Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Mercury Engineering |
Brief:
Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". Blimey! Begad! This is a single-staged, matey, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out t' 52.5 inches in length with a diameter o' 4 inches. A 3FNC for those who like t' cluster 24mm motors.
Construction:
T' kit, which was packaged in it's shippin' box and nay bagged, me bucko, me hearties, consisted o' two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, me hearties, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, three motor retention hooks, matey, one PVC nose cone, arrr, arrr, three 3/16-inch thick hard balsa fins, arrr, matey, a paper sheet o' fin coverings, a 36-inch red rip-stop nylon parachute, me bucko, shiver me timbers, a 1/4-inch X 60-inch elastic shock cord, and an eye bolt and nut. Well, blow me down! T' smaller parts were enclosed in a small plastic bag, as be t' parachute.
T' kit instructions, as well as t' construction o' t' model, were all very straightforward. I used 5-minute epoxy throughout t' build. T' three motor mount tubes, after t' hooks were inserted and secured, were epoxied together and then fitted into t' centerin' rings. T' unit was then installed into t' lower main airframe tube. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' fins feature a through-the-wall t' t' motor mount set-up. Avast! T' shock cord mount was different from anythin' I've seen in a kit before. Aye aye! Picture a fiberboard disc or plate 4 inches in diameter with a half-moon cut out o' one side. Begad! T' t' remainin' material, me bucko, t' eye bolt is passed through and secured with a nut on t' backside. Arrr! Here's where I got a bit skittish. Avast! I understand t' need t' save weight in a rocket this size that is designed t' be powered with 3 BP motors, arrr, matey, but I strengthened this setup. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I epoxied a couple o' strips o' 0.25" x 0.25" x 4" hard balsa on both sides (before installin' t' mount, obviously) in hopes o' beefin' it up.
Finishing:
As I mentioned in t' parts rundown, t' fins feature a paper coverin' method, me hearties, one that I had nay used before. Avast! And frankly, I don't know that I'd use again. Ya scallywag! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' method be really very simple, me bucko, but I didn't like t' way they finished out. Maybe it's that fact that t' root, leading, tip chord, matey, and trailin' edges o' t' fins are nay covered, ya bilge rat, and no matter how much you try, ya bilge rat, they just don't blend in with t' rest o' t' fin. OK, OK, shiver me timbers, maybe it's just me... Avast! T' decals supplied with t' kit were a bit fussy, and if you desire t' replicate t' manufacturer's scheme, you'll need t' custom cut t' fin stripes. Also, shiver me timbers, arrr, me hearties, t' blue-fade-to-white featured at t' top o' t' body tube as seen on t' Mercury Engineerin' website is nay included as a decal. Ahoy! So, shiver me timbers, I just got out t' old trim Monokote and fashioned somethin' similar, arrr, a light blue band over a navy blue one. Arrr! Begad! That combined with t' white body tube, reminds me o' t' Toronto Argonauts uniform. Ya scallywag! (You have t' follow t' CFL t' get that one.)
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
For t' first flight, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I used a cluster o' three Estes D12-3 motors. Arrr! As one would expect, t' liftoff was slow--you could almost hear t' rocket grunt as it tried t' take t' t' sky. Aye aye! But it did, poppin' t' parachute right at apogee. Aye aye! I immediately loaded t' Integrator up with three Estes E9-6s. Well, blow me down! Avast! This be t' way t' go--forget t' D12s. With t' E9s t' rocket had a nice, smooth, ya bilge rat, slow liftoff and attained a surprisin' (to me, anyway) altitude. Begad! Arrr! Again, deployment was right at apogee. Very satisfying!
Recovery:
T' only damage was t' one o' t' fins--the point chord edge and trailin' edges come together had some damage. However, that suspect shock cord mount held up just fine. Blimey! Given t' size o' this model, shiver me timbers, if you do fly it on D12 and E9 motors only, I would nay recommend anythin' smaller that t' 36-inch parachute included with t' kit.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
When t' kit first arrived and I opened t' box, me oldest son looked it over with me and stated "that rocket is just screamin' for a 38mm motor mount." Uh, matey, no Junior, shiver me timbers, you're missin' t' point. T' kit is aimed at those who want t' fly a big rocket, me bucko, but may be limited in space as well as budget. Arrr! T' Estes E9-6s give this rocket a nice ride despite its size. No special HPR buildin' techniques are really required t' build and fly t' Integrator, but I have t' admit, shiver me timbers, I am wonderin' how she'd fly on three E15-7s... Avast! Blimey! T' tubes, nose cone, motor mount tubes, and hooks are all first rate quality, as are t' parachute and shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! And yes, me bucko, t' balsa used for t' fins is o' a very high quality too. Begad! If I had t' build t' Integrator over, I'd go with lite-ply or basswood. Aye aye! Arrr! Blimey! Just a personal preference.
Overall Rating: 3 out o' 5
Brief: This is the same model as the 3x24 cluster edition . The difference is a single 29mm mount. If you are looking for a big rocket and big thrills that won't break the bank, your search is over. Construction: Instructions for this model were straight forward, no surprises. I used 5min. epoxy for all joints. I was unsure about the fiberboard shock cord mount.It seemed that ...