Constructin' t' THOY Phoenix

This is a high power rocket kit originally developed by Tiffany Hobbies O' Ypsilanti (Michigan?), ya bilge rat, and now produced by Rocket R&D. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' suggested motors run from G t' H, arrr, but unless you build very light, shiver me timbers, G’s might work only on absolu

tely calm days. Ahoy! I won this kit in an online raffle sponsored by Magnum Hobbies almost three years ago, matey, but waited until this winter t' build it.

Components

T' included parts are o' very high quality. T' 4" body tube is thick-walled kraft paper, with marks showin' where t' fin slots and launch lug need t' go. Begad! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! You must cut t' slots yourself. Ahoy! T' fins (8) and centerin' rings (2) are beautiful, me hearties, made o' 1/8" plywood and cut perfectly. T' fins are through t' wall, me hearties, and t' tabs go all t' way t' t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! T' top centerin' rin' comes with a braided steel shock cord anchor pre-mounted, and needs only a spot o' epoxy t' finish it off. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone is from ACE, matey, and interestingly enough has a screw cap located on t' bottom instead o' t' customary plastic loop. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' motor mount tube is 38mm. Aye aye! Completin' t' kit is a ½" launch lug , me bucko, a nine foot length o' nylon webbin' (1" wide) shock cord, a 36" nylon parachute, ya bilge rat, a page o' self-adhesive decals for military style detailing, me bucko, me hearties, clay for nose weight, along with two pages o' instructions, me hearties, one o' which is a general guide t' paintin' and decal placement. Ahoy! T' instructions are basic but complete, and include some decent diagrams for assembly steps. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It is assumed that you have some buildin' experience. Begad! Apparently, arrr, at some point a different nose cone be supplied, ya bilge rat, because t' instructions call for tyin' t' shock cord t' t' plastic loop on t' nosecone, matey, which, arrr, as noted above, ya bilge rat, doesn't exist. T' decals were t' weakest part o' t' kit. Aye aye! I don't much like self-adhesive decals anyway, but these were among t' worst I've seen. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' printin' was smudged in several places and peelin' in others (age may have been a problem). T' finished product is acceptable from 6 feet away, which is good enough for me, but t' decals really disappoint close up. Avast, me proud beauty! A little effort t' re-create your own water slide decals t' match, matey, or t' have them cu

stom made is an option t' consider.

Construction

For t' most part, ya bilge rat, construction was straightforward. Begad! T' fin slots were cut usin' a new x-acto blade and a straightedge. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Take your time and don't try t' cut all t' way through at once and you'll be done before you know it.

T' instructions give measurements t' sand t' fins t' their true scale shape, but after slightly goofin' up t' first fin, me hearties, I just rounded them all off. Elmers Fill ‘n’ Finish was used t' seal and fill t' grain on t' fins and t' fill t' body tube spirals.

To me, matey, me hearties, t' biggest worry about any Phoenix model are those aft fins. They just look like a pop off waitin' t' happen. Aye aye! T' further strengthen this area, me bucko, I added a third centerin' rin' t' sandwich t' tabs o' t' lower fins. Begad! This extra rin' be made o' two thicknesses o' balsa, ya bilge rat, glued together with t' grains runnin' perpendicular, me hearties, and then thin CA be soaked into t' wood. Well, blow me down! Very light and strong.

One trick I've found w

henever workin' with fin tabs that go all t' way t' t' motor tube is t' trim a small bit o' t' corner where it's goin' t' meet a centerin' ring. Arrr! This way there’s room for any glue fillet that might already be present. Ahoy! Blimey! See t' illustration for what I mean.

T' instructions are very clear, arrr, and make assemblin' t' motor mount and fins a two-step process, me bucko, first t' motor mount, then t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Blimey! I'll describe here how I did it, which was t' combine t' steps into one. Avast! Blimey! T' reason I did it me way was t' strengthen t' bottom fin section usin' that extra centerin' ring.

