Manufacturer: | Roachwerks Custom Turnings |
Brief:
This is a review o' Gordon's Dyna-Soar nosecone kit. Ahoy! He describes it as 'goof' scale. Nevertheless, me bucko, t' cone looks awesome and I don't worry about scale points. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Although he provides some application ideas, shiver me timbers, usin' this is on a stable model is up t' t' builder.
Construction:
This is a simple kit as you'd expect. Avast! It consists o' t' Dyna-Soar body, ya bilge rat, 2 wings, 2 stabilizers, me hearties, a transition from t' body t' a BT-60 tube, a screw eye, me bucko, and a decal sheet.
T' parts come packaged with instructions (9 steps) and two sheets which provide drawings t' show t' placement o' t' decals, arrr, an outline and color scheme for t' X-20/Titan-II, and some other concept drawings. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' latter are merely simple views with no detail.
I found t' transition didn't seem t' mate all that well with t' body, but t' pre-formed angles made it easy t' sand t' fit. Gordon provides contact info if you have questions, ya bilge rat, but I just proceeded on me own. In a move that is certainly nay t' norm for me, matey, arrr, I attached t' parts before fillin' (built upstairs in front o' t' tube where sandin' is taboo). As I was sanding, I got t' feelin' that t' wings might be a bit flimsy t' be on t' tip o' a cone that might end up bein' quite heavy t' ensure a stable flight, so I added some extra fillets on t' top and laminated t' base with cardstock.
T' last step recommends usin' this kit atop o' a FlisKits Deuces Wild, shiver me timbers, an Estes Big Bertha, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, or an OOP Titan III. Begad! T' final photos are atop o' a in-process rocket that I'll eventually review. Well, blow me down! It's kind o' a Titan variant.
Finishing:
I used PlastiKote primer and Rustoleum flat black paint. Ahoy! I was excited t' get t' decals on, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me bucko, then...you should imagine t' sound o' a record player scratchin' t' a halt (younger readers may have t' search this on Google). Blimey! T' quality o' t' decals are poor. Blimey! Maybe people used t' home made decals won't have a problem but, matey, betwixt foldin' over on themselves and breakin' durin' alignment, ya bilge rat, I scrapped half o' them. Ahoy! Ahoy! After I recovered emotionally, I scrounged some replacements (see detail above).
Summary:
PROs: T' curved balsa surfaces o' this kit are cool and would be hard t' make yourself. Construction was straightforward.
CONs: T' decals.
Overall Rating: 2 out o' 5
D.S. (November 7, 2008)