CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, me hearties, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Ahoy! My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, matey, shiver me timbers, arrr, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. 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, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, me hearties, arrr, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Well, blow me down! Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Ahoy! Eye catchin' design, ya bilge rat, arrr, individually numbered (mine is #16), 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, matey, surrounded by five fins, me bucko, arrr, covered with a card shroud. Aye aye! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, me bucko, it seems). Arrr! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! On me Deuce, 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. Well, me hearties, blow me down!

T' instructions are very concise, arrr, and very clear. Ya scallywag! Blimey! At no point be I left thinkin' "what do they mean there?", unlike experiences I've had with supposedly easier models from 'other' manufacturers. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Almost all steps have a well drawn diagram, me bucko, and thar are hints and tips for construction, matey, throughout the documentation.

Construction starts with t' fins. T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Blimey! First t' left side ones. Aye aye! These are stuck onto t' balsa, shiver me timbers, the fins are cut, matey, me bucko, and then t' right side decals are attached. Ahoy! Arrr! T' decals are printed on that 'cracked' backed peel-and-stick paper, and this is where I have my first gripe about this model. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, arrr, me bucko, you have t' crease t' decal, which spoils it. Ya scallywag! 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 .... a rather tedious task, I found.

Next, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. This be about 1mm short, me hearties, 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, matey, 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. Avast! Blimey! 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. Avast! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Ownin' a Deuce, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Avast, me proud beauty! After t' fins have been left t' dry, me hearties, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely.

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, ya bilge rat, me bucko, which came with a hobby knife. Ya scallywag! This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. Arrr! I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, arrr, arrr, 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. Aye aye!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, me hearties, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Blimey! 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. Avast! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, arrr, 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. Ahoy! After takin' a photo on t' pad, the Pheord be launched. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! It went straight up, matey, arrr, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, t' smoke lingered for a while). Avast! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

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

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

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

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