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