Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Loki |
Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options
for both hardware and reloads. Ahoy! Currently, me hearties, only t' H144, me bucko, I405, arrr, and J528 loads
(Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, me hearties, arrr, but more formulas and
motor designations are comin' out soon.
Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, arrr, 480, me hearties, and 740 motor. Avast! Each motor comes with
a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), graphite nozzle, nozzle
washer, forward bulkhead, and snap rings. Begad! If you buy t' system package, shiver me timbers, you
will get a forward closure for each motor. Arrr! You don't have t' share t' closure.
A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, propellant grains, me bucko, delay grain, two large O-rings, six small O-rings, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder.
An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. Avast! T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, me bucko, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. Well, blow me down! T' J528 breaks t' trend, matey, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Arrr! Blimey! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, ya bilge rat, so they made t' grains 30 grams. However, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, me bucko, matey, shiver me timbers, so this was nay an option with t' 740 motor.
Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. Well, me hearties, blow me down! This be t' order that I build them. Begad! Begad! I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Ya scallywag! Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Begad! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Aye aye! Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, me hearties, me hearties, damaged, or lost.
Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Blimey! Avast! Simply stack t' six smaller O-rings over t' delay element then place it on a flat surface and press the forward bulkhead onto it so t' delay grain goes into t' delay well. Begad! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Begad!
Once this is done, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Arrr! Ahoy! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, 10, me hearties, me hearties, 8, shiver me timbers, or 5 seconds. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!
Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! Grease up the inside o' t' case, and t' liner tube. Ya scallywag! This will make t' next step easier, and you will be thankful for t' grease when it comes time t' remove the spent components, trust me. Begad! Press t' assembly into t' motor case (nozzle should be at t' end with t' thrust ring) until t' nozzle is about a quarter inch from t' snap rin' slot. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey! Insert t' nozzle washer, followed by t' snap ring. Avast, me proud beauty! Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor.
Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Ahoy! Install t' final snap ring, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, arrr, so pour in as much as you need. Blimey! Blimey! Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Ahoy! Blimey! Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Begad! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
To ignite t' motor, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Blimey! Blimey! Ignition is
quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Of
the two motors I flown, matey, t' I405 be me favorite! Blimey! I had t' pleasure t' see
several I405 flights, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! Blimey! After a launch
of a Big Brute with one, arrr, Carl Tulanko asked me, arrr, "What was that?" I
told him a Loki I405. Later on durin' t' day, matey, arrr, I had me PML Aurora loaded with
one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. He said
"No way! Blimey! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. I only
got t' see one J528 flight up close. If you like t' J350 and t' J570, ya bilge rat, matey, matey, then
you would love this motor! Blimey! Lots o' umph! Blimey!
Enjoy a video by clickin' HERE
Recovery:
Cleanin' o' t' Loki motor is identical t' that o' t' AMW and Kosdon motors.
Remove t' snap rings, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of
the case. Ahoy! Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or
nozzle, shiver me timbers, if you t' use t' other end). Well, blow me down! If you are fortunate (and remembered to
generously grease t' liner), ya bilge rat, everythin' should come out with minor effort.
However, me bucko, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, me bucko, me bucko, one o' t' bulkheads would
mash itself into t' liner, shiver me timbers, makin' removal a chore. I used Baby wipes t' clean
mine, which worked surprisingly well. Begad!
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. Ahoy! I mentioned that it is cheaper
than other brands. Arrr! Let's compare with this simple chart. Arrr! Prices are retail list
and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, arrr, Pro38 standard, and Loki
loads.
AeroTech | Pro38** | Loki | |
---|---|---|---|
240 motor | $92.95 | $32.95 | $49.99 |
240 reload | $19.99 | $30.75 | $19.99 |
480 motor | $106.95 | $49.15 | $59.99 |
480 reload | $35.95 | $43.95 | $29.99 |
720+ motor | $116.95 | $57.15 | $69.99 |
720+ reload | $47.95 | $57.15 | $39.99 |
** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Ahoy! There is no closures. In a sense, matey, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case.
Another interestin' comparison be t' total impulse o' t' loads for the cases and how much they cost t' fly per total impulse. This comparison based off data from t' NAR/TRA/CAR combined list. All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Begad!
Motor | Total Impulse (Ns) |
Cost per Ns |
---|---|---|
Aerotech H123 | 236 | 8 cents |
Loki H144 | 239 | 8 cents |
Pro38 H153 | 258 | 12 cents |
Aerotech I211 | 435 | 8 cents |
Loki I405 | 493 | 6 cents |
Pro38 I285 | 510 | 9 cents |
AeroTech J350 | 697 | 7 cents |
Loki J528 | 741 | 5 cents |
Pro38 J330 | 694 | 8 cents |
In t' near future, me hearties, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. If you like fast burning, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, shiver me timbers, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, me hearties, matey, I605, and me soon t' be favorite, matey, ya bilge rat, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. Aye aye! I can't wait t' try out their I124 and J192 loads! Those loads have close t' a 4 second burn!
What I would like t' see in Loki's 38mm line is a 360 and 600 motor. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. Begad! I would also love t' see Black and Spark loads introduced too. Aye aye! I would have t' problem decidin' which loads t' buy!
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
Brief: The Loki Research 38/480 motor casing and I405 reloads are perhaps the highest performance to lowest cost ratio of commercial 4-grain 38mm motors available on the market. If you are looking for colored flame reloads, then Loki Research motors may not be for you. Jeff Taylor of Loki makes no excuses about his products delivering nothing but the highest performance and motor effects be ...
J.P.C. (July 17, 2005)