Published: | 2011-03-01 |
Manufacturer: | The Launch Pad ![]() |
T' Anubis be t' first time I've attempted a kit from a company other than Estes. Ahoy! Begad! It arrived in t' common long clear plastic bag, and upon inspection all o' t' parts were there, although thar be no actual parts list with t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions are basically two pages. Begad! T' first page bein' a diagram o' t' rocket, fins, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and motor mount. Blimey! T' second page was instructions on how t' assemble t' parachute on front, arrr, and a shock cord mount with instructions on shock cord assembly on t' back o' t' page. Avast! One thin' I noticed that I felt t' kit lackin' be that thar are no decals with t' Anubis.
T' kit reminds me o' older Estes and Centauri kits. Begad! Very basic parts, ya bilge rat, and plain sheets o' balsa wood for fin material. Avast! A fin pattern on thick paper is also included. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! Since t' kit has no step by step instructions I began with t' fins. It be fairly easy t' cut out t' fin patterns and trace out t' fins on t' 1/8" balsa stock. Once finished I would caution anyone t' pay careful attention t' t' grain o' t' stock. Aye aye! I cut t' fins so that t' grain goes parallel t' t' root edge, ya bilge rat, but due t' a small knothole in t' balsa I cut one o' t' fins with t' grain diagonal t' t' root edge. Well, me bucko, blow me down! This fin seems t' be t' strongest o' them all, and t' other three "main" fins have a little too much flex in them. Avast, me proud beauty! T' smaller bottom fins are made from 3/32" balsa.
T' most tedious part o' t' construction has been t' fairings that go around t' top o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Two 9" long, 1/8"X1/16" strips are cut into eight two inch strips which are then sanded t' taper t' ends. Since thar be an extra inch o' material on each strip I cut them t' 2 1/8" so that thar would be a little extra for sandin' down t' t' correct size.
After sealin' t' balsa parts it was time t' assemble t' model. Begad! Which leads t' another thin' I found t' kit lacking... Begad! Aye aye! There be no fin alignment guide or fin placement wrapper. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I made a guide and wrapper usin' VCP Then it be just t' process o' gluin' t' fins and fairings in place. Avast! Blimey! I used white glue on t' fin roots for quick drying, and used wood glue fillets for strength. Begad! Ahoy! There are no through t' tube slots, ya bilge rat, so t' glue strength is important on this model. Avast, me proud beauty! I used t' fin guide t' mark positions for t' fairings, ya bilge rat, and lined them up so that each one lines up with one o' t' eight fins.
T' internal structure is a simple matter as well. Well, blow me down! T' motor mount is a standard 24mm D sized mount. Ya scallywag! T' centerin' rings are laser cut and slightly stronger material than t' average Estes centerin' ring. Begad! There is also a baffle disk in t' kit, ya bilge rat, arrr, but here thar be a discrepancy with t' diagram. Begad! Blimey! It shows a plain cardboard disk that needs t' have holes punched into it usin' a 1/4" hole punch, but t' disk in t' kit had a single 24mm hole punched into it. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' hole be just small enough that it couldn't be confused with t' motor mount centerin' rings. Aye aye! Since thar be only one baffle disk I assume that it's only purpose is t' separate t' parachute compartment, and keep t' parachute/ shock cord from fallin' down t' t' bottom o' t' tube.
T' recovery system consists o' 35" o' 1/4" elastic as a shock cord, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and an 18" copper colored mylar parachute. I am a little worried about t' parachute as it seems like very thin material. Begad! Ya scallywag! It feels almost like t' foil packages that tradin' cards are sold in. Aye aye! A snap swivel, matey, and a barrel swivel are included t' connect t' parachute and shock cord t' t' nose cone. T' shroud line is similar t' that used in Estes models except that it is gray instead o' white, and is held t' t' parachute with self adhesive paper reinforcement rings.
T' last touch be t' launch lug which is 2 1/2" long and made for a 3/8" launch rod. Blimey! Blimey! T' finished model without paint or motor weighs in at 3 oz. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! A little light for a D engine rocket in me opinion, but I plan on weightin' it down with a lot o' paint.
T' finish I've chosen is tan with t' tips o' t' main fins painted black, shiver me timbers, and t' secondary fins completely black. Givin' it a desert type o' look. As an added touch T' tip o' t' nose cone is silver reminiscent o' a Phoenix type missile.
T' Anubis builds into a very nice rocket, but definitely nay for t' beginner. Ahoy! I would classify this as a skill level 3 model. Well, blow me down! I'm a little worried about puttin' a D engine in such a light model, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but as shown in t' in t' instruction sheet it can use an 18mm adapter t' fly on C engines. Arrr! Just make sure you have a large field for this one.
I would rate this kit as 3 points
Think T' Launch Pad just needs t' add a decal sheet, shiver me timbers, and improve t' instructions.
Have nay flown so I can't help out there... Well, blow me down! Yet.
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J.M. (September 1, 1999)