Before doin' this, ya bilge rat, drill two small holes in t' balsa rin' and thread some strin' through them. These are your handles, me bucko, me bucko, and you'll see what they're for in a minute.

First thin' is t' glue t' front centerin' rin' into place on t' motor tube as indicated in t' instructions. Ahoy! When dry, I slipped t' balsa rin' over t' back end o' t' motor tube without gluin' it, just t' center t' motor tube correctly. Arrr! Then I set t' rocket upright and drizzled more glue around t' joint where t' top centerin' rin' meets t' body tube. Tilt t' tube slightly t' make sure t' entire edge o' t' rin' is glued t' t' tube wall.

Once dry, I turned t' rocket over again and, me bucko, usin' those strin' handles, removed t' bottom centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Now I glued t' forward set o' fins into place, makin' sure that they were aligned correctly. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Fillet well on t' inside where t' tab comes through t' slot and at t' motor tube joint.

At this point, me bucko, I had t' straighten t' forward fins, because two o' them had developed a slight bow from leadin' t' trailin' edge. Avast! T' way I did this was t' clamp a straight steel bar along t' length o' t' fin, matey, arrr, which forced it straight. Ahoy! Next came punchin' small holes into t' body tube along t' fin root, which allows t' epoxy t' flow into them and create ‘rivets’ as it cures. Arrr! Blimey! T' final step be layin' a good fillet o' epoxy along t' fin root. Arrr! Ahoy! T' glue held t' entire fin root straight, which removed t' warp from t' plywood. Each side o' each fin was done t' same way.

Time for t' second centerin' rin' (the one made from balsa) and bottom fins. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Place t' centerin' rin' on t' tube, shiver me timbers, and let it slide down past t' bottom fin tab slots. Next, me hearties, insert t' bottom fins through t' slots, mix up a small batch o' 5 minute epoxy, me bucko, and use t' strin' t' pull t' centerin' rin' up tight against t' bottom fin tabs. Aye aye! Blimey! Add small dabs o' epoxy betwixt t' fin tabs along t' body tube wall and motor tube, ya bilge rat, so that once t' epoxy cures t' rin' is in place. Arrr! Blimey! T' fins are still nay glued into place, shiver me timbers, just t' balsa centerin' ring, shiver me timbers, arrr, which acts as a ‘floor’ for t' lower fin tabs (see t' picture).

T' bottom fins must be aligned with t' top fins before gluin' them into place. Ya scallywag! I used a straight wooden yardstick clamped along t' length o' t' upper fin, me bucko, then clamped in turn t' t' bottom fin t' get t' alignment needed. Begad! This lined up t' fin roots, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but t' ensure that t' two fins both were at t' same angle t' t' tube, arrr, ya bilge rat, I used an Estes 2-piece rod, arrr, and clamped one half on each side o' t' fins, runnin' with t' leadin' edge (see t' picture). Ya scallywag! Then I glued t' fin and fin tab into position. Ya scallywag! Fillet everythin' well, me bucko, me bucko, inside and out. Aye aye! Let it dry, then do t' next fin. Begad! When you're done, you'll have a rock solid assembly for t' bottom fins, me hearties, and they'll be perfectly aligned.

Once dry, I fastened t' bottommost centerin' rin' into place, arrr, shiver me timbers, and filleted it well. Begad! Instead o' centerin' t' launch lugs betwixt t' fins as called for in t' instructions, I offset th

em slightly closer t' one side, so that I could install rail buttons as well.

On t' t' nosecone. Well, blow me down! After lightly sandin' t' remove t' mold seam, shiver me timbers, as well as t' provide some ‘tooth’ for t' finish t' hold on to, me hearties, I packed t' supplied clay into t' nosecone. Blimey! Blimey! Usin' a dowel as a ramrod, ya bilge rat, t' clay was pushed as far as possible towards t' tip. Blimey! Next I drilled several 1/16" holes through t' nosecone at t' level o' t' clay. Avast, me proud beauty! Coverin' these holes with maskin' tape, arrr, I then poured a batch o' 15 minute epoxy into t' nosecone, me hearties, arrr, on top o' t' clay. Ya scallywag! Once again, arrr, t' epoxy ran into t' holes, creatin' rivets as it cured and ensurin' that t' clay would stay right at t' top o' t' nose. Ya scallywag! Once cured, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' maskin' tape be removed, and t' holes and rivets were sanded smooth.

