Brief:
Loki's line o' 38mm reloadable motors. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Cheapest o' t' 38mm reloadable options for both hardware and reloads. Aye aye! Blimey! Currently, ya bilge rat, only t' H144, me bucko, I405, and J528 loads (Loki White propellant) are available for these motors, but more formulas and motor designations are comin' out soon.

Construction:
Currently available be t' Loki 240, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 480, shiver me timbers, matey, and 740 motor. Ahoy! Blimey! Each motor comes with a quality case with external snap rin' (thrust ring), graphite nozzle, nozzle washer, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, forward bulkhead, arrr, and snap rings. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If you buy t' system package, me hearties, you will get a forward closure for each motor. Arrr! Blimey! You don't have t' share t' closure.

A typical Loki reload comes with a spiral wound phenolic liner, me hearties, propellant grains, arrr, shiver me timbers, delay grain, two large O-rings, six small O-rings, and a red cap (or vial) that contains 1.5 grams o' black powder. Begad!

An interestin' thin' about t' Loki reloads be t' number o' grains in the reload kit. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' H144 uses 4 ~30 gram slugs, and t' I405 (naturally) uses 8 ~30 gram slugs. Arrr! Blimey! T' J528 breaks t' trend, me bucko, usin' six ~60 gram slugs. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Loki's goal was t' create loads that can be shipped parcel post, ya bilge rat, so they made t' grains 30 grams. Aye aye! Blimey! However, interestin' things happened when t' motors got too large using the smaller slugs, so this was nay an option with t' 740 motor.

Assemblin' t' Loki motor is very similar t' Kosdon and AMW motors. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! This be t' order that I build them. Avast, me proud beauty! I start out by greasin' t' two large O-rings and placin' them in t' slot in t' nozzle and bulkhead. Avast! Of course it is important t' make sure you use t' correct nozzle for t' load you are using. Aye aye! T' nozzle conveniently has a number scratched into t' side that corresponds t' t' reload instructions. Ahoy! Set t' closures aside so they don't get dirty, shiver me timbers, damaged, or lost.

Then it is time t' build t' delay column. Blimey! 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. Avast! I then use a blunt tool t' push t' O-rings in all t' way. Arrr! Blimey!

Once this is done, ya bilge rat, you have t' option o' trimmin' t' delay. Avast! It is a good idea t' use t' Loki-DAT tool for this. Begad! T' Pro38 DAT tool would work also. Leavin' t' delay grain untrimmed will yield a 17 second delay. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' DAT tool will allow you t' trim it t' 13, 10, ya bilge rat, 8, or 5 seconds. Begad!

Insert t' forward part o' t' nozzle into t' liner. Ahoy! Then stack in the propellant grains followed by t' aft end o' t' forward closure. Arrr! Grease up the inside o' t' case, and t' liner tube. Arrr! 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. 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. Well, blow me down! Insert t' nozzle washer, followed by t' snap ring. Begad! Well, blow me down! Make sure t' snap rin' is in t' groove by lightly squeezin' t' pliers and rotatin' t' motor. Ya scallywag!

Turn t' motor over and press down on t' forward closure t' press the nozzle and washer onto t' snap ring. Aye aye! Install t' final snap ring, matey, makin' sure the snap rin' is in t' groove. Begad! Ahoy! Finish t' motor construction by installin' the ejection charge (if you want t' use it). Blimey! T' forward closure gives you generous space for t' ejection charge, me bucko, so pour in as much as you need. Ahoy! Then take some waddin' and place it on top o' t' charge. Blimey! Ahoy! Then press on t' red cap t' hold everythin' in place. Aye aye! T' waddin' is thar t' hold t' powder against t' delay column.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
To ignite t' motor, me bucko, I used a Magnelite igniter with a single fold. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Ignition is quick and t' motor produces a bright white flame and tons o' white smoke. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Of the two motors I flown, me hearties, t' I405 was me favorite! I had t' pleasure t' see several I405 flights, and it has a loud and unique sound t' it! After a launch of a Big Brute with one, shiver me timbers, Carl Tulanko asked me, arrr, "What be that?" I told him a Loki I405. Aye aye! Begad! Later on durin' t' day, I had me PML Aurora loaded with one and asked if he wanted t' come t' t' flight line and watch it fly. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! He said "No way! That motor is scary." It's a very impressive motor. Begad! I only got t' see one J528 flight up close. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If you like t' J350 and t' J570, matey, matey, then you would love this motor! Lots o' umph!

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, and press on t' bulkhead t' press t' components out of the case. Suggested tool t' use is a wooden dowel t' push out t' closure (or nozzle, me bucko, if you t' use t' other end). Aye aye! If you are fortunate (and remembered to generously grease t' liner), everythin' should come out with minor effort. However, if t' rocket had an impact o' any kind, me hearties, one o' t' bulkheads would mash itself into t' liner, makin' removal a chore. Arrr! Avast! I used Baby wipes t' clean mine, matey, ya bilge rat, which worked surprisingly well. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I am really pleased with t' Loki 38mm product. Aye aye! Ahoy! I mentioned that it is cheaper than other brands. Arrr! Begad! Let's compare with this simple chart. Blimey! Prices are retail list and comparison is done with Aerotech White Lightning, shiver me timbers, Pro38 standard, arrr, and Loki loads.

^** - Pro38 motor hardware is just a tube. Begad! There is no closures. In a sense, matey, Pro38 motors are disposable motors that are held together by the case. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

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. Begad! Ya scallywag! All numbers have been rounded to nearest whole cent. Begad! Avast!

In t' near future, Loki will be offerin' new loads for their motors. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! If you like fast burning, "kick 'em in t' butt" loads, then you will enjoy their Blue Formula which will debut with a H294, I605, and me soon t' be favorite, ya bilge rat, J1001! Also in t' works are two moon burnin' loads that utilize their White formula. Begad! 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! I can imagine a 360 load priced at around $24.99 and a 600 load bein' a reasonable $34.99. 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