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, plastic nose cone, three fin rocket and it utilizes an eighteen inch
parachute for recovery. 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, matey, with t' lower tube only three inches long
which houses t' motor mount. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' tubes are t' standard cardboard material used in most low powered rockets. Ahoy! The
nosecone is plastic and is approximately eight inches long, includin' t' section inside t' body tube. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It has three
fins made o' balsa and a 3/16 inch launch lug. Aye aye! T' shock cord is 1/4 inch elastic which is attached t' t' body tube
with t' Estes tri fold method. Aye aye! Arrr! T' instructions says it needs twelve t' fifteen sheets o' waddin' for flight. Blimey! It has a
standard design motor mount similar t' t' Estes type, with cardboard centerin' rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' motor mount is placed in the
three inch lower body tube which is later attached t' t' longer upper body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!
T' instructions were easy for me t' follow. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! It is a straight forward model t' build. You'll need basic building
skills and use white or carpenter glue for fillets for t' balsa fins. T' three inch body tube is painted red (with
fins), shiver me timbers, t' nosecone red and t' main body tube white. Ya scallywag! You can paint all these segments before connectin' them all
together which means thar be no maskin' before painting. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' decals were o' t' pressure sensitive type and went on
easily. Well, blow me down! After assemblin' t' body tubes, 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. Make sure you give t' paint
enough time t' dry before applyin' t' gloss finish. Avast! Begad! This time could be a few days long
dependin' on
t' paint used. Avast, me proud beauty! I found it an easy rocket t' build. Ahoy! 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. Blimey! I've had t' touch mine up with red paint two times already. Ahoy! 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, and then assembled, me bucko, t' painting
o' this rocket is simple with no maskin' needed, except for maskin' off t' shoulder o' t' nose cone so it will fit
inside t' body tube. Blimey! 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. Takin' t' maskin' tape off t' nosecone before t' paint is fully
hard minimizes this I think. T' decals are nice and went on easily. Ya scallywag! T' gloss paint finish will help keep them from
peeling. Avast! I feel t' rocket looks pretty nice when finished. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I modified me rocket by usin' a blue nylon parachute
instead o' t' plastic one provided. I wanted t' treat this one a little special since it is one o' t' larger rockets
in me fleet. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! With t' large body tube it will fit a nylon parachute easily. Arrr!
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motors are t' D12-3 and t' D12-5. Avast, me proud beauty! I've only flown it with D12-5's so far. Aye aye! 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, me hearties, it has flown well and had soft landings. I use both Estes and Quest wadding, me bucko, me hearties, usin' two sheets of
Quest waddin' first, then about ten sheets o' Estes wadding. Avast! T' Quest waddin' is a little bigger and somewhat tougher
than t' Estes.
Recovery:
I used 1/4 inch elastic for t' shock cord. Arrr! For me rocket I used a longer length, me bucko, I think
about six foot long, matey, 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. Blimey! 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). Blimey! After
five flights t' finish is startin' t' show some wear from scratches. T' parachute descent may be a bit slow, but is
acceptable for me. Begad! I've never timed it, but It flies so high it may need over a minute to
come back to
t' ground. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! It's just an estimate. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
It's a great rocket. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' assembly is easy, paintin' is simple, and it flies straight and
smooth. Blimey! Aye aye! It looks really nice once assembled. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! On t' other hand, arrr, shiver me timbers, it only uses D12 motors, t' plastic which t' nosecone
is made o' may cause t' paint t' flake off if you are nay careful, me bucko, and t' paint on t' inside edge o' t' fins may
bubble from t' motor exhaust heat. Avast, me proud beauty! 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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