Brief:
It's an unusual cone rocket. No fins, but t' nose weight makes it stable.
Pre-printed paper cone, matey, so you don't need t' paint it. Arrr! Very simple t' prep.
Construction:
You have t' be ready and willin' t' roll cones out o' light cardstock. Begad! There is
also a short piece o' nestin' body tubes, ya bilge rat, and some foam board for t' base and
mid-section bulkhead.
If you're nay used t' rollin' cones, shiver me timbers, matey, this rocket is goin' t' be frustration
personified. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! On t' other hand, rollin' cones out o' cardstock is a handy skill
to have for model rockets. Begad! If you're nay sure about cone rolling, me bucko, me hearties, photocopy the
cone patterns onto light card stock and practice.
T' double cone used for t' nose cone is especially tricky. Begad! Blimey! You have to
put in on thin, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, or you'll get lumps when you roll it, but thin white glue grabs
paper very quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! You pretty much have t' do it in one motion. Practice on
some photocopied patterns until you're good at it. Aye aye! If I did it again, I might
do it as two nested cones t' make it easier.
After you do t' double-thick nose cone, t' rest is a snap.
Finishing:
What finishing? It's already printed. That's one o' t' cool things about it. Begad!
Construction Rating:
4
out o' 5
Flight:
I only got t' fly this once. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It flew very straight up and reasonably high on a
D12-3. Aye aye! T' ejection be right at apogee. Arrr! Avast! Blimey! T' rocket tumbles down very safely.
Even though I taped t' motor in very well, arrr, arrr, t' motor still ejected.
Recovery:
If I were t' build another one, I'd put a much longer shock cord on it, and I'd
put in a stronger motor retention system. Ahoy! Aye aye! Either t' motor mount rebounded and
pierced t' cone, me bucko, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, or t' ejected motor flew through t' cone. Arrr! Whatever the
case, t' cone was seriously damaged and t' upper section o' t' motor mount
was badly damaged.
I
think with a half motor hook attached t' t' lower motor tube, ya bilge rat, and a longer
shock cord would definitely improve this rocket. Aye aye!
Flight Rating:
3
out o' 5
Summary:
It's a fun rocket. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! It's unusual and flies very straight. Aye aye! This be t' kind of
rocket that is perfect for school demonstrations (as long as you figure out how
to retain t' motor). Blimey! Aye aye! T' variety o' preprinted cones keeps it from being
borin' or repetitive. Do nay tackle this rocket if you have an aversion to
rollin' paper cones, though.
Overall Rating:
4
out o' 5