Finishin'

I covered t' entire rocket with 3 coats o' ruddy brown automotive primer, arrr, ya bilge rat, lightly sandin' betwixt coats. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! This primer has a high solids content, ya bilge rat, and filled t' last o' t' spiral grooves and wood grain. Blimey! Read t' can though! T' brown primer that I used be leftover from some auto bodywork I did a while back, arrr, me hearties, and had a dryin' time o' 5 days, me hearties, which I've never heard o' before for any other primer (and didn't think about until after I'd already sprayed t' first coat). Begad! Aye aye! T' body o' t' Phoenix is pale dove gray, ya bilge rat, so – 5 days later – I next sprayed t' body with 2 coats o' Krylon white primer, sandin' betwixt coats. Avast! Arrr! I was worried that t' gray would have a hard time coverin' t' brown primer, me bucko, me hearties, so I chose t' white t' lighten t' final coat color even more. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' nosecone is white, so I used Krylon gray primer there, mainly so I could tell when I had good coverage on t' final color coat. Arrr! Ahoy! Sprayin' white paint on white primer is tough. Begad! Ya scallywag! I set t' whole thin' aside t' dry for a week.

Final Details

T' markings guide provided in t' instructions is pretty general, and since this is just ‘scale like’, I didn't feel real obligated t' follow it t

o t' letter. Ahoy! Begad! I opted t' simplify t' stripin' scheme, mostly t' cut down on t' difficult maskin' needed (probably me least favorite rocket buildin' step). Avast! Aye aye! T' silver stripes are mylar tape. Ya scallywag! T' decals were added more or less where indicated, matey, and t' tip was painted silver usin' a brush and Testors silver model paint from a jar. Well, blow me down! Once again I set it aside for several days, shiver me timbers, then clear coated everythin' usin' Future floor finish applied with a soft rag.

I didn't use t' supplied nylon webbin' for t' shock cord, me hearties, preferrin' 20 feet o' 3/8" tubular nylon attached with a quick link. At t' nosecone end, I drilled two holes on either side o' t' screw cap – one on each molded half - and threaded more tubular nylon through both holes as a harness where t' shock cord can be attached with another quick link. Well, blow me down! There would have t' be massive structural failure o' t' entire base o' t' nosecone t' experience a separation failure at that point.

Motor retention clips were formed from strip brass stock, me bucko, ya bilge rat, fastened with cap screws fitted into blind nuts installed in t' aft centerin' ring. A Pratt heat shield was added as wadding.

T' final, ya bilge rat, full up, everything-but-the-motor weight is 43.5 ounces.

Flight

First flight be at Whitakers, me hearties, N

orth Carolina on March 25, me bucko, 2001, me hearties, on an H180W with a medium delay. Blimey! Aye aye! At ignition she punched off t' pad straight up, movin' fast. Durin' t' coast phase, ya bilge rat, t' fins made a neat whistlin' sound, matey, shiver me timbers, and t' chute ejected just after apogee. T' chute brought t' Phoenix down t' a soft landin' less than 100 yards from t' pad.

Post Flight

T' Pratt heat shield did its job perfectly, ya bilge rat, without so much as a single scorch on t' chute or shroud lines. Ahoy! Arrr! T' 36" chute is fine for near-calm days, but I think that on windier days I'll probably use a 32" or even 30" chute, especially since t' aft fins are reinforced and should be able t' handle a harder landing.

All in all, this is an impressive kit! T' Phoenix is a challenge t' build without bein' overly complex, matey, and t' end result is a great lookin' rocket that attracts attention. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! There be a lot o' satisfaction for me in completin' this rocket, me hearties, and t' fact that she flies like a dream just made t' whole experience that much better. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Highly recommended.