I first learned about Cycline3 when a review was submitted t' EMRR. Arrr! It has been a while since you could get a kit since t' owner, matey, Sean Rose was in China. Blimey! But this summer I be able t' purchase t' 001 - Fun Fat Rocket. Ya scallywag! You, no doubt, know why I picked it. Well, blow me down! Avast! It is a "stubby" rocket.

T' Fun Fat Rocket is a bit more though, because it is also a 3x18mm motor cluster. Aye aye! Blimey! Cycline3 appears t' sell (or have sold) this rocket in two other configurations, arrr, 2x24mm and 1x24mm as well. Avast! Blimey!

I've added this rocket t' me Comparison Article. Ahoy! Blimey! See me 2.6" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' rocket kit includes a 2.6" airframe that is 14.25" long. Avast! Blimey! It uses a plastic nose cone which be t' same as an Estes Fat Boy. Avast, me proud beauty! It comes with a 1/8" balsa sheet that t' 4 fins are cut out from. It also comes with 3 18mm motor tubes, some card stock (index cards) for t' centerin' rings, me hearties, me hearties, a 12 foot, ya bilge rat, 1/4" wide, elastic shock cord, a brass swivel and rail buttons. Avast, me proud beauty! It also comes with a nylon parachute and a vinyl "flame" decal.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on 4 pages o' 8½ x 11" paper. Blimey! In addition thar be a cover page with black-and-white photos o' t' rocket and a cardstock template and fin alignment guide. T' instructions include some photos t' assist in t' construction. Blimey! Cycline3 calls this a level 3 kit. T' assembly o' t' kit is actually very easy, matey, however, arrr, t' techniques push this kit t' level 3 or higher. Aye aye! Cycline3 instructs you t' be prepared with four types o' glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Wood glue, CA, matey, epoxy and polyurethane glue. T' polyurethane glue plays a very large role in this kit's assembly and Cycline3 says, "You CANNOT build this kit without polyurethane glue".

So buildin' t' Fun Fat Rocket was interestin' because it brought an entirely new technique t' me attention. Arrr! Let's start with that technique. Also note, shiver me timbers, that I used Gorilla Glue for me polyurethane glue. (additional comments about Polyurethane glue)

T' Fun Fat Rocket does nay include wooden centerin' rings. Begad! That's right, me bucko, here you have a 3x18mm motor mount and no centerin' rings. Avast! Arrr! What you have is a template that allows you t' cut out two cardstock (index cards) centerin' rings. Avast! Arrr! These thin rings are attached t' t' motor mounts with wood glue which is more or less t' hold them in place. Ahoy! It isn't even all that important if thar are small gaps in t' fit. Aye aye! Once they are in place, arrr, arrr, matey, a small bead o' polyurethane glue is put around t' joints. Avast, me proud beauty! For those that have nay used polyurethane glue before thar are several things t' consider: 1) it is sticky and very messy when wet, me hearties, 2) it expands when drying, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, and 3) it is easily chipped, matey, cut, ya bilge rat, matey, or sanded after it is dry. Cycline3 specifically counts on t' fact that it expands.

So once, you have prepared t' motor mount t' instructions tell you t' put a bead o' polyurethane glue 1/2" inside t' bottom o' t' airframe and then put a 1/8" layer o' polyurethane glue on t' upper centerin' ring. Blimey! Blimey! This is then slid into t' airframe and set aside, arrr, me bucko, standin' vertically, ya bilge rat, t' dry. Aye aye! Blimey! Be sure t' put this on a piece o' wax paper since some glue will seep out. Begad! Blimey! My experience is that this amount o' glue and specifically this kind o' glue takes 24 hours t' fully dry. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! While dryin' you will be able t' observe it expandin' and fillin' t' gap betwixt t' 18mm motor tubes and inside o' t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Cycline3 says is makes a "honeycomb". Arrr! Arrr! They also say it will be t' "lightest mount you've ever made" but also indicates that is "strong".

Once t' upper centerin' rin' is formed with t' polyurethane glue, ya bilge rat, t' rocket is flipped over and you put 1/16" t' 1/8" o' glue on t' bottom centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, arrr, completely coverin' it, and allow it t' expand and dry completely. Again, and I can't stress this enough, set this on a piece o' wax paper and leave it alone for at least 24 hours! Notice how it will look (after some primer and paint overspray) in t' picture t' t' left.

Next t' tube is marked with t' markin' guide and t' fins are attached. Avast! Nothin' fancy here, except Cycline3 wants you t' use CA t' attach t' fin and t' use epoxy or wood glue t' make t' fillets. Avast! I used wood glue.

Cycline3 includes a pair o' Matt's Rail Buttons, me bucko, which is a nice add (at least t' me). Aye aye! Blimey! These are attached usin' a 1/8" drill bit, matey, me hearties, me hearties, a screwdriver and some CA. I didn't attach mine when t' instructions said t' prior t' finishing. I have always attached me rail buttons after finishin' t' make finishin' easier.

T' recovery system is done via t' 3-fold paper method. Aye aye! This greatly disappointed me. T' primary reason for disappointment is because this is a cluster. What does this have t' do with it? Well, me experience with Estes motor clusters is that all t' ejection charges do nay go at once and therefore after t' first one pushes t' waddin' and 'chute out, shiver me timbers, t' others can have a negative impact on t' exposed elastic (at t' mount). Ahoy! Avast! Perhaps this could be reduced by puttin' a piece o' waddin' in each motor tube before installin' t' motor. Arrr! T' other way is t' use a Keelhaul®©™® t' elastic mount. Arrr! Begad! T' rest o' t' recovery system is great.

