Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | BSD High Power Rocketry ![]() |
Brief:
I wanted a 3" BSD THOR ever since they first came out. I really like the
idea o' havin' smaller, high performance rocket. Well, me bucko, blow me down! After doin' a couple of
scratchbuilt HPR rockets, me bucko, me hearties, I felt that buildin' a kit would be a nice break from
designin' rockets and chasin' parts for them. Ya scallywag!
This rocket is 3" in diameter, ya bilge rat, matey, and stands 64" tall. Ahoy! It has six fins and is dual deployment capable. Begad! My completed rocket weighed 5lbs 1oz ready to fly when configured for dual deployment. Avast, me proud beauty!
Construction:
T' 3" BSD THOR comes in two variations, one in 38MM and t' other in
54MM. Blimey! I chose t' 38MM version because it be a little easier on t' wallet.
T' basic kit includes t' followin' components:
T' kit also included one ¼ x 20 eyebolt, one 3/16" quick link, two 6-32 T-nuts, shiver me timbers, two 6-32 screws, two motor clips, eight reusable plastic rivets and two rail buttons. Aye aye! I was impressed with all t' components. Arrr! They were of good quality. Ya scallywag! Blimey! BSD seemed t' think o' everythin' one would need t' complete and fly this rocket. Begad! Avast! My only complaint is that one o' t' decal sheets seemed to have been stepped on. Begad! They were crinkled, and thar was dirt and fuzz in between t' vinyl decal and backin' sheet. This be a minor annoyance that proved t' be no big deal.
I started by buildin' t' motor mount first, epoxying
the front and middle centerin' rings t' t' motor tube. Arrr! At this point, me hearties, matey, I
decided t' replace t' nylon recovery strap with 5' o' tubular Keelhaul®©™. I did
this because a 3" airframe is too small t' get in and replace a nylon cord
if it became heat-damaged. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! After that be complete, me bucko, t' motor mount was
installed in t' booster section airframe. I cut t' fin slots, and ran in to
my first gotcha. Ahoy! T' instructions say t' cut t' slots 3/16" wide, however
the fins are only 1/8" thick. I carefully cut in 1/8" wide fin slots
in t' positions and spacin' called out in t' directions. Begad! Aye aye! Next I installed all
the fins, ya bilge rat, which went smooth. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I left off t' aft centerin' rin' so that I could
do internal fillets on t' lower fins. Blimey! I installed machine inserts in the
rear-centerin' rin' so I could use me PML motor retainer instead o' the
supplied motor retention. Begad! I felt that t' PML retainer would be an easier
solution for retainin' t' variety o' 29 and 38MM motors that I would be flying
this rocket on. This be me personal preference, and is nay a din' on t' kit
or its components. Arrr!
When all t' filletin' was complete, I tried t' install t' rear-centering ring, shiver me timbers, and ran in t' another gotcha. Aye aye! Begad! I had cut in t' lower fins 3/16" from the end o' t' tube per directions. Aye aye! Begad! T' aft centerin' rin' be ¼" thick, arrr, me bucko, so it would nay seat flush with t' end o' t' bodytube. T' solution ended up bein' cuttin' groves in t' t' backside o' t' aft centerin' rin' to let t' fin in t' it, arrr, and allow it t' seat flush with t' end o' t' body tube.
With t' booster section complete, arrr, I moved on t' to
electronics bay and payload section. I decided t' hold t' payload section to
the electronics bay with 8-32 screws instead o' t' supplied plastic rivets.
Again, me bucko, this was due t' personal preference, is nay a din' on t' kit or its
components. Aye aye! I don't have t' fingernails or patience t' use plastic rivets. Avast! I
drilled screw holes in t' airframe and couplers, me bucko, and hardened t' edges with
thin CA. Blimey! After t' CA be dry, an 8-32 tap was run through each hole t' thread
it. Begad! Begad! This creates nice smooth clean threads in t' cardboard. Begad! T' rest o' the
build focused around settin' up t' electronics bay for use with me Missile
Works RRC2 altimeter.
Finishing:
When t' build be complete, all t' bodytube spirals
and woodgrain were filled with Elmer's Fill ‘N Finish prior t' primering.
I chose t' go with t' stock color scheme, so t' booster section was painted
yellow and t' altimeter bay and payload section were painted black. Blimey! Once the
paint was dry, shiver me timbers, t' decals were put on. Decalin' was a real pleasure, as BSD's
decals are top notch. Arrr! Once t' decals were applied, me hearties, me bucko, t' rocket received a
clearcoat finish. Avast! T' finished rocket gets a “10" on t' gawk scale
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
Flight day did nay go as planned. Aye aye! My initial plan be t' fly it single deploy
on an H-128, arrr, then an H180, arrr, arrr, and finally dual deploy on a J-350. Begad! I smartly found
out that t' 4" deep bay in t' booster section is just too small for a
good length o' harness, shiver me timbers, heat pad, arrr, and parachute too. It was also very difficult
to just get in 15' o' harness, heat pad and streamer for dual deploy. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I
scrapped t' H-128 and flew it dual deploy on t' H-180. Blimey! This flight be great!
I had planned on flyin' it on a J-350 next, matey, but low cloud cover nixed those
plans.
Recovery:
T' flight was good and straight, but t' recovery be nearly a disaster. Begad! The
main and drogue harness got tangled together. T' chute managed t' get
un-tangled enough t' open up and save t' ship. Begad! I attribute t' tangling
problem t' flyin' dual deploy on a smaller motor. I feel that if it had more
fall time before t' mains deployed, t' airframe components would be better
separated, lessenin' t' chance o' a problem. Aye aye! While I'm talkin' about recovery,
the parachute that BSD supplies with t' kit is too small. Arrr! Aye aye! My rocket weighs
5lb, 1oz ready t' fly. Avast! That translates t' a 30 FPS decent rate with t' stock
30" chute. Begad! Arrr! I replaced t' stock chute with a 48" chute t' lessen the
possibility o' landin' damage.
Flight Rating:
4
out o' 5
Summary:
I really like BSD's rockets. This was me first kit from them, and it won't be
the last. Avast, me proud beauty! BSD makes it clear in t' directions that this kit is for the
experienced flier, and I'd agree with that.
Some PROS:
Some CONS:
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
T' followin' excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". Begad! The intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Blimey! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Extreme Rocketry and read the entire article. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. For more information, use t' link above.
This looks t' be a fine kit from BSD. It is hybrid compatible which allows for many motor options. Begad! T' manufacturer is reported t' be very helpful and stood behind his product when a mistake was found. T' only negative mentioned is that t' tubes were nay pre-slotted. Ahoy! This may nay even be a negative dependin' on t' builder.
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T.M. (June 22, 2005)