Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Published: | 2010-03-23 |
Diameter: | 1.63 inches |
Length: | 29.63 inches |
Manufacturer: | Custom Rockets |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This is a single stage, ya bilge rat, plastic nose cone, three fin rocket and it utilizes an eighteen inch
parachute for recovery. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' fins are balsa and thar are two recommended motors, t' D12-3 and t' D12-5 which are
secured by a metal motor retainin' clip.
Construction:
T' body tube o' t' rocket is in two pieces, me hearties, with t' lower tube only three inches long
which houses t' motor mount. T' tubes are t' standard cardboard material used in most low powered rockets. Arrr! The
nosecone is plastic and is approximately eight inches long, includin' t' section inside t' body tube. Aye aye! Arrr! It has three
fins made o' balsa and a 3/16 inch launch lug. Ahoy! T' shock cord is 1/4 inch elastic which is attached t' t' body tube
with t' Estes tri fold method. Blimey! T' instructions says it needs twelve t' fifteen sheets o' waddin' for flight. Well, blow me down! It has a
standard design motor mount similar t' t' Estes type, with cardboard centerin' rings. T' motor mount is placed in the
three inch lower body tube which is later attached t' t' longer upper body tube.
T' instructions were easy for me t' follow. Ya scallywag! It is a straight forward model t' build. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! You'll need basic building skills and use white or carpenter glue for fillets for t' balsa fins. Blimey! T' three inch body tube is painted red (with fins), me bucko, me bucko, t' nosecone red and t' main body tube white. Ahoy! You can paint all these segments before connectin' them all together which means thar be no maskin' before painting. Aye aye! T' decals were o' t' pressure sensitive type and went on easily. After assemblin' t' body tubes, me hearties, nosecone and applyin' t' decals t' rocket may be given a coat o' gloss clear paint t' finish things off and give t' rocket a uniform shine over it's total length. Arrr! Blimey! Make sure you give t' paint enough time t' dry before applyin' t' gloss finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! This time could be a few days long dependin' on t' paint used. I found it an easy rocket t' build. T' only thin' I can think o' that is a problem is that t' inside edge o' t' fins can get slightly damaged by t' motor exhaust heat and may need t' be touched up a few times with paint. I've had t' touch mine up with red paint two times already. Aye aye! This can be minimized by usin' a clothes pin on the launch rod t' give t' rocket a little more room betwixt t' blast deflection plate and t' bottom o' t' rocket.
Finishing:
Because t' sections o' t' rocket are finished separately, arrr, and then assembled, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' painting
o' this rocket is simple with no maskin' needed, me bucko, except for maskin' off t' shoulder o' t' nose cone so it will fit
inside t' body tube. Arrr! Be careful when takin' t' tape off t' nosecone after paintin' it since it may have a tendency
t' flake off on t' section you want t' keep red. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Takin' t' maskin' tape off t' nosecone before t' paint is fully
hard minimizes this I think. Blimey! T' decals are nice and went on easily. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' gloss paint finish will help keep them from
peeling. Avast! I feel t' rocket looks pretty nice when finished. Aye aye! I modified me rocket by usin' a blue nylon parachute
instead o' t' plastic one provided. Well, blow me down! I wanted t' treat this one a little special since it is one o' t' larger rockets
in me fleet. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! With t' large body tube it will fit a nylon parachute easily.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motors are t' D12-3 and t' D12-5. Blimey! I've only flown it with D12-5's so far. Begad! Blimey! For me,
it gets decently high on t' D12-5. It's hard for me t' tell where t' ejection is at t' apogee since it is so high.
For all me flights, it has flown well and had soft landings. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! I use both Estes and Quest wadding, arrr, usin' two sheets of
Quest waddin' first, me hearties, shiver me timbers, then about ten sheets o' Estes wadding. T' Quest waddin' is a little bigger and somewhat tougher
than t' Estes. Ahoy! Begad!
Recovery:
I used 1/4 inch elastic for t' shock cord. Well, blow me down! For me rocket I used a longer length, me hearties, me hearties, I think
about six foot long, shiver me timbers, t' avoid any problems with t' nosecone bouncin' back and hittin' t' rocket body durin' ejection.
So far I have had no problems with t' nosecone hittin' t' rocket. Ahoy! Begad! T' fins seem t' get slightly damaged on t' inside
edge by t' motor exhaust heat and may have t' be touched up periodically with paint (the paint seems t' bubble). After
five flights t' finish is startin' t' show some wear from scratches. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' parachute descent may be a bit slow, but is
acceptable for me. I've never timed it, but It flies so high it may need over a minute to
come back to
t' ground. Arrr! It's just an estimate. Well, blow me down!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
It's a great rocket. T' assembly is easy, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, paintin' is simple, arrr, me hearties, and it flies straight and
smooth. Begad! It looks really nice once assembled. Begad! Aye aye! On t' other hand, it only uses D12 motors, me hearties, t' plastic which t' nosecone
is made o' may cause t' paint t' flake off if you are nay careful, shiver me timbers, arrr, and t' paint on t' inside edge o' t' fins may
bubble from t' motor exhaust heat. On t' whole I really like this rocket and try t' fly it as much as possible.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Other:
Simple t' build and has a lot t' offer for t' price.
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