Cycline3 gives some guidance for finishin' t' rocket and promotes usin' "gloss spray polyurethane" t' coat t' rockets instead o' "clear acrylic". Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! They indicate that t' polyurethane does nay yellow over time.

I finished me rocket by first usin' several coats o' Plasti-Kote Primer. Blimey! I then painted it with Krylon Gloss Black. Begad! After it dried a day, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I applied t' vinyl "flame" decal that came with t' kit. Begad! T' decal is very nice. It would be great t' see more decals, other than just t' flame, me hearties, but I was happy t' have that. Begad! If you haven't worked with vinyl decals in t' past, be sure t' read Cycline3's instructions closely. I also added Book Covers, me bucko, etc. Prismatic Green Book Cover t' each o' t' fins.

Cycline3 gives continued warnings throughout t' build o' this rocket about nay modifyin' t' motor mount, usin' CA for t' fins, ya bilge rat, and avoidin' epoxy. Avast! Avast! Blimey! Cycline3 gives t' followin' warning, "It be t' modeler's responsibility t' ensure proper center o' gravity/center o' pressure relationship. Begad! Dependin' on how t' modeler follows t' directions and what adhesives are used (please use t' recommended adhesive in each step), as well as t' reload o' motor used, nosecone weight may need t' be added. Ahoy! Please fly safely." With all this, one would expect Cycline t' identify where t' CG should be! I adhered t' all these requirements, matey, but once I RockSIM'd this kit and used me finished weight and center o' gravity (CG) I had t' add 1 ounce o' nose weight t' fly on B's and C's. Blimey! Arrr! I did this usin' clay and pushed it up into t' nose cone.

Overall, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. I applaud Cycline3 for t' interestin' centerin' rin' method. Ya scallywag! I foresee myself usin' somethin' like this for some scratch-builds. Begad! Blimey! T' technique is a bit messy and will cause some t' have issues. Blimey! Blimey! T' rest o' t' build is very easy. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! I think Cycline3 included a nice recovery system (parachute, shiver me timbers, 12' elastic, and swivel) with t' exception o' t' mount. Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions are good for those with experience and t' decal is very nice.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Cycline3 recommends t' A8-3 or B6-4 for t' first flight and calls t' C6-7 their "favorite".

Cycline3 doesn't give an expected finish weight or CG (as mentioned above). This kit is sensitive t' build techniques t' have stability so I think these two specs should be provided. Avast, me proud beauty! My Fun Fat Rocket specs are: 6.2 ounces with a empty CG at 8.5" from t' nose cone.

Flight preparation requires wadding. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! I attached a piece o' Nomex® heat shield. T' parachute, me bucko, called a "Frankenchute" only once in t' instructions is very easy t' fold since it is nay round, hexagonal, me hearties, nor octagonal. Begad! It is a rectangle. Aye aye! Begad! I really like this parachute!

Motor preparation requires that you make a small maskin' tape thrust rin' on each motor. Begad! There are instructions for this task, but it is easy and works without issue. Blimey! Well, blow me down! You then need t' friction fit t' motor so that it doesn't kick out upon ejection.

My first flight be on three A8-3's. They all lit. Aye aye! Begad! T' flight was up and down so smartly that I barely had stood up after takin' a lift-off picture!

Next I loaded up three B6-4's. Now, me hearties, matey, this be much better. Begad! Begad! Had enough altitude t' see t' whole flight, matey, ya bilge rat, see a slightly early ejection (heard t' three charges) and then t' see a nice descent. Cycline3 has sized their parachute for this kit just right. T' flight was very straight and, ya bilge rat, with t' three motors, fun t' watch.

Havin' a perfectly calm day, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I followed t' progression in motors. Arrr! Aye aye! I went t' three C6-5's. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This seemed t' be okay based on RockSIM, me hearties, but in hindsight, me observation o' t' B6-4's should have pushed me t' t' C6-7's. Arrr! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Nonetheless, three C6-5's were loaded. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Again all three lit and t' rocket took off fast and straight. Ya scallywag! Again, me bucko, ejection was early and t' 7 second delay would have been better. Arrr! Again, I heard all three charges... Ahoy! pop, ya bilge rat, pop, pop! Recovery was good and t' rocket is in great shape.

After three flights I closely inspected t' shock cord mount. Begad! Begad! T' elastic is showin' some signs o' dryin' out. This can be seen when it is stretched. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I figure another 3 flights and I will have t' do something.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 4 ½ points. T' parachute is excellent. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flights on B's and C's are excellent. Ya scallywag! T' motor mount is solid. Avast! Arrr! This is fun rocket on t' field and gets a bit o' attention because it looks like an extended Estes Fat Boy (which essentially it is).

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. Buildin' this kit was good experience and I learned a new technique. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! That is always fun. Well, blow me down! Blimey! With t' attention given t' t' length o' shockcord, me hearties, parachute and motor mount technique, I would have liked t' see attention given t' t' shockcord mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once finished t' rocket gives nice flights and looks good.

It should also be noted that a free CD with QuickTime movies came with t' kit. Avast! These are various rockets at WVSOAR launches. Ahoy! Aye aye! They are a nice bonus. One in particular was inspirational t' me, me bucko, because I have always felt a rocket video made t' Orff's Carmina Burana would be awesome and Sean did just that. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I would love t' see one with t' rocket launches timed t' t' peaks in t' music though and so I've decided t' work on one. Oh, arrr, matey, what is Orff's Carmina Burana? I first heard it in t' movie Excalibur, shiver me timbers, but have heard it in other movies recently as well. Blimey!