Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Currently, only t' H144, shiver me timbers, I405, me hearties, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, but more formulas and motor designations are comin' out soon. Well, blow me down!

Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, me bucko, 480, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and 740 motor. Avast! Each motor comes with a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), graphite nozzle, arrr, nozzle washer, forward bulkhead, and snap rings. Avast! If you buy t' system package, shiver me timbers, you will get a forward closure for each motor. Blimey! Blimey! You don't have t' share t' closure.

A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, propellant grains, delay grain, arrr, two large O-rings, six small O-rings, arrr, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, matey, ya bilge rat, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. Begad! T' J528 breaks t' trend, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Blimey! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, shiver me timbers, so they made t' grains 30 grams. Avast, me proud beauty! However, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, ya bilge rat, so this was nay an option with t' 740 motor.

Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. This be t' order that I build them. I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Avast, me proud beauty! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, ya bilge rat, damaged, shiver me timbers, or lost.

Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Well, blow me down! Simply stack t' six smaller O-rings over t' delay element then place it on a flat surface and press the forward bulkhead onto it so t' delay grain goes into t' delay well. Ya scallywag! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Ahoy!

Once this is done, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, 10, arrr, 8, or 5 seconds. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Ya scallywag! Grease up the inside o' t' case, matey, and t' liner tube. Arrr! Ahoy! This will make t' next step easier, and you will be thankful for t' grease when it comes time t' remove the spent components, trust me. Blimey! Begad! Press t' assembly into t' motor case (nozzle should be at t' end with t' thrust ring) until t' nozzle is about a quarter inch from t' snap rin' slot. Aye aye! Insert t' nozzle washer, matey, followed by t' snap ring. Begad! Aye aye! Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor. Begad!

Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Well, blow me down! Install t' final snap ring, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Ahoy! Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, ya bilge rat, so pour in as much as you need. Aye aye! Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Begad! Blimey! Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Begad! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To ignite t' motor, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Arrr! Begad! Ignition is quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Ya scallywag! Of the two motors I flown, me hearties, t' I405 be me favorite! I had t' pleasure t' see several I405 flights, me hearties, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! After a launch of a Big Brute with one, shiver me timbers, Carl Tulanko asked me, "What was that?" I told him a Loki I405. Avast! Later on durin' t' day, arrr, I had me PML Aurora loaded with one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. He said "No way! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. Ahoy! I only got t' see one J528 flight up close. Avast, me proud beauty! If you like t' J350 and t' J570, me hearties, then you would love this motor! Lots o' umph!

Enjoy a video by clickin' HERE

Recovery:
Cleanin' o' t' Loki motor is identical t' that o' t' AMW and Kosdon motors. Remove t' snap rings, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of the case. Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or nozzle, me bucko, if you t' use t' other end). Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! If you are fortunate (and remembered to generously grease t' liner), me hearties, everythin' should come out with minor effort. However, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, one o' t' bulkheads would mash itself into t' liner, ya bilge rat, makin' removal a chore. Begad! I used Baby wipes t' clean mine, which worked surprisingly well.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. I mentioned that it is cheaper than other brands. Aye aye! Let's compare with this simple chart. Begad! Prices are retail list and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, arrr, Pro38 standard, and Loki loads.

^** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! There is no closures. In a sense, matey, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case.

Another interestin' comparison be t' total impulse o' t' loads for the cases and how much they cost t' fly per total impulse. This comparison based off data from t' NAR/TRA/CAR combined list. Begad! Blimey! All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

In t' near future, arrr, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! If you like fast burning, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, me hearties, I605, ya bilge rat, and me soon t' be favorite, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. I can't wait t' try out their I124 and J192 loads! Those loads have close t' a 4 second burn!

What I would like t' see in Loki's 38mm line is a 360 and 600 motor. Well, blow me down! I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. Begad! Aye aye! I would also love t' see Black and Spark loads introduced too. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I would have t' problem decidin' which loads t' buy!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5