Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Art Applewhite Rockets ![]() |
Brief:
Single staged conical rocket that flies on 29mm motors and recovers by a
combination o' tumble recovery and shock cord. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' light weight o' t' rocket
makes a streamer or parachute unnecessary.
Construction:
T' kit comes in a sealed plastic envelope with two body tubes, namely, shiver me timbers, me bucko, a 5
inch length o' 29mm motor tubin' and 5 inches o' BT55 motor mount tubing. Begad! The
rocket has no fins. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! There are two plates which are rather like centerin' rings,
which t' builder cuts from foam backed board stock. Blimey! Begad! These round plates will
hold t' engine mount tubings and center t' assembly inside t' conical shell,
which is cut from card stock. Ya scallywag! There is additional card stock used t' cut a
smaller internal nose cone reinforcement, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, which reinforces t' pointed conical
shape and also holds a small amount o' epoxy that serves both as ballast and as
tip reinforcement. There is 36 inches o' 1/16 inch thick round elastic shock
cord provided for recovery with t' attachment bein' a paper folded attachment
arrangement like those seen in Estes rockets.
T' instructions come with t' components in t' plastic envelope and are neatly typed out with page numbers and greyscale photographs on every page. Avast! The components requirin' cuttin' are clearly marked on t' foam board and card stock. Well, blow me down! T' order is clear and logical and t' pictures help visual people like myself t' imagine beforehand what t' project will look like. Avast! T' this last end, I provided you with a color photograph o' t' finished product next t' t' 24mm cone also flown, but shown on its side t' show its motor mount. Begad! Avast! There is also a 12-inch standard ruler in t' photo t' provide scale.
T' only difficult part o' t' assembly was fittin' t' internal nose cone assembly into t' outer conical shell, and makin' all t' launch rod holes line up. Begad! T' assemblies are made by rollin' and gluin' card stocks and clampin' them together until t' glue dries. Avast, me proud beauty! Keepin' them aligned be tricky. Avast! I found that I had t' enlarge t' launch rod holes slightly on t' inner assembly t' match the outer shell. Well, blow me down! I discovered another slight fit issue with t' motor mount ring that fits aftward into t' conical shell. Avast! Arrr! It seems t' fit too loosely. This may be because I cut too much from t' rin' t' bevel it and fit it neatly into the cone.
Also, t' smaller 24mm cone has tube gaskets that hold t' motor mount inside t' slightly larger BT55 inner body tube. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This 29mm version does not. While t' rocket will nay come apart durin' flight due t' aerodynamic forces, some RSO's may nay like t' inspect rockets that cannot hold together when picked up by t' top.
However, me hearties, after assembly, shiver me timbers, t' rocket came out sturdy and attractive. I chose antimatter orange, me favorite color. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It helps with visibility, ya bilge rat, which, me bucko, as you will read later, arrr, mattered a lot!!
Tools needed t' finish t' project are: a new, shiver me timbers, sharp #11 Exacto knife. Avast, me proud beauty! New is best because foam board distorts and displays attitudes when cut with a blade t' least bit dull. Also, white glue, scissors, and 5 minute epoxy. Begad! Avast! These can all be had in local hobby stores and even grocery stores.
Finishing:
T' rocket requires no painting, shiver me timbers, as t' card stock arrives with a colored outer
side o' t' buyer's choice from several options. Decals were nay used, shiver me timbers, but on
solid colors like mine could look striking. Begad! I did paint t' bottom o' the
rocket orange t' match t' shell just for t' sake o' art. Arrr! Ahoy! T' foam board from
which t' motor mount plate at t' bottom was made is white. T' paint also
helps, in me opinion, shiver me timbers, me hearties, if thar are any imperfections in t' cuttin' o' t' foam
board, like nicks and burrs.
