Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
Sleek and futuristic, even has a tiny payload bay, matey, this is a very cool design scaled for Micromaxx motors.
Construction:
Parts are very good quality--standard model rocket materials, just miniscule in scale. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Unpackin' t' little baggy
you'll find:
T' FlisKits micro line instructions are printed on a single 8.5" x 11" sheet in black/white. Arrr! They tend to be well illustrated, ya bilge rat, arrr, but t' print is a bit small. Arrr! O' course, ya bilge rat, arrr, if you have trouble readin' t' small print, me bucko, you're doomed when it comes t' workin' with small parts, so it's probably fine.
You begin by markin' t' lower body tube for t' 4 fins. Ahoy! In me case, t' guide was off a bit, arrr, possibly scaled for the wrong (larger/upper) tube. Once t' fin lines are marked, you can glue in t' tiny centerin' rin' that serves as a motor block.
Next, matey, cut t' fins usin' a paper cutout pattern. Avast! T' fins are slightly tricky t' cut, ya bilge rat, me bucko, with 5 sides, includin' one taper that's only about 1/3" long. Ahoy! Begad! Tack t' fins on with a little CA and be sure t' apply a decent fillet.
Once t' fins are securely bonded, t' next step is t' cut t' styrene strips. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! Each is 6" long, with an angled cut on one end. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' angled cut end (flat side) is bonded t' t' body tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! With a little bend, me bucko, t' other end is tacked t' t' tip edge o' t' fin. Aye aye! Blimey! You'll definitely want t' use a thin or medium CA for this. Begad! Blimey! T' finished effect is certainly eye catching.
T' upper section is straightforward--glue t' upper tube t' t' transition and then either glue or tightly friction fit t' nose cone.
T' shock cord is attached t' t' transition by pokin' a small hole (wire brad provided for this), me bucko, knottin' one end o' t' cord, and gluin' it into t' hole. T' other end is t' be glued t' t' outside o' t' lower body tube. That's one aspect o' this that I think takes away from t' appearance a bit. Begad! Begad! Normally t' shock cord would be anchored inside t' tube t' t' centerin' ring, but I suspect t' Keelhaul®©™® thread used for this would nay hold up t' too many flights.
Finishing:
I took care o' fillin' spirals and grain before bondin' anythin' as once bonded, t' work surfaces would simply be
too small t' deal with.
I applied a quick primer coat then went with a three color paint scheme--red and blue with gray fins. This holds fairly close t' t' color scheme shown on t' FlisKits web site.
For a nice change o' pace, this kit also includes a few decals. Begad! There are a couple o' Ulysses tags for two fins and a couple o' odd graphics. Begad! Aye aye! There's also a trim decal for t' upper tube that looks like it was scaled down from the U.S.S. Ahoy! Grissom.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
You motor selection is limited t' MMXs on this, shiver me timbers, which is perfectly fine. This one is a tad heavy, me bucko, plus pretty high
drag, so when t' MMX finally lit (they're finicky t' light), me bucko, I was actually able t' see it for most o' its flight.
Altitude capped out in t' neighborhood o' 75-100 feet or so, shiver me timbers, arrr, and it came tumblin' down nicely about 50 feet from the
pad.
Recovery:
T' external shock cord proved t' be a slight weakness. Ahoy! I had only attached mine with a thin application o' yellow
glue. Avast, me proud beauty! While it survived t' first flight, arrr, repairs will be in order, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, as I broke through all but about 1/8" o' the
bond joint.
T' streamer is more t' satisfy safety code, me hearties, as t' tumble on this was fine. Begad! Ya scallywag! Nay a scratch or any damage.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
My only con for this review would be t' external shock cord and that is really a very minor one. Aye aye! T' pros are the
sleek design, me hearties, high quality parts, and t' fact that this is a MicroMaxx scale, meanin' you can fly it in a backyard and
use cheap motors.
I am delighted with t' quality and innovation FlisKits has brought t' t' smallest reaches o' our hobby.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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