CONSTRUCTION:
Bein' newish t' this hobby, arrr, me hearties, 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. Blimey! As Fliskits don't yet have a vendor in t' UK, ya bilge rat, matey, ya bilge rat, I have t' buy direct from Fliskits - they are great t' deal with, and are very prompt in sendin' out goods. Blimey! 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 be unharmed.

T' package also contained a handful o' Fliskits catalogues, shiver me timbers, and a personal letter from Jim - nice touch. Begad! Like other Fliskit kits, me Pheord came in a very attractive display bag. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Eye catchin' design, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, individually numbered (mine is #16), and t' contents visible through t' back. Ahoy! Everythin' be 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, covered with a card shroud. Arrr! There are also five steel 'antenna', which are used as shock absorbers for t' airbrake landing. Blimey! Special note must be made o' t' quality o' t' balsa supplied with this kit (and all Fliskits kits, arrr, it seems). Havin' only used Estes quality balsa before discovering Fliskits, me hearties, these kits are a dream t' build balsa-wise. On me Deuce, matey, I only did the minimum o' sanding/sealin' on t' balsa parts, shiver me timbers, matey, as havin' t' grain o' a quality balsa showin' through t' paint looks pretty cool t' me. Well, blow me down! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

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

Construction starts with t' fins. Arrr! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' fin patterns double up as decals on the final model. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! First t' left side ones. Ya scallywag! Blimey! These are stuck onto t' balsa, the fins are cut, arrr, me bucko, and then t' right side decals are attached. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! In order t' 'crack' t' backin' paper, me hearties, you have t' crease t' decal, which spoils it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! 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 .... Well, blow me down! Blimey! a rather tedious task, I found.

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

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 knife. This cost less than a fiver, from me local stationary shop. Blimey! Begad! I'd consider a piece of kit, 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. Ahoy!

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

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

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5 T' decal backin' paper, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' bodytube decal nay fitting lost t' 1/2 point. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! I used a B6-0 for the first flight. Aye aye! Preppin' is very easy; shove in an igniter, me bucko, whack t' engine into the centre tube, me hearties, tape it in and Bob's you're auntie's livin' lover! No messing about with waddin' or recovery devices. Avast, me proud beauty! After takin' a photo on t' pad, me bucko, ya bilge rat, the Pheord was launched. Begad! Begad! It went straight up, leavin' a lovely smoke trail (bein' a calm evening, t' smoke lingered for a while). Arrr! Begad! At motor burnout, t' bird arced over, and fell t' earth.

Descent was stable, straight, arrr, and graceful; t' model landin' on the 'antenna', me hearties, bouncin' once. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! A very quick, matey, and fun, flight. I then launched it on a C6-0. Aye aye! This should be t' only motor recommended for this bird. Begad! This engine really does t' Pheord proud. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! You get a much higher flight, shiver me timbers, me bucko, much better smoke trails, arrr, and a more satisfyin' 'whoosh' noise. Begad! 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! Ahoy! I then got me bucko t' launch it (on a C6-0), me bucko, shiver me timbers, whilst I attempted t' get some launch photos - again, another superb flight and recovery. Begad! I've included some photos o' this flight. Begad!

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

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