When I purchased me BSD Thor, I knew I would also need t' purchase new motor hardware. Begad! So I also purchased a 38mm set with a 38-240, 360 and 480 case. Aye aye! I also purchased a PML 54mm t' 38mm adaptor t' allow me t' fly t' 54mm-based Thor on me new hardware. Begad! So needless t' say, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, this was a large outflow o' loot t' venture into t' largest rocket I have built. Avast, me proud beauty! Is it t' tallest I've built? No, t' Mirage was 87" compared t' t' Thor's 85". Avast, me proud beauty! Was be t' widest I've built? No, arrr, me scratch-built Meanie x2 is 5.5" compared t' t' Thor's 4". Ya scallywag! But t' combination o' height and width made this t' biggest rocket that I have built and that was excitin' as I pulled t' pieces from t' box.

T' kit includes four (4) lengths totallin' 68" o' 4" glassine-coated paper tubin' and a plastic nose cone t' make up its length. Blimey! There are two (2) 6" couplers t' connect t' tubes. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' motor tube is a 54mm tube that is 17" long. There are six (6) large, me bucko, 3/16" thick plywood fins, three (3) 1/8" composite centerin' rings, arrr, and two (2) 1/8" composite bulkheads. Aye aye! T' recovery system includes a 4' x 1" nylon strap and 20' o' 1" wide elastic, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, a quick link, arrr, two (2) Eye-bolt assemblies, and a 45" diameter nylon parachute. Arrr! BSD has also started t' provide motor retention hardware which included a pair o' blind nuts, allen head bolts and retainin' clamps. Avast! There is a 1/2" diameter launch lug provided and a wonderful set o' vinyl and brushed gold decals.

CONSTRUCTION:

This is me second BSD kit (Diablo) and t' 10 pages o' instructions are one o' t' highlights t' a BSD kit. They are illustrated and photo illustrated. Aye aye! Blimey! They give more than just step-by-step as they provide information on optional dual-deployment configuration, arrr, arrr, numerous buildin' tips, me hearties, Level 2, markin' CP, me hearties, CG and vents, shiver me timbers, etc. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! So even though this is a big rocket (all relative) t' instructions could guide a moderately experienced builder t' a successful build.

I have found that as individuals build more and more high-power rockets they make more and more modifications t' t' kits they purchase. Begad! Aye aye! Nay necessarily a negative against t' kit, matey, as they are really tryin' t' employ "favorite" techniques. T' Thor can be built 100% stock with no modifications and be a perfect Level 2 kit. Ahoy! So, me hearties, did I build mine stock? I made only two minor changes. Aye aye! Aye aye! I added a 2nd eye-screw t' t' upper bulkhead and one t' t' nose cone so that I could put a strap from t' bulkhead t' t' nose cone. Arrr! I also didn't install t' launch lug and used Blacksky Rail Buttons instead.

As far as t' build goes, it was straightforward and fairly easy. I found that I had t' sand t' inside and outside o' t' three centerin' rings just enough t' take t' black from t' laser cut off t' fit t' tubes nicely. Avast, me proud beauty! Other than that all t' parts fit together well.

Follow t' instructions closely because you don't want t' go sloppin' glue around until they tell you t' so that all t' parts fit correctly. Avast! Blimey! This is especially true for checkin' t' fins against t' centerin' rings and verifyin' fit through t' fin slots.

Speakin' o' t' fins and slots, this was, in me opinion, matey, t' most challengin' thin' about t' build. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' body tube is pre-marked and you must physically cut t' fin slots yourself. Blimey! It's nay a terribly difficult thin' t' do, me hearties, me hearties, but as BSD recommends ensure you have a sharp knife. Ya scallywag! Also be aware t' take your time. Ahoy! You will be cuttin' six (6) slots. Well, blow me down! T' biggest problem o' installin' t' fins in alignin' t' upper and lower fins. Blimey! BSD provides a fin guide and then suggests usin' a scrap piece o' wood that is "tack glued" t' t' upper and lower fins t' keep them in perfect alignment. Avast! I used an angled ruler and clamps. Arrr! Mine did nay come out perfect but nay terrible. Aye aye! I think I had "slopped" some glue and one o' t' upper fins didn't sit flat against t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! It's nay obvious unless you go lookin' for it, so I moved on.

For fin fillets, I deviated from t' directions and used ProBond glue for initial fillet. Begad! Blimey! This does a good job fillin' any gaps betwixt t' fins and t' body tube. Begad! I then followed that up usin' 30-minute epoxy with then gives a nice smooth fin fillet. Avast! I've been usin' this technique on most o' me builds lately. Begad! It took a lot o' glue t' do these fillets! Blimey! (additional comments about ProBond glue)

There is one area that has come t' bother me about t' Thor kit. Ya scallywag! That be t' bottom o' t' rocket and t' amount o' exposed body tube without support. There is just about an inch as seen in t' picture. This didn't seem t' be a problem until after flight. Begad! Every landin' bent that section in some way or another. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' instructions talk about this area and suggest "to coat t' entire centerin' rin' and inside o' t' airframe tube at t' aft o' t' rocket with epoxy. Ya scallywag! Blimey! This will help protect it from heat and impact." Maybe it "helped", shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but it was still a problem for me. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! I would suggest (and have no idea how well this would work) takin' a piece o' coupler and gluin' it into t' aft section below t' final centerin' ring. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! This would effectively double this area and increase its strength.

