Public Missiles - Patriot (1/4 Scale)

Public Missiles Patriot (1/4 Scale)

Public Missiles - Patriot (1/4 Scale)

Contributed by Glen Nardin

Manufacturer:

(Contributed - by Glen Nardin)

• How were t' instructions?First o' all, me bucko, this was nay only me first 4-inch rocket, shiver me timbers, but also me first t' use phenolic tubes. I would recommend [it] highly as anyone's first High Power rocket, me hearties, but if you've never worked with epoxy, you may want t' stop and learn a few things about it. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I suggest you use t' longest settin' epoxy you can find in order t' give you time t' "get things right. " There is nothin' about epoxy in t' instructions. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Easy t' follow? Yes. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I had no problems assemblin' t' piston and t' through-the-wall fins (which were all new t' me, me bucko, too. Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! )There are enough illustrations t' guide you through. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! No unusual tools were needed in t' buildin' phase. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

• Ease o' Building:All parts fit naturally with only minor cuttin' or sanding. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' fins are pre-cut G2 and only need t' be epoxied (which I repeat may be t' tricky aspect. )T' one thin' that no one includes is a engine retainer, arrr, which you will have t' custom install. Avast, me proud beauty! I was rather irritated when I realized that I'd have t' tape in an "H" engine t' qualify for Level I certification. Ya scallywag! Begad! You really need t' build in a famous "Kaplow Klip. "(see t' RMRFAQ) If you care about looks, me hearties, you will want t' fill and sand t' phenolic spirals. I used Bondo Spot Putty (at any auto supply. )It was very hard t' sand, but the finished product be worth it. [Picture]

• Quality:You will nay find a sturdier rocket than t' PML Patriot. Begad! After buildin' card tube rockets for 20+ years, I be amazed when it weighed in at 4-1/2 pounds. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! You almost could stand on it and nay hurt it. Begad! There are no decals, me bucko, but you do receive a paint detail. Avast! T' picture on this kit is the one o' two popular paint schemes o' this missile. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I must admit that is the least popular o' t' two, but it looks sharp if you choose it. Well, blow me down! Most people don't realize that t' paint schemes are just for t' test missiles. Avast! T' actual missiles, accordin' t' a source o' mine who loads them, are normally black or OD green.

• Flying:I flew it on an Aerotech G-80W and it worked well. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It is a bit under-powered, however, matey, and I much preferred t' flight on an H-180W. I had t' original kit for t' 29mm engine, arrr, and now you may get it with the 38mm. Arrr! Blimey! I highly recommend t' 38mm and really wish I could launch mine with an "I" engine. Blimey! Blimey!

I would rate this rocket a 5 point ratin' except for one problem I had in my first attempt at Level I certification. Arrr! T' shock cord wedged itself between the piston and t' airframe on ejection. This piston moved forward enough to force t' nose cone out and, fortunately, t' parachute emerged and opened. But, t' ejection charge was back blew a hole in t' aft airframe betwixt two fins. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! PML should mention in t' instructions t' avoid this problem by tucking the shock cord in t' parachute. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I had t' completely replace this section (with no sympathy from PML, I might add,) but flies again beautifully. Ya scallywag! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

• 4 ½ points:: Very Good, needs an alternate paint scheme, and better instructions for use o' t' piston ejection (see above. )

You might remember in t' Persian Gulf War one o' t' most newsworthy items to surface be t' Patriot missile. Well, blow me down! Never before had we tried t' knock out enemy missiles like Iraq’s Scuds with another missile. Begad! T' technology was revealed after t' war t' be nay as good as they thought, but it spurred a whole new interest in this defense system. T' entire system has been upgraded and t' missile is now more accurate than ever. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! O' course, you have t' realize that this is like tryin' t' stop a bullet flyin' through t' air with another flyin' bullet! Blimey!

Flights

Comments:

S.A.M. (January 1, 2000)

The 1/4 scale Patriot is a great kit! I flew the kit for my Level 1 certification. Very easy to build and very fun to fly! I would highly recommend this kit to anyone starting out in High Power. I would also like to say that technical support from PML is superb. Andrew Waddell has been very helpful each and every time that I needed some assistance. I am so pleased with PML and their kits that I am building a PML AMRAAM 4 for my Level 2 certification.

C.R. (January 1, 2001)

I liked the paint scheme of the one on the PML site so that's what I did. It came out good, but, I didn't like the fact that PML didn't give you decals. Flies good on G's . The kit didn't give you a retention system so I made one with 2 blind nuts (also known as T nuts) and some wire. The large 44 in. parachute was cool and perfect. The piston ejection system worked good. Overall I love this kit. It took me 2 days to build and another 4 days to paint.

W.L. (August 1, 2001)

I built the Patriot for my level one cert on a H97 M - smoky slow liftoff and chute right at apogee. Used the T nuts for motor retention - learned how to fill spiral joints in phenolic tubing (that was time consuming), a non issue with the new plastic airframes PML is packaging. Cut the launch lugs at a taper and roughened them up with sand paper before gluing and drilled several small pressure equalization holes in airframe - H220 M impressive flights. Going to fly new on an 29mm I motor :) Recommend 38mm motor version (didn't have when I purchased) and a quick switch kit - make sure you purchase a kit with the newer plastic airframe!

G.S. (April 25, 2002)

One tough rocket. On my first flight I used a G80-10, way too much delay. (Thanks to vendor suggestion error). The rocket flew to about 1200 feet, and nosed dived into the field, then the chute deployed. The rocket was buried about 6 inches up the body tube. I dug it out and found the nose cone waffled, but absolutely no damage whatsoever to the rest of the rocket. I replaced the cone, and have flown the rocket many times on an I211-med. Do that with phenolic !

S.P. (December 10, 2003)

I can attest to how tuff this rocket is. I built it for my level 1 certification flight and it performed flawlessly. On the second launch I used an I211 and it boosted nicely ejection charge at apogee and then things went wrong, the chute tangled and it came in fast, bounced off the lake bed and went about 5 feet back into the air. I walked over to inspect what was left of the rocket and it turned out that all that was wrong was the paint flaked off. That's it. No cracking of the tube, no dents anywhere. When built right this rocket is indestructible. Now just have to fix the paint and she is good to go.

J.M.D. (December 20, 2003)

I originally built my Patriot for my L1 cert. After several flights I decided to convert it dual deploy using PML's specs which adds about 18". I also added rail guides. I have flown my Patriot on motors through the CT J330 reaching 4218'(per the ADEPT ALTS2 altimeter)with arrow straight boosts and ripping off the rail like the real thing! This is a great rocket, a lot of fun. One of my favorites.

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