Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
Length: | 11.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Custom Rockets ![]() |
Skill Level: | 1 |
Style: | Military |
Brief:
T' ATW - Anti-Tank Weapon is a military styled, minimum diameter 18mm rocket.
Capable o' flyin' over 1000 feet accordin' t' t' manufacturer. Aye aye! T' fins are
forward-swept, t' nose cone is unique. Begad!
Construction:
Kit includes one thin paper body tube, 4 pre-cut long forward swept fin, me hearties, nose
cone and its insert, me bucko, water-slide decals, shiver me timbers, and other parts.
Instructions were easy t' follow, quite like Estes's, me hearties, arrr, matey, but printed on less paper. Avast! There were no assembly problems.
T' fins are pre-cut for you, shiver me timbers, but t' edges have t' be sanded anyway as they are quite rough and then you round t' edges. Begad! Avast! These fins are forward swept and long; t' fin span is almost 6 inches. As t' body tube is thin, this fact may cause problems with t' large fins. Aye aye! You might want t' insert a spent engine when storin' this rocket. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty!
T' nose cone is quite cool. Avast! Begad! Blimey! One can call it a "bent conical". You have t' see it t' know what it looks like.
PROs: easy build, me bucko, unique nose cone and fins.
CONs: thin body tube in conjunction with long fins
Finishing:
One has t' seal t' fins, me hearties, me bucko, prime and paint. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' body tube spiral is very small,
so you don't really have t' fill it. Begad! Ahoy! T' lower 1/3 section o' t' body tube and
fins are painted green, shiver me timbers, t' upper 2/3 section (and t' NC) is painted white.
Then t' water slide decals are applied. Avast! This is where I messed up. I think the
self adhesive ones are slightly better because they are thicker. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Others may
disagree.
Pros: easy t' paint stock, spiral hard t' see.
Cons: none
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
This is another rocket that is supposed t' make t' most o' a C6-7, which means
it's supposed t' fly really high. Aye aye! T' motor is friction fitted.
I used two sheets o' waddin' (each split in half). Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' streamer is rolled, and everythin' is stuffed into t' body tube.
First flight was on a 1/2A3-2T with an adapter. Aye aye! It flew straight t' about 120 feet and popped t' streamer at apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! Pretty good, me bucko, if you ask me.
Second flight be on a B4-4. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This is a proper motor for this rocket. Ahoy! The model boosted straight and stayed out o' sight for a few seconds, and then the ejection charge went off. Avast! It landed about 200 feet from t' pad.
T' ATW is a pretty good flier, and has more style than t' Estes or Quest minimum diameter kits. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You better believe Custom Rockets--it can fly over 1000 feet.
Pros: stylish, high altitude flier, can take smaller motors
Cons: none
Recovery:
I used a two foot piece o' elastic that is attached with a paper mount.
Recovery is fast with t' streamer, but this is a light rocket. Aye aye! Begad! After two
flights, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord is a bit charred. Begad! Keelhaul®©™®
would be nice.
Pros: doesn't drift much on streamer
Cons: shock cord gets burned easily
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I think this is a good rocket for a minimum diameter kit: looks cool with
unique fins and NC. Blimey! At $5, matey, it's a good deal. Ya scallywag! (Compare that t' t' Estes Sizzler
or Star Dart, which cost about $8) Nice work on this small kit, Custom.
Major pros: priced right, arrr, unique rocket, high flier
Major cons: none
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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B.A. (March 27, 2006)