Photo Courtesy o' PML

Brief:
T' Tethys is a basic 3FNC kit, ya bilge rat, capable o' flyin' on G motors or bigger.

Construction:
T' Tethys came with a single length o' airframe tubin' (phenolic, me hearties, per me request), 3 pre-cut G10 fins (the thickest fiberglass fins I've used t' date), a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, shiver me timbers, a thick nylon strap, shiver me timbers, a length o' tubular nylon, matey, arrr, piston kit, a 48" parachute, shiver me timbers, two brass launch lugs, ya bilge rat, and t' 54mm Kwik-Switch motor mount system. Aye aye! Blimey! All parts arrived in good condition, although thar was a crack in t' airframe, arrr, arrr, runnin' from a fin slot t' t' base o' t' tube- a very minor problem.

I used West System epoxy throughout construction, and found t' kit went together very easily. Ahoy! I be a bit shocked t' discover t' Kwik-Switch system be just a few pieces o' threaded plastic! Nay havin' any experience above H motors, I be boggled, me hearties, as me concern was whether these parts would hold up t' t' stresses that a really big motor would place on them. Ya scallywag! Begad! Well, I suppose PML knows what they're doing. Ya scallywag! Anyway, ya bilge rat, part fit be good overall, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and thar really aren't any "gotcha's", ya bilge rat, if you follow t' instructions.

I built mine stock, me bucko, with one exception- I replaced t' lugs with 1/4" ones. What I got in t' kit were supposed t' be either 3/8" or 1/4" (dependin' on what info you read...), ya bilge rat, but were neither, me bucko, me bucko, when I measured t' ID.

Otherwise, arrr, everythin' else went together fine, with nothin' more than t' usual bit o' sandin' t' get optimal fit. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! No motor retention is provided with t' kit, so I had ordered t' PMR kit that PML offered for t' Kwik-Switch motor mounts. Aye aye! Sinkin' those threaded inserts was a pain, but I couldn't ever imagine them comin' back out, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, short o' destroyin' t' centerin' ring.

I did add one extra construction step- I had picked this kit t' use as me CAR level 2 rocket (Which is an I motor), and had plans on usin' it for level 3 eventually too. I order t' phenolic airframe so that I could put a layer or two o' glass on it, matey, t' give it extra strength. Arrr! Arrr! That went on surprisingly easy, me hearties, considerin' I'd never done any glassin' before. Begad! When I was done, I had a pretty solid-lookin' rocket... Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! if kinda plain.

Finishing:
Unfortunately, me bucko, I was pressed for time, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and never had t' chance t' even shoot a coat o' primer on this rocket. Aye aye! I finished it a day before I (and it) left for Blazin' Archer IV, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, and I didn't want t' use any paint until I'd given t' epoxy plenty o' time t' cure. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' kit does come with a pair o' PML logo decals, but nothin' more.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first and only flight with t' Tethys used an I-161, with a 10 second delay. Avast! One thin' I really like about PML kits be t' lack o' need for wadding, thanks t' t' piston system. Aye aye! Avast! Sure cuts down on t' pre-flight prep! For motor retention, me hearties, I had intended t' use t' PMR that I had installed. However, shiver me timbers, t' three hex bolts that hold t' plate in place had vanished, matey, so I was forced t' friction-fit t' motor in place- somethin' I did with great trepidation. I'd run a number o' sims for this rocket in Rocksim, and be unable t' find a motor delay in any "I" motor that I was really comfortable with. T' slowest deployment speed I could get be on t' order o' 40 MPH, shiver me timbers, which I thought be a bit high. Arrr! So... Ahoy! I added a length o' PML's old stretchy shock-cord t' t' tubular nylon, shiver me timbers, just in case.

Boost was very nice! Blimey! T' motor lit with no fuss, and t' rocket was off t' pad in a hurry. T' flight be pretty straight, me bucko, with only a bit o' weather-cocking.

Recovery:
Things fell apart on recovery. Aye aye! Blimey! That 10 second delay turned into a 4 or 5 second one, resultin' in chute deployment at about 100 MPH, me hearties, at around 2000 feet. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' extra length o' shock-cord I had added as a precaution sheared cleanly, leavin' t' airframe t' tumble 'chute-less t' t' ground. T' airframe fell horizontally, so I figured damage would be minimal. Ahoy! Blimey! However, it hit t' runway, shatterin' t' aft portion o' t' rocket, almost t' t' forward centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I be told that, had I nay glassed t' tube, arrr, I probably would have had nothin' but confetti left. Avast! Blimey! T' fins survived t' disaster with a couple o' scrapes, me bucko, but t' 38 and 54mm motor tubes are destroyed, as well as a good portion o' t' airframe. T' piston is banged up as well, but appears t' still be functional.

Examination o' t' motor casin' showed evidence o' a blow-by, ya bilge rat, which explains t' early ejection. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Since me record with 38mm motor failures is now 2 for 2, I think I'm either goin' t' switch t' electronic recovery, or else Pro38 motors. Avast! Blimey! However, t' recovery problems really can't be blamed on t' kit... Ahoy! although perhaps if I'd used extra tubular nylon instead o' that other material, arrr, it might have held together.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't have much t' add here. Avast! T' rocket is pretty much a plain "vanilli" 3FNC bird, which makes it a good choice for someone that doesn't have a lot o' HPR experience. Begad! It is light enough t' still qualify as a "large model rocket", and can fly on G motors, so you aren't restricted t' HPR flights only (a major consideration for me). Ya scallywag! Yet, it is big enough that it would scream out o' sight on an H or I motor (a small J will throwin' it over 4000 feet). Begad! I'd say it's a pretty solid, me hearties, ya bilge rat, forgivin' rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5