Photo Courtesy o' PML

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

Construction:
T' Tethys came with a single length o' airframe tubin' (phenolic, arrr, me bucko, per me request), 3 pre-cut G10 fins (the thickest fiberglass fins I've used t' date), a 4:1 ogive plastic nose cone, me bucko, matey, a thick nylon strap, a length o' tubular nylon, piston kit, ya bilge rat, me bucko, a 48" parachute, arrr, matey, me hearties, two brass launch lugs, shiver me timbers, and t' 54mm Kwik-Switch motor mount system. Avast! All parts arrived in good condition, arrr, shiver me timbers, although thar be a crack in t' airframe, arrr, 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. Begad! 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, me hearties, I was boggled, as me concern be whether these parts would hold up t' t' stresses that a really big motor would place on them. Well, I suppose PML knows what they're doing. Anyway, matey, ya bilge rat, part fit be good overall, matey, and thar really aren't any "gotcha's", shiver me timbers, if you follow t' instructions.

I built mine stock, ya bilge rat, with one exception- I replaced t' lugs with 1/4" ones. Ahoy! 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, when I measured t' ID.

Otherwise, everythin' else went together fine, with nothin' more than t' usual bit o' sandin' t' get optimal fit. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Sinkin' those threaded inserts be 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), me bucko, and had plans on usin' it for level 3 eventually too. Begad! Blimey! I order t' phenolic airframe so that I could put a layer or two o' glass on it, t' give it extra strength. That went on surprisingly easy, considerin' I'd never done any glassin' before. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! When I was done, I had a pretty solid-lookin' rocket... Blimey! Blimey! if kinda plain.

Finishing:
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, arrr, and never had t' chance t' even shoot a coat o' primer on this rocket. Aye aye! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit does come with a pair o' PML logo decals, matey, 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. Ahoy! Blimey! One thin' I really like about PML kits be t' lack o' need for wadding, me bucko, thanks t' t' piston system. Sure cuts down on t' pre-flight prep! Blimey! For motor retention, arrr, me hearties, me bucko, I had intended t' use t' PMR that I had installed. Begad! However, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 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. I'd run a number o' sims for this rocket in Rocksim, me bucko, matey, and was unable t' find a motor delay in any "I" motor that I was really comfortable with. Blimey! T' slowest deployment speed I could get was on t' order o' 40 MPH, arrr, which I thought be a bit high. So... Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Blimey! 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, and t' rocket be off t' pad in a hurry. Arrr! T' flight was pretty straight, with only a bit o' weather-cocking.

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

Examination o' t' motor casin' showed evidence o' a blow-by, shiver me timbers, which explains t' early ejection. Well, blow me down! 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. Arrr! Begad! However, me hearties, t' recovery problems really can't be blamed on t' kit... Arrr! although perhaps if I'd used extra tubular nylon instead o' that other material, it might have held together.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't have much t' add here. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' rocket is pretty much a plain "vanilli" 3FNC bird, ya bilge rat, which makes it a good choice for someone that doesn't have a lot o' HPR experience. Avast! It is light enough t' still qualify as a "large model rocket", and can fly on G motors, so you aren't restricted t' HPR flights only (a major consideration for me). Aye aye! Yet, 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). I'd say it's a pretty solid, forgivin' rocket.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5