| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2011-12-21 |
| Diameter: | 3.75 inches |
| Length: | 5.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Odd'l Rockets  |
| Skill Level: | 2 |
| Style: | Odd-Roc |
Brief
If you're tired o' fins or sanding/fillin' balsa, arrr, consider this simple odd roc from Ol'SaltRockets. Consider it an extreme downscale o' t' Fliskits Espresso, it's a flyin' single foam cup. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay only is it capable o' entertainin' flights, but it can hold about 16 ounces o' your favorite beverage as well, me hearties, though you might notice a slight aftertaste o' black powder 
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Components
I purchased one o' t' very first o' these kits from Jonrocket.com, me hearties, and when first openin' t' bag I have t' admit I felt a little silly t' have spent ($7.75 retail) on basically a cup and a motor tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' kit actually came with two cups, ya bilge rat, arrr, one stuffed inside t' other t' protect it, ya bilge rat, and an inflated baloon t' offer more inner support. Begad! Blimey! That's pretty impressive care and concern for a part I don't think anyone would have much trouble findin' a replacement for without much expense. Blimey! Blimey! After I'd built this, Hans Michielssen contacted me directly, matey, offerin' a new/improved version that included a very nice set o' vinyl decals. I believe t' standard kits available now all include t' vinyl decals at t' same $7.75 price, matey, and I've got t' say those decals are a great upgrade t' t' kit and make it a much more appealin' value.
Construction
This is rated as a skill level 2 kit, probably a bit higher than I'd have pegged it. Well, blow me down! Construction be quick and easy, me bucko, takin' about 15 minutes thanks t' t' precut cup. Arrr! Begad! You begin by installin' a plywood disk into t' forward end o' t' motor tube. Blimey! Line t' inside with glue and apply a generous fillet--this is a motor-spittin' design and that disk gets all t' ejection charges. Ahoy! Next, arrr, cut a section out o' one centerin' rin' t' accomodate a launch lug, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, glue it t' t' tube, then glue t' lug t' t' tube. Aye aye! Once those are in place, me hearties, matey, me hearties, glue a larger centerin' rin' t' t' forward end. Ahoy! This assembly is then glued t' t' inside o' t' cup. Avast! Blimey! Rubber cement is recommended, me bucko, though I went with white glue. T' motor tube will stick out t' front (bottom) o' t' cup a bit, arrr, me hearties, and you'll glue a centerin' rin' over this exposed section, lockin' t' tube in place.
Once everything's dried, line t' inside o' t' cup with a generous wipe o' glue or epoxy t' deal with t' exhaust plume.
Finishing
For t' original kit, I was left on me own t' decorate, arrr, matey, so I found some assorted colored vinyl tape and applied a couple stripes t' me cup. I then patched a couple pieces together and cut out a red arrow, matchin' t' cover art. It looked OK, matey, shiver me timbers, but nay exactly me finest work.
For t' second kit, arrr, shiver me timbers, I used a number o' t' decals provided (you get more than you'll probably want t' use), arrr, and t' finished appearance was much better in me opinion.
I would definitely nay waste any time paintin' this, though if you're artistically inclined I'm sure you could do some interestin' work with markers.
Flight
Recommended motors are B6-2 and C6-3, though -0's in each class might be worth considerin' too. Since I was flyin' a pair o' them, arrr, I loaded one with a B6-2 and t' other with t' C6-3 and sent them each up. T' B6-2 flew perfectly fine, maybe 150 feet up. Well, blow me down! T' C6-3 was definitely pushin' this up a lot harder, and it be noticeably wigglin' on its way up. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' B6-2 ejected while still coastin' up, and I forgot t' record t' C6-3 ejection.
Recovery
This is designed t' spit t' motor and tumble down. Each cup came down safe and sound within very short recovery trek distance. Blimey! Arrr! Note that t' motor tube is actually a TT-20, nay a BT-20, which means it's 20mm ID and a regular 18mm motor fits too loosely t' stay in on its own. This is on purpose--you attach a crepe paper streamer (included in t' kit) t' t' motor, wrap it around, me hearties, then wedge t' streamer/motor into t' tube. Ahoy! This way, arrr, shiver me timbers, you can also track t' motor as it falls and make sure no one gets hit in t' head with it. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! You'll obviously need t' recover t' motor t' reuse t' streamer, matey, arrr, though, which tends t' go in t' opposite direction o' t' cup and therefore extends t' recovery walk.
Summary
This is another cute offerin' by Odd'l--cheap, easy t' build, flies great on even t' smallest fields, and entertaining. Avast! T' decals make it worth buyin' versus cloning.
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Flights
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