CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, I'm slowly workin' me way through t' different types o' rocket thar are t' offer. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! My first cluster was Fliskits' superb Deuce's Wild; havin' had a lot o' fun buildin' and flyin' that one, arrr, I looked to Fliskits' Pheord X150 for me first saucer type. Well, blow me down! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, ya bilge rat, 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, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! Eye catchin' design, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Avast! Everythin' be present and correct, shiver me timbers, 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. 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, ya bilge rat, it seems). Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! On me Deuce, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, me hearties, matey, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me. Ya scallywag!

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

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

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

There is a lot o' cuttin' involved in this model; t' help I invested in a small (200x100mm) self-healin' cuttin' mat, which came with a hobby cutlass. This cost less than a fiver, arrr, from me local stationary shop. I'd consider a piece of kit, me hearties, like this, shiver me timbers, 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. Ahoy!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, me bucko, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Ahoy! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, whack t' engine into the centre tube, arrr, arrr, 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, arrr, the Pheord was launched. Ya scallywag! It went straight up, arrr, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, t' smoke lingered for a while). Blimey! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, me hearties, arrr, and fell t' earth.

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

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

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

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