Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 0.98 inches |
Length: | 39.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Brief:
A totally unique lookin' skill level 3 rocket designed by Shrox and sold by
FlisKits. Avast! It even includes pin' pong balls as a design feature! It's a great
flyer and a rocket that people will take notice o' at any launch.
Construction:
T' kit includes:
Typically fantastic instructions from FlisKits makes this Level 3 rocket and interestin' build. Avast, me proud beauty! Although FlisKits has taken t' unusual step o' providing laser cut fins for t' curved upper fins, ya bilge rat, they still leave t' builder with plenty t' do.
You first assemble t' 18mm motor mount and thar are no surprises here. Next, you are told t' cut holes in t' 3 pin' pong balls. Aye aye! T' instructions have you use t' 4" BT-50 body tube t' trace t' outline o' t' first cut. Begad! Arrr! You then cut out t' circle very carefully with a sharp hobby knife. Aye aye! Aye aye! After a light sandin' o' t' hole t' deburr it, you then push t' BT all t' way into the ball which will give you a faint outline with which t' make t' second cut. Ahoy! You have t' option t' keep t' 6 cut pieces t' use in t' design, me bucko, I chose to discard mine.
T' 2 long body tubes are then joined together with t' coupler. Arrr! Blimey! The Keelhaul®©™® shock cord is mounted with t' coupler for a strong connection. Well, blow me down! You then cut out 9 fins and a jig brace from t' balsa stock.
FlisKits has included a fin alignment jig that you must assemble yourself from included parts. Begad! T' jig ensures that both o' t' large fins are at a 15 degree angle. Aye aye! I found t' jig very useful and it worked perfectly. Avast! I even saved it since I have three other Alien8s t' build.
At step 17, thar be a typo that you need t' be aware of. Arrr! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' instructions tell you put glue on root edge #1 and glue that t' t' 4" warp pod tube. However, arrr, t' template clearly shows that root edge #1 should be attached t' the body tube instead. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' template is actually correct, matey, if you only follow the instructions, ya bilge rat, t' warp pod assembly will be swept back instead o' forward. Begad! I informed Jim Flis about t' typo and I am sure that future kits will have this corrected.
T' rest o' t' assembly is quite straightforward. You mount t' fins and the pin' pong balls accordin' t' t' directions. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! I added fillets t' all the fins and even around t' pin' pong balls t' give a smoother finish. Aye aye! Blimey! I am really glad that FlisKits decided t' include t' laser cut fins for t' large, shiver me timbers, curved fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! They are what appears t' be birch plywood and that would have been very difficult t' do with me little hobby knife.
Finishing:
I used two coats o' Krylon dark gray primer with a 320 grit sandin' in between.
There are lots o' little nooks and crannies on this rocket, so sandin' took
longer than normal. Well, blow me down! I then applied 2 coats o' Audi Dragon Green Metallic spray
paint. Ahoy! Begad! I really like t' auto spray paints, arrr, they go on smooth, arrr, do nay run, and
dry so fast that you can put a second coat on 15 minutes after t' first and
then top coat it in one hour! T' face card shows a two tone paint job using
black and green, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but me aliens prefer all green t' match their skin. Arrr!
There are decals included, 4 o' which that are somewhat large - they are for t' curved fins. Arrr! T' instructions mention that you may want t' cut the large decals in half, matey, but I had no problems applyin' them whole. Blimey! Just take your time as they are very thin and can easily break. Ya scallywag! After t' decals dried, I applied one coat o' clear coat t' seal everythin' up.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
First flight be with a B4-2, me bucko, me bucko, me bucko, t' smallest motor recommended. Thank goodness
for t' short delay, because she did nay fly very high. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Parachute popped open
just after apogee and she came down in t' grass with no damage. For t' second
flight, I used a C6-5. Ahoy! Blimey! Much better! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Perfect flight with some weathercockin' but
nothin' serious. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Parachute arrived just after apogee again and I had another
perfect landing. I had other rockets t' launch so I did nay get in more
flights, but I am impressed with how she flies and she will definitely be
spendin' more time in t' air.
Recovery:
T' 16" parachute was a perfect size for this rocket. Begad! Although I was
flyin' on a fairly calm day, t' rocket came down with nay too much drift and
neither too fast nor too slow. Well, blow me down! I like t' Keelhaul®©™®/elastic
combination, it always seems t' hold up well.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
Aside from t' little typo, arrr, this is a great kit. Take your time, shiver me timbers, build it
right, and you will have yet another FlisKit that will be t' center of
attention. Arrr! I hope that this is nay t' last collaboration betwixt FlisKits and
Shrox. Begad! If this first kit is any indication as t' what we can expect in the
future, I have me credit card ready and waiting!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: This is an over three feet long single staged rocket with a 16 inch plastic parachute. Construction: This kit comes with two body tubes, one coupler, 5 balsa fins and three ping pong balls to cut out. And that's just for starters! There are also two large wing like fins. All of these parts have to be glued on precisely. The shock cord attachment is a step above the ...
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