Brief:
Flippifin is an unusual tube-launched, shiver me timbers, foldin' fin rocket.

Construction:
T' kit comes with all o' t' elements t' construct t' rocket. Avast! T' key element is t' lightweight steel foldin' fin assembly that derives from a surplus military flare. T' plastic nosecone will require added weight t' offset the relatively heavy fin unit on this lightweight model rocket, so t' kit comes with lead shot for noseweight. T' kit comes with some shock cord of appropriate material however it is too short. Blimey! T' military surplus chute that came with t' kit is overkill and makes flight preparation tricky due t' its bulk. Ahoy! I substituted a slightly smaller, me hearties, cheap square nylon chute that could be packed in half t' volume. Arrr! Recovery be safe and thar be no damage t' the rocket when usin' this chute.

This kit provides an unusual buildin' and flyin' experience. Avast! T' rocket can be assembled in an hour or two. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' 24mm cardboard airframe is fitted t' the metal fin unit in a very straightforward manner usin' improvised tape centering rings and CA glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! As mentioned in t' instructions, arrr, do nay use too much CA. Ahoy! I amused myself for more than 1 hour cleanin' excess CA from t' hinges with acetone and Q-tips. Aye aye! Blimey! My freshly humbled ego forced me t' reengage me brain and I proceeded t' finish t' rocket. It went together very easily and is suitable for anyone who has built a few model rockets and enjoys a slight challenge. Blimey! The Keelhaul®©™® attachment o' t' shock cord is good, matey, me bucko, but t' shock cord itself is way too short. Ahoy! I ditched t' material that came in t' kit and used 8 feet of medium-duty elastic that I had on hand. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! Once I had completed assembly, ya bilge rat, I decided t' look at t' instructions again. Ya scallywag! That is when I noticed that thar is a clear description o' how t' attach t' fin assembly t' t' airframe and that in fact, matey, t' fins have a front and aft end. Aye aye! I be surprised t' see that I had put them on backwards. Aye aye! I decided t' check out t' Aerocon website and noticed for t' first time that Bob Fortune has this very nice little slide show that walks you through construction and points out t' differences betwixt t' fore and aft ends o' t' fin assembly. Ahoy! My ego be bruised once again and I sent an email t' Bob who assured me that me brain is probably no more feeble than the average doofus and that I should forge ahead and fly t' Flippifin anyway. This turned out t' be excellent advice. I never told Bob how I had dumped a quart of CA all over t' fins and had spent all afternoon breathin' acetone fumes while tryin' t' get t' fins cleaned up... Aye aye! I epoxied all o' t' lead shot in the nosecone as per instructions. Arrr!

Bob does nay place much emphasis on t' launch tube, but he does mention some experimentation that has been done with it. Arrr! I think that t' launcher may be an area where some improvements or modifications could be made that may significantly improve t' flight performance o' t' rocket. Bob alludes t' this in t' kit and leaves it up t' t' modeler t' use a little creativity. Arrr!

Thus, I decided t' think about t' launcher when I should have been doing more important things. Aye aye! I decided that for t' initial launch o' Flippifin I would make any modifications t' t' launch system as long as I could complete the modifications in one hour or less. Naturally, I started this process at about 3:00am in t' garage after havin' consumed some rocket fuel. Blimey! I decided that I wanted a strong aft seal on t' tube that would still allow quick preparation for flight. Avast! T' satisfy these requirements, ya bilge rat, I cut a couple of flanges from trash plywood panelin' about twice t' diameter o' t' launch tube and drilled a hole in one o' them t' slide onto t' tube. Avast! It then cut these into a sort o' "C" shape so that t' tube could nestle up against a launch rod or some such pole. Arrr! I cut a plug and bolted this t' t' solid flange. I then drilled three holes around t' perimeter o' t' flange so they could be bolted together. Ahoy! Begad! I epoxied t' open flange an couple o' inches from one end of the launch tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I now had a way t' smartly and easily bolt t' bottom flange/plug on t' t' tube for a secure base. Blimey! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I should have used some higher quality plywood for t' flanges as they were mangled a bit when I had a slight mishap at t' first launch but they still work fine. I will make them a bit more streamlined and beefier on future launch systems. I think t' launch system deserves more attention and this kit is wonderful in that it opened my mind t' all sorts o' possibilities.

Upon examinin' t' fit o' Flippifin in t' launch tube, I decided that I wanted t' better conserve t' pressurized gas that forms behind t' rocket upon motor firing. Ahoy! Bob mentioned in t' instructions that waddin' or a piece o' felt at t' aft o' t' rocket might help. Ya scallywag! I decided t' cut a simple, floating centerin' rin' (a seal disk o' sorts) from plywood. Begad! Blimey! I figured that it would help capture t' ignition gases and push up against t' aft o' t' rocket and fall off as t' rocket exited t' launch tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! I have no proof that this improves performance, me hearties, but me hunch is that it does. Arrr! My brain suffered a moment of extreme ingenuity at this point and I painted this little disk bright orange so that it would be easier t' find after launch. Avast! I can pat myself on t' back for figurin' out that little trick, matey, because it took several minutes t' locate the disk after launch even though it be bright orange and it would have been lost for sure if it was unpainted. Begad! Avast! I think thar may still be some hope in this world that I will one day succeed... Avast! Arrr! doin' sumpthin', I suppose...