I added a few things o' me own, but for t' beta test, I flew it unmodified first, me hearties, then with me additions. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! My changes are: T' afore mentioned tube gaskets. Avast, me proud beauty! A small, arrr, 12 inch parachute. Avast! And t' shock cord mounted nay with the paper mount provided, but by a glued knot held in place by t' two foam board tube rings. Ya scallywag! T' 29mm version needs a bulkhead inside t' BT55 tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I will explain later. Ahoy! Finally, matey, neither cone has actual launch lugs. Blimey! While lugs might not be necessary, I provided them t' protect t' card stock from gougin' by the rods.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
For t' first unmodified flights, shiver me timbers, I brought along t' 24mm version as well. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I
flew that one on a C11-3. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' delay o' 3 was just about right. Ahoy! Blimey! I half expected
a lateral flight like pyramidal rockets fly, but this cone went straight up and
only lateraled slightly. Aye aye! Blimey! T' rocket separated undamaged at apogee and came down
about t' right speed, arrr, but I later added an 8 inch parachute because we fly
here on hard desert soils. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Mistake!!! Blimey! I chased t' rocket in a thermal on the
second flight with a D12-3. Holy heatstroke, Batman! Blimey! But I got it back
undamaged. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I highly recommend flyin' it as t' manufacturer says, arrr, when he says
to use a 6-inch standoff. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If you don't, shiver me timbers, t' underside o' t' rocket would burn.
and foam and card stock couldn't stand that. Ahoy! Blimey! After these two flights, arrr, ya bilge rat, I added
the launch rod and t' added weight didn't hamper performance.
Now, t' t' 29mm cone. Don't do as I did. Avast, me proud beauty! I flew it in a park, thinking that a cone couldn't gain enough altitude t' drift away. Begad! Wrong!!! On a G35-4, the rocket took off with a bang. Well, blow me down! My liftoff photo be only smoke. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! And the rocket went out o' sight. Begad! Ahoy! I had t' rely on a kid with better eyesight t' tell me that t' rocket ended up in a neighbor's yard clean out o' that park. Ahoy! That was embarrassin' havin' t' ask t' get it back. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I couldn't just sneak over and get it. Aye aye! Aye aye! I had t' ask for it back because all t' plots thar are concreted off by high fences. But it was undamaged, so t' delay o' 4 be adequate. 7 might work as well. Ya scallywag! T' manufacturer recommends takin' out 2/3 o' t' ejection charge for t' flight because thar's too much provided and it could damage the rocket. T' black powder motors used with t' 24mm version don't have that problem. Anyway, me bucko, some RSO's do nay want a modified motor flown, me hearties, so on my modified flights, I added an epoxied wooden bulkhead t' protect t' internal top o' t' rocket durin' deployment. Well, blow me down! I also added a supplemental length of another 36 inches o' elastic shock cord t' allow more stress distribution after usin' t' full provided ejection charge. I added t' afore mentioned tube gaskets t' hold t' rocket together for inspections. A launch lug be also added within t' launch rod holes. However, me hearties, shiver me timbers, in me infinite wisdom, I added a 12 inch parachute t' make t' rocket descend more slowly and visibly. Arrr! Well, blow me down! When it comes t' heat stroke, I'll never learn...on a G25-5, arrr, t' rocket went out of sight and drifted over half a mile. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Again, me hearties, though, arrr, that delay was fine. Blimey! Begad! But with a G40, matey, me bucko, I found that 7 worked without damage. Begad! I'm leanin' towards usin' a 7 delay because many with a 4 second delay seem way shorter than 4.
Recovery:
I pretty much covered this in t' previous sections.
However, if I had t' change somethin' beyond what I already did, I'd suggest a streamer.
And don't do this when it's 115 degrees out, arrr, like I did. Brains fry at that temperature! Blimey! However, I had a lot o' fun.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
These kits are fun and easy. Avast! A child or adult alike would like it. Aye aye! They're
bright and unusual. Ya scallywag! However, I don't recommend flyin' in a park for and with
greater than a D motor. Begad! They go higher than you'd think.
I think a streamer is a good addition, myself. Ahoy! A parachute may be too much, considerin' t' light weight and potential for catchin' thermals.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Cone rocket that sports a 29mm motor mount. The 29mm Cone rocket contains a 29mm motor tube, which loosely fits inside a larger diameter tube, that is used as the Cone's center tube. An elastic cord is included for recovery. Two pieces of foam board are used to make the centering rings. Several sheets of cardstock are used to make the body of the rocket. To build this rocket, you will need ...
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