Photo Courtesy o' PML

Brief:
T' Tethys is a basic 3FNC kit, ya bilge rat, capable o' flyin' on G motors or bigger.

Construction:
T' Tethys came with a single length o' airframe tubin' (phenolic, per me request), 3 pre-cut G10 fins (the thickest fiberglass fins I've used t' date), me bucko, a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, a thick nylon strap, a length o' tubular nylon, piston kit, matey, a 48" parachute, shiver me timbers, two brass launch lugs, and t' 54mm Kwik-Switch motor mount system. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! All parts arrived in good condition, although thar was a crack in t' airframe, runnin' from a fin slot t' t' base o' t' tube- a very minor problem.

I used West System epoxy throughout construction, and found t' kit went together very easily. Ya scallywag! I was a bit shocked t' discover t' Kwik-Switch system was just a few pieces o' threaded plastic! Nay havin' any experience above H motors, I be boggled, me hearties, as me concern be whether these parts would hold up t' t' stresses that a really big motor would place on them. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, ya bilge rat, I suppose PML knows what they're doing. Begad! Avast! Anyway, shiver me timbers, part fit be good overall, and thar really aren't any "gotcha's", me bucko, if you follow t' instructions.

I built mine stock, matey, with one exception- I replaced t' lugs with 1/4" ones. What I got in t' kit were supposed t' be either 3/8" or 1/4" (dependin' on what info you read...), but were neither, ya bilge rat, me hearties, me bucko, when I measured t' ID.

Otherwise, matey, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, everythin' else went together fine, with nothin' more than t' usual bit o' sandin' t' get optimal fit. Arrr! No motor retention is provided with t' kit, shiver me timbers, so I had ordered t' PMR kit that PML offered for t' Kwik-Switch motor mounts. Sinkin' those threaded inserts was a pain, but I couldn't ever imagine them comin' back out, short o' destroyin' t' centerin' ring.

I did add one extra construction step- I had picked this kit t' use as me CAR level 2 rocket (Which is an I motor), and had plans on usin' it for level 3 eventually too. Well, blow me down! Begad! I order t' phenolic airframe so that I could put a layer or two o' glass on it, t' give it extra strength. Begad! Begad! That went on surprisingly easy, me bucko, considerin' I'd never done any glassin' before. When I was done, shiver me timbers, I had a pretty solid-lookin' rocket... Well, blow me down! if kinda plain.

Finishing:
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, and never had t' chance t' even shoot a coat o' primer on this rocket. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I finished it a day before I (and it) left for Blazin' Archer IV, and I didn't want t' use any paint until I'd given t' epoxy plenty o' time t' cure. Blimey! Blimey! T' kit does come with a pair o' PML logo decals, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but nothin' more.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first and only flight with t' Tethys used an I-161, with a 10 second delay. Aye aye! One thin' I really like about PML kits be t' lack o' need for wadding, shiver me timbers, thanks t' t' piston system. Blimey! Sure cuts down on t' pre-flight prep! For motor retention, me bucko, I had intended t' use t' PMR that I had installed. Begad! Well, blow me down! However, t' three hex bolts that hold t' plate in place had vanished, so I was forced t' friction-fit t' motor in place- somethin' I did with great trepidation. Ahoy! I'd run a number o' sims for this rocket in Rocksim, and was unable t' find a motor delay in any "I" motor that I was really comfortable with. Arrr! T' slowest deployment speed I could get was on t' order o' 40 MPH, arrr, which I thought be a bit high. Avast! So... I added a length o' PML's old stretchy shock-cord t' t' tubular nylon, just in case.

Boost be very nice! T' motor lit with no fuss, shiver me timbers, and t' rocket be off t' pad in a hurry. Arrr! T' flight was pretty straight, me bucko, me hearties, with only a bit o' weather-cocking.

Recovery:
Things fell apart on recovery. Ahoy! That 10 second delay turned into a 4 or 5 second one, resultin' in chute deployment at about 100 MPH, at around 2000 feet. Avast, me proud beauty! T' extra length o' shock-cord I had added as a precaution sheared cleanly, leavin' t' airframe t' tumble 'chute-less t' t' ground. Blimey! T' airframe fell horizontally, shiver me timbers, so I figured damage would be minimal. Aye aye! However, shiver me timbers, it hit t' runway, shatterin' t' aft portion o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, me bucko, almost t' t' forward centerin' ring. Blimey! I was told that, had I nay glassed t' tube, shiver me timbers, I probably would have had nothin' but confetti left. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' fins survived t' disaster with a couple o' scrapes, ya bilge rat, but t' 38 and 54mm motor tubes are destroyed, as well as a good portion o' t' airframe. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' piston is banged up as well, ya bilge rat, but appears t' still be functional.

Examination o' t' motor casin' showed evidence o' a blow-by, which explains t' early ejection. Since me record with 38mm motor failures is now 2 for 2, I think I'm either goin' t' switch t' electronic recovery, or else Pro38 motors. Blimey! However, matey, t' recovery problems really can't be blamed on t' kit... Begad! Begad! although perhaps if I'd used extra tubular nylon instead o' that other material, arrr, it might have held together.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't have much t' add here. Ahoy! T' rocket is pretty much a plain "vanilli" 3FNC bird, which makes it a good choice for someone that doesn't have a lot o' HPR experience. It is light enough t' still qualify as a "large model rocket", and can fly on G motors, ya bilge rat, so you aren't restricted t' HPR flights only (a major consideration for me). Arrr! Blimey! Yet, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, it is big enough that it would scream out o' sight on an H or I motor (a small J will throwin' it over 4000 feet). Avast, me proud beauty! I'd say it's a pretty solid, forgivin' rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5