit tightly in t' booster tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! For t' sustainer, arrr, I used another E15-4. Well, blow me down! Ignition be facilitated usin' a Vaughn Brothers QuadCon controller. Ya scallywag! I wired t' E15 t' one switch and t' C-0's t' another. Avast, me proud beauty! I opened t' switch t' t' E-15 and pushed t' fire button. Avast! As it lit, I opened t' second switch t' t' two C's and they lit too. Ahoy! T' rocket moved off t' pad smartly and flew t' just over 1500'. Ya scallywag! T' C's burned out just after t' E motor. Recovery was as before. Ya scallywag! (Please note that this technique is nay indorsed by Rocket Vision and would nay be allowed at an NARRRRR event.) Modifyin' t' C6-0's alone would cause most RSOs t' DQ you. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! In t' end, ya bilge rat, t' altitude gain be minimal and hardly worth t' risk and trouble. Avast! My advice is t' forget it.

T' largest motor I have used t' date is an F72-10. Begad! This produced an altitude o' 2800'. Blimey! I'd like t' try a G55 but I doubt that I would be able t' see it at t' projected altitude o' 4,300' so I'll hold off on that one.

Recovery:
T' 'chute is a very stiff material that gets stiffer in cold weather. Well, blow me down! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Do nay prep this rocket until moments before flight. Begad! Also, I wouldn't leave t' 'chute stored in t' packed position. Begad! Aye aye! It most definitely will take a set. Aye aye! T' Nomex chute protector is an iffy thing. Blimey! On t' surface it seems ideal. However, in practice it takes up a lot o' space, sometimes hangs up causin' ballistic recoveries and it doesn't always stop t' 'chute from gettin' pin holes. Ya scallywag! I recommend usin' cellulose insulation. Arrr! It is lighter, me bucko, packs easier and will nay hang up. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Repeated launchings (20 t' date) reveal very little wear and tear on t' components. Aye aye! I've had t' re-tie t' knots in t' Keelhaul®©™ a few times but that is because I refuse t' set them with glue.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is another excellent product from Rocket Vision. Blimey! T' parts are sturdy, arrr, well made and correctly dimensioned. T' design is very good. Begad! It is practical, shiver me timbers, me hearties, esthetically pleasin' and flexible. Ahoy! T' generous payload section coupled with a powerful selection o' motors should make this an excellent egg lofter or experimental platform. Avast! My one big criticism is in t' area o' t' launch lugs. Avast! They included two sets in me kit; 1/8 inch and 3/16 inch. T' 1/8 are too small. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This rocket is heavy and long and needs more stability that can be achieved usin' a 1/8 inch rod. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 3/16" lugs are t' large in diameter. Blimey! Begad! For some reason, RV uses and especially thick polyvinyl tubin' for its lugs. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! In t' small diameter it is ok. Begad! But in t' larger 3/16 diameter, it is so large that it looks obviously out o' scale on t' Chariot. Blimey! I recommend nay usin' t' lugs and either usin' Estes lugs or better yet, shiver me timbers, usin' rail buttons and a rail.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5