Outlaw Rockets E-Force

Outlaw Rockets - E-Force

Contributed by Greg Deeter

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Outlaw Rockets
Outlaw Rockets E-Force

Brief:
This is a single stage high performance rocket by a new rocket company in central Illinois. Arrr! Blimey! It uses unusual materials which result in a light weight rocket which is designed t' be fully maintained as t' motor mount is removable resultin' in full access t' all parts o' t' rocket for post-flight inspections. Begad! Blimey! I found this E-Force on an eBay store. It was advertised as "Be t' first on your field with an Outlaw Rocket" and I could nay pass that up. Ahoy! Blimey! I also ordered their Ouranos LV-34 X from Outlawrockets.com and built both o' them side by side.

Construction:
Both kits arrived together in very short order, complete, me hearties, and ready t' build. I was very impressed with t' attention t' detail as t' body tubes were already pre-marked and t' motor mount was already assembled. T' kit came with a BT-80 (2.56" diameter) airframe, arrr, a sealed Styrofoam nose cone/bulkhead, ya bilge rat, very large pre-cut and sealed styroboard fins carefully wrapped in wax-paper, plywood motor mount that uses a 2 liter soda cap for retention (works perfect), a custom made thin-mil parachute with Keelhaul®©™® shroud lines, arrr, some decals, me bucko, me hearties, extremely detailed and easy t' follow instructions that even cover what nay t' do, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, a NARRRRR safety checklist, ya bilge rat, arrr, and various other small parts such as motor mount retention screws and launch lugs all carefully labeled in little resealable pill bags.

Outlaw Rockets E-Force

I built both o' these rockets in one evenin' while chattin' with some friends on the internet. Ya scallywag! I'd do a little building, check on t' computer, matey, shiver me timbers, go back t' building, off and on for a few hours. Avast! I was really surprised at how fast and easy these kits came together. Aye aye! I did need t' instructions at several points as I had never used materials such as styroboard fins and this type o' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! In fact, arrr, arrr, me hearties, I have never seen any kits quite like these. Blimey!

T' instructions clearly state that t' build is t' be done with "Liquid Nails". It comes in a tube a buildin' supply stores and requires a caulkin' gun. It has t' consistency o' peanut butter and sets fairly fast and very strong. Arrr! Blimey! I later finished fin fillets with yellow wood glue and 30 minute epoxy. I would have used wood glue only for t' fillets but I started t' run out o' time as I wanted t' fly them t' next morning, otherwise the epoxy would nay have been needed.

Outlaw Rockets E-Force

Finishing:
I shot both rockets with some Kilz white primer. Arrr! I then used some gold plate on the E-Force and Corvette yellow on t' Ouranos LV-34 X. Blimey! These rockets look really nice when painted as t' fins are very large and smooth. Aye aye! They take paint well and look great when done. Blimey! Avast!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' first flights were on September 11th at Rushin' Park in Katy, ya bilge rat, Texas at an event with t' Challenger 498 model rocket club. Begad! I selected t' recommended motors, matey, an Estes E9-4 for t' E-Force and an Aerotech F21-6 for t' Ouranos LV-34 X.

T' E-Force took off fast and high on t' E9 and weathercocked a bit. We had slight NE winds and it turned a little northerly. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Recovery went well and it landed about 500 feet north o' t' pad in a dry drainage ditch and much t' my surprise when I found it, me hearties, it was standin' up on t' fins! Blimey!

T' Ouranos LV-34X took off real fast on t' F21 and also weathercocked a little in t' same direction as t' E-Force. Ya scallywag! Unfortunately, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' ejection charge was nay powerful enough t' eject t' chute as I used too much dog barf wadding that was still in clumps and it diluted Outlaw Rockets E-Force t' charge too much. Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket with nose cone ejected came down about 700 feet north of the pad and sustained minor damage t' t' top o' t' airframe that can be repaired. This failure be nay t' fault o' t' rocket, and I have learned not only t' use less dog barf but t' break up t' clumps. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket still had half of what I put in it when I got it home t' inspect it. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

Recovery:
I can nay comment on t' recovery systems that came with t' kits as I did not use them. Blimey! They look t' be more than sufficient yet I had some spare nylon chutes that I clipped in at t' last minute t' mornin' before launchin' these.

Flight Rating: 3 out o' 5

Summary:
I am very pleased with both t' E-Force and Ouranos LV-34 X rocket kits. Begad! They were inexpensive, arrived very fast, and I really enjoyed buildin' them. Arrr! Ahoy! I learned about different materials and construction techniques that I have never seen before. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' rocket kits were advertised as bein' "based on 15 years of experience and testing", me hearties, and I believe that. Avast! Its quite obvious that someone has refined these kits in great detail. Blimey! Blimey! They remain simple t' build and come out strong. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' finished models are very interestin' lookin' with the large fins, arrr, yet are very light, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and I am very impressed with how you can easily remove t' motor mounts after flights. In fact knowin' that I would be able to take t' rocket back apart with a simple small Phillips head screwdriver when I got home, me bucko, I didn't even glue t' shock cord onto t' motor mount I just tied it onto a nut at t' top o' t' motor mount. Begad! Arrr! Takin' t' mount out after flights lets you see what happens inside a rocket after it has flown. Ya scallywag! That's a very nice feature. Ya scallywag! I am impressed with these kits, ya bilge rat, they were well worth t' price, and were fun and educational t' build. Blimey! Aye aye! I highly recommend them. Begad!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

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