CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Aye aye! Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Blimey! Well, 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, ya bilge rat, but t' kit inside was unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, me bucko, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Avast! Ya scallywag! Eye catchin' design, me hearties, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, 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 hearties, it seems). Ahoy! Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Ya scallywag! On me Deuce, ya bilge rat, me bucko, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, ya bilge rat, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me.

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

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

Next, me bucko, t' bodytube decal is attached around t' outside o' t' central tube. This be about 1mm short, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and left a small amount o' bodytube showing. This be later covered by a fin, ya bilge rat, so is mostly unnoticeable. In mentioned this in a short review I posted on t' Rocketry Forum, arrr, 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. Aye aye! T' help this a handy fin guide is included, which requires a spent engine t' be glued in t' middle, me hearties, arrr, t' take t' central bodytube. Arrr! T' fins are then attached by linin' them up t' t' lines on the guide. Arrr! Ownin' a Deuce, me bucko, matey, I have PLENTY o' spent engines. Blimey! Avast! After t' fins have been left t' dry, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' shroud is cut out from best quality card; 'structural' folds made, me hearties, arrr, and then glued t' t' top edges o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! T' fin guide ensured that the shroud fitted precisely. Avast, me proud beauty!

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, which came with a hobby cutlass. Ahoy! This cost less than a fiver, shiver me timbers, from me local stationary shop. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! I'd consider a piece of kit, like this, shiver me timbers, arrr, matey, 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. Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

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

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

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