Rocket Vision Mach Buster

Rocket Vision - Mach Buster

Contributed by Terry Moore-Read

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Rocket Vision

Brief:
Single stage rocket capable o' exceedin' t' speed o' sound on 24 mm F & G motors.

Construction:
T' overall quality o' t' kit was excellent. Arrr! Blimey! T' instructions were clear and easy t' understand (there are also further instructions on t' rocketvision website if you need them) Very little preparation o' parts be required - sandin' t' round t' leadin' / trailin' edges o' t' fins and t' make them fit t' pre cut fin slots. Once assembled t' rocket has a very solid feel - almost unbreakable !

Finishing:
Finishin' be very easy with t' materials used. I gave t' whole thin' a light sand - applied a couple o' coats o' grey primer and then a red gloss top coat for a very smooth lookin' rocket. I was a little disappointed with t' quality o' t' decals thar were little blemishes in t' printin' which spoiled them a bit.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I be a little apprehensive about flyin' this rocket havin' heard so many tails o' people losin' them on t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! T' give myself t' best chance o' recoverin' it I chose Estes D12-7 motors for t' first few flights. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' recovery system usin' a Nomex cloth as permanent waddin' so thar's no messin' with little squares o' paper. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Motor retention is by friction fit (you also need t' make a thrust rin' with tape at t' aft o' t' motor) T' first flight be near perfect - a straight boost up t' about 1200 feet. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Parachute deployment near apogee. Aye aye! T' 10 inch chute supplied with this model makes for a fairly quick descent (with minimal drift). Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Landed about 15 - 20 feet from t' pad.

I made two further flights on D12-7's with almost identical results. I then headed for t' table where a local hobby shop had set up for t' day t' try and find somethin' with a little more kick t' launch it with. Arrr! Blimey! T' biggest 24mm motor I could find be an Aerotech E30-7T so in it went and onto t' pad. Begad! Blimey! 5 ... Ahoy! Blimey! 4 ... Begad! Blimey! 3... Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 2... 1... and off it went - I think I saw about t' first 10 feet o' flight before it screamed out o' sight. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Lookin' anxiously around and waitin' ..... Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! POP as t' ejection charge fired - fortunately t' loud ejection made it possible t' locate t' rocket in t' sky again .. Ahoy! Blimey! very high up ... Begad! Blimey! after a seemingly endless wait t' rocket touched down about 100 ft from t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Runnin' t' rocket / engine combination through WRasp showed apogee at over 3000 feet and a max velocity o' nearly 600mph. Aye aye! Blimey! I would strongly recommend choosin' a motor which leaves fairly dense smoke behind - t' blue thunder in t' E30-7 leaves almost none makin' it very hard t' track t' fast movin' rocket.

I added an extra 1/2 ounce o' weight t' t' inside front o' t' nose cone - this was recommended by RocketVision t' increase stability o' t' rocket at low speed. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Apparently some Estes D engines have shown uneven thrust early in t' burn which can cause stability problems with t' Mach Buster.

Recovery:
T' recovery system uses a Keelhaul®©™ shock cord - a 10 inch nylon parachute and a Nomex cloth t' protect t' parachute. On all four flights in performed perfectly, me bucko, returnin' t' rocket t' earth smartly but safely with minimal drift. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! There was some sign o' wear t' t' shock cord after four flights but no real signs that it will break in t' near future.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
By far t' best feature o' this rocket be t' solid construction - I suspect t' rocket would survive even if t' parachute failed. T' main Con would have t' be t' difficulty in trackin' t' flight o' t' rocket - it's very small and extremely quick - sure gets peoples attention at club launches.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

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