CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, shiver me timbers, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Avast, me proud beauty! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! It only takes about 5-6 days for me t' get me goodies! All goods are well packaged for transport; me Pheord package had a bashed corner, matey, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Avast! Begad! Like other Fliskit kits, arrr, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Begad! Eye catchin' design, me bucko, me hearties, individually numbered (mine is #16), matey, ya bilge rat, and t' contents visible through t' back. Ahoy! Everythin' was present and correct, and o' t' usual best quality associated with Fliskits products.

T' kit is essentially a 18mm body tube, surrounded by five fins, matey, matey, covered with a card shroud. Avast! Blimey! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, it seems). Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, ya bilge rat, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! On me Deuce, me bucko, shiver me timbers, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me.

T' instructions are very concise, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and very clear. At no point be I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", me hearties, unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, shiver me timbers, and thar are hints and tips for construction, ya bilge rat, me bucko, throughout the documentation.

Construction starts with t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Begad! First t' left side ones. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! These are stuck onto t' balsa, shiver me timbers, the fins are cut, and then t' right side decals are attached. T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, arrr, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, you have t' crease t' decal, arrr, shiver me timbers, which spoils it. Ahoy! Ahoy! I got round this by usin' t' blade of me hobby knife t' 'pick' at t' edges o' t' stickers, until I had enough backin' paper free t' get a grip .... Aye aye! a rather tedious task, ya bilge rat, I found.

Next, ya bilge rat, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! This be about 1mm short, ya bilge rat, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This be later covered by a fin, so is mostly unnoticeable. Avast! Blimey! In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, and received an almost immediate reply from Jim who says he’s lookin' into it immediately - theres a good example o' t' high level o' customer service t' be expected from Fliskits.

Attachin' t' fins is next. T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, t' take t' central bodytube. Begad! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Ownin' a Deuce, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Well, blow me down! Avast! After t' fins have been left t' dry, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down!

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, shiver me timbers, which came with a hobby knife. Avast, me proud beauty! This cost less than a fiver, arrr, me bucko, shiver me timbers, from me local stationary shop. Ya scallywag! Begad! I'd consider a piece of kit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, like this, t' be essential in buildin' a model with this much cutting involved; and is a very handy item t' have for general template cuttin' etc.

Now onto t' 'antenna'. Begad! Blimey! These are made o' five 150x1mm lengths o' steel wire, me hearties, me hearties, which require bendin' into shape, me bucko, with a pair o' long nosed pliers. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! The steel used is VERY strong (again, reflectin' t' high standards o' Fliskits component quality), and be a bit o' a devil t' bend. This said, I managed to bend one joint t' wrong way, and in tryin' t' correct this snapped t' wire (DOH!). Avast! I calculated that this 'antenna', arrr, me hearties, could be bodged onto t' model, and carried on with a broken 'antenna'. Begad! T' 'antenna' are then attached along the sides o' t' fins, shiver me timbers, and a launch lug attached. T' snapped 'antenna' came in handy here, as it meant thar was a side o' a fin with no wire, arrr, makin' gluing on o' t' launch lug easy. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey!

T' instructions then advise you t' apply a thin film o' glue along all the exposed edges, in order t' seal them. Aye aye! After attachin' t' "Custom Red-Rag Anti-Matter Cap", ya bilge rat, t' bird is ready t' go, arrr, and looks great! There is a lot of detail, shiver me timbers, and humour, matey, in t' artwork; and is a good colour t' show up in the sky.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Begad! Ratin' should be 4.75 but 1/2 be t' smallest I can deduct

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:
T' Pheord is designed t' fly on B6-0 and C6-0 engines. I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Ya scallywag! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, me bucko, arrr, shiver me timbers, whack t' engine into the centre tube, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. After takin' a photo on t' pad, ya bilge rat, arrr, the Pheord was launched. Begad! Begad! It went straight up, me bucko, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, matey, ya bilge rat, t' smoke lingered for a while). At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

Descent be stable, straight, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', arrr, bouncin' once. A very quick, matey, matey, and fun, flight. Well, blow me down! I then launched it on a C6-0. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. Avast! This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Arrr! Begad! You get a much higher flight, me bucko, much better smoke trails, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. Avast! T' Pheord still landed only a few meters from t' pad, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, so there’s no danger o' loosin' it - even on the smallest field. Ahoy! I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, shiver me timbers, another superb flight and recovery. I've included some photos o' this flight. Avast!

Flight/Revovery Rating: 5 out o' 5 - add a bonus point when flyin' on a C

OVERALL:
This is, typically for Fliskits, me hearties, a VERY good kit overall. Ahoy! Blimey! At only just over £11 includin' shippin' from t' USA, me hearties, this kit is exceptional value for money. Begad! Blimey! Estes kits cost more than that, over here, before you add delivery costs! Blimey! T' kit looks very durable; havin' suffered no damage, or noticeable wear, after three flights. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I hope t' have many more C powered flights with this bird. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' documentation (instructions and face card etc) is littered with tongue-in-cheek jokes about red-necks. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Some o' t' more subtle jokes are probably lost on a Brit, like me, shiver me timbers, but I did find some o' t' jokes most amusing. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I especially liked t' 'things NOT recommended for buildin' OR flying...' section. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' face card also contained launchin' requirements for another Fliskits product (the HUGE Richter Recker). Well, blow me down! Blimey! I pointed this rather embarrassin' (and amusing) typo out t' Jim on t' Rocketry Forum, arrr, shiver me timbers, and he’s goin' t' correct this on t' next print run o' t' face cards. T' emphasis, with this bird, matey, me bucko, is on fun, fun, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, fun; and it provides! Blimey! Its challenging, but uncomplicated, me hearties, t' build for an experienced beginner like myself. Begad! Blimey! Easy t' prep, and great fun t' fly. Ahoy! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5 If you dont have one - get one! If enough people get one, me bucko, ya bilge rat, Jim will be able t' reprint t' face card, arrr, and lose t' embarrasin' Richter Recker typo!