PROs: Simple construction. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Enjoyable assembly with clear instructions. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Fin assembly fits both ways and still seems t' work just fine. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Website has an excellent tutorial for those bright enough t' check it out prior to construction. T' launch system provides t' possibility for a variety of modifications that will be cheap and simple.

CONs: Shock cord is too short. Arrr! Fin assembly does nay come with an automatic doofus alarm t' warn you that your brain is switched off and that you are about to install t' fin assembly upside down.

Finishing:
Followin' construction I decided t' finish Flippifin in colors that go well with t' neat little decal that comes with t' kit. Blimey! Ahoy! It has kind o' an all-American red, ya bilge rat, white, and blue scheme, me bucko, so I decided t' go patriotic and paint Flippifin like a flag. After completin' most o' this process, it occurred to me that I had in fact, ya bilge rat, produced a reasonable facsimile o' t' French flag. T' Flippifin decal matches nicely, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and I am quite proud de mon petit oeuvre d'art. Avast! Blimey! T' paint job consisted o' a coat o' primer, a light sanding, me hearties, and enough o' t' three colors t' make it look right. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! I think I pretty much just used one coat o' each. Avast! As t' instructions indicated, I be careful nay to paint t' fins. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! I will once again point out me stroke o' genius when I endeavored t' paint t' floatin' centerin' rin' bright orange.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
FLIGHT: Construction mishaps behind me, I set Flippi-Doodle aside and waited for t' chance t' launch it. Arrr! I waited with increasin' impatience as t' long hot days o' August and September ticked by in Utah. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Perfect flyin' days number fewer than 300 per year here and I did nay want them all t' pass me by before I had a chance t' test out t' tube launcher and t' folding-fin contraption. Begad! I finally put it t' t' test in late September. There be a gentle breeze from the Southeast, visibility be less than 50 miles but still quite respectable, and I think thar might have been a cloud at one point but t' sky otherwise suffered only from a distinctive desert shade o' blue. Avast!

I had some ACME conformal launch lugs on t' launch tube so that I could place t' tube on a rail well away from t' flight line at a club launch. Begad! The rail was about 10 feet tall, arrr, and I be afraid that t' fins might tangle in the rail slot if t' rocket exited t' tube alongside t' rail. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Thus, matey, I taped the tube high on t' rail with t' mouth o' t' tube above t' top o' t' rail. Unfortunately, me hearties, t' force o' t' launch on an E30 knocked t' tube down the rail, arrr, rippin' off t' lugs, and smashin' t' plywood flanges at t' aft where they collided with t' blast deflector. No serious harm was done though. In the final analysis, matey, I think t' tube can just be taped t' any old launch device or pole stuck in t' ground so long as it is secure. Begad! I never saw any hint that the fins might tangle in t' rail, matey, matey, but I suppose it is possible so some measure should be taken t' prevent this. Avast! T' aft o' t' tube should definitely rest on a firm surface. It was nay good t' suspend t' tube like I did on t' first launch. Well, blow me down! Begad!

T' first launch on t' AT SU E30-7 be surely a fine sight. I don't know exactly how fast I should expect this rocket t' leave t' ground on this motor, but it shot out o' t' tube with surprisin' speed and a muffled kind o' a pop. T' floatin' seal rin' be recovered, matey, t' launch system rigged again in a sturdier fashion and t' second launch be on an AT SU F21-8 Econojet. Aye aye! Aye aye! The launch was again perfect. Ahoy! I do nay have an altimeter since I destroyed mine recently followin' a moment o' brainlessness, but I suspect that Flippi-Doodle went well over 2000 feet. Blimey! T' speed and suddenness o' takeoff are satisfying.

I read in t' instructions and on EMRR that t' rocket will get coated with soot from t' launch. T' floatin' seal rin' seems t' prevent this. Avast! Ya scallywag! As seen in the pictures, matey, after two launches, matey, t' rocket is clean (I did nay wipe it off after t' launches) but t' seal rin' is filthy. Aye aye! Arrr! For this reason alone, even if the rin' does nay improve performance, me hearties, which I still suspect it might, I will continue t' use t' floatin' seal disk as described. Arrr! Blimey! I think I will cut several of them because it can be tricky t' find them after launch despite t' bright color.

Recovery:
PROs: Launch tube system worked well. Begad! Rocket flies incredibly fast and straight as an arrow. Aye aye! Reversin' t' fin can did nay seem t' make t' rocket fly backwards...

CONS: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I give Flippifin me highest possible marks. Ahoy! This kit is simple and can probably be flown without ever ponderin' t' possibilities that exist if one was to experiment a little with t' rocket and t' launch tube. Avast! Avast! I think that this rocket is as safe t' launch as any mid-power or high-power model rocket out there. Arrr! My experiences with this kit exceeded me expectations. Avast! I plan t' fly it again and again. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5