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