Finishin' was t' most time consumin' task because o' t' rocket's size. Even though I used me standard method for finishin' Kraft paper tubes and also for finishin' plastic nose cones, arrr, shiver me timbers, it just took a while. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! I also had trouble findin' a stand t' hold it while painting. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! For t' bottom section I took two bar bell weights, stacked them, and put a 1" in dowel in them. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I then took a cap from a can o' primer and punched a hole in it and pushed it over t' dowel. Begad! Blimey! T' 54mm motor tube was then held fairly sturdy with this arrangement. For t' top, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I tied a rope t' t' eye-hook and suspended it upside down from t' garage ceiling. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In this manner I be then able t' paint both sections. Arrr! Blimey! BSD has a nice color scheme on their prototype. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I choose a different color scheme. Arrr! Blimey! I painted t' bottom with ColorWorks by Krylon Gold and t' upper section with dark blue paint from Walmart (additional comments about Walmart paint). Blimey! I then used used Krylon Clear over everythin' t' finish it off. Aye aye! Be sure t' wait a week before puttin' Krylon clear or anythin' over any other paint!

After paintin' I started on t' decals. Begad! There are a lot and this too takes a lot o' time. Well, blow me down! I applied all t' black decals, me hearties, but didn't use t' yellow THOR or t' Brushed Gold. Blimey! I decided that it would look a lot better with a gold THOR so I contacted BSD about purchasin' a set in Gold. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! They were able t' accommodate this request. I will be cleanin' it up after a somewhat rough trip (on t' finish) to/from NARAM-43 and then applyin' t' gold THOR.

T' last thin' I did, matey, which isn't part o' t' kit, was t' build up a PML 54 t' 38mm adaptor and install Blacksky Rail Buttons.

Overall, arrr, arrr, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Begad! I really can't stress it enough, matey, that for this size o' rocket t' instructions would allow less experienced builders t' be successful. Begad! Blimey! T' parts quality is good. T' kit comes with motor retention and a wonderful set o' decals. Begad! Right on! T' other thin' that should be said, is that t' instructions didn't ignore that some may want t' modify t' kit for dual-deployment and then gives recommendations on how t' do that. If we could belay that aft tube damage this would be perfect!

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

As far as flight, again BSD give clear instructions on preparation and suggest an H123W-S for its first flight. Ahoy! They also recommend t' I154J, I161W, I200W, matey, I211W, ya bilge rat, J350W, J135W, and J415W. Blimey! My flights were thoroughly planned for NARAM-43. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! My flight plan was an H123W-S, then an I161W-M, then an I211W-L, then an I357T-M. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I be successful in gettin' all four (4) flights durin' NARAM-43. Aye aye! Pictured here (a bit blurry) be t' I211 flight. Most impressive.

My RockSim'd rocket shows this for t' planned flights:

My rocket had a CG at 54.75" from t' nose cone. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! BSD indicated that CP is 64.75" from t' nose cone (20" from t' bottom). Ahoy! BSD's web site says t' Thor weighs betwixt 3 and 5 pounds ready t' fly. Aye aye! My finished rocket weighed in at 89 ¼ ounces (5 ½ pounds) without t' motor, matey, so t' weight o' me PML adaptor and t' gluin' really seemed t' take t' weight up. Two other weight adders were a very large eye-bolt that I screwed into t' nose cone and an small eye-screw in t' upper bulkhead. Begad! These were added t' allow me t' tie a strap betwixt them, shiver me timbers, just in case t' nose cone popped off.

My first 38mm flight ever and t' first flight o' t' Thor was on an H123-S. Avast! Lift off was slow with relatively low altitude (RockSim says 630 feet). Blimey! T' rocket had arched over and was nose cone down upon ejection. Arrr! Descent was a bit too fast and it suffered its first small dent upon t' bottom edge o' t' body tube.

T' next day, shiver me timbers, I loaded an I161-M. Ahoy! My first "I" motor. It was a bit windy but t' Thor took off and gave a beautiful straight flight. Begad! Begad! I could hear a whistlin' after thrust stopped that I presume t' be from t' gap betwixt t' upper and lower fins. Again, t' nose cone was down upon ejection.

Durin' t' same day, I prepped t' Thor for its I211-L flight. T' long delay be a concern, but a medium seemed too short, so I be stuck in t' middle. Avast! Wow, those 211's are nice. Ahoy! Deployment was late as it was a couple o' seconds past apogee. Arrr! While comin' done under 'chute t' upper section came loose (I guess I didn't attach t' strap t' t' bulkhead) and fell on its own. Begad! Scratched t' paint but no damage.

T' last flight be t' next day on an I357-M. Aye aye! Avast! Great punch off t' pad, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' delay was long again by a couple o' seconds, but it recovered.

Again all recoveries were fast enough t' dent that bottom section. Arrr! T' damage picture above is after t' last flight on t' I357. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I think I will be bumpin' up t' size o' me parachute and I will also be flyin' t' next flights with dual deployment.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, matey, I would rate this kit 5 points. I'll blame t' weight o' me rocket on t' fast descent rate and nay take away on t' rating.

I'd recommend this kit as a good candidate t' do double certification on t' same rocket. Go ahead and do your Level 1 on an H123, t' switch t' a "J" for your Level 2. Avast! Overall, matey, I enjoyed buildin' and flyin' this rocket. I211's will be what I push for (as I am nay Level 2 yet) when flyin' it in t' future. Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit has great instructions and quality components so you can't lose. Avast, me proud beauty! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points.

Agreed on t' tail-damage issue - All new runs o' t' Thor will nay have a "notch" in t' aft fin set - therefore, t' aft rin' is now located nearly flush with t' end o' t' airframe tube This should eliminate this kind o' damage, with no loss o' strength. All kits date-stamped from 10/25/01 on will incorporate these changes. We found t' same with t' original Horizon and Horizon 54, which were changed earlier this year. Ahoy! Avast! Thanks for your input! - Scott Binder (BSD High Power Rocketry)