Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 0.08 inches |
Length: | 13.88 inches |
Manufacturer: | Squirrel Works |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
This is another excellent Sci-Fi oriented rocket from Squirrel Works. Aye aye! Blimey! Comes
with t' customary awesome face card that is a signature for every one o' their
kits.
Construction:
BT-50 based rocket with a balsa nose cone and standard 18mm motor mount and
engine hook. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! T' four fins are complemented with BT-5 ramjet tubes, matey, and if you
align them properly as per t' instructions, t' ramjet fins appear t' extend
through t' tube. Begad! T' two canards located near t' front o' t' rocket are
tipped with wood dowels that add an extra "cool factor" t' the
design. Blimey! T' fins and canards are laser-cut balsa. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' kit comes with a long
32" elastic shock cord, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, tri-fold mount, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and a screw eye for attachin' the
shock cord. A 2"x60" red mylar streamer is provided for recovery with
a tape strip used t' attach it t' t' shock cord.
T' instructions are superbly illustrated and easy t' follow. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! I don't consider this a starter rocket, but if you follow t' instructions and take your time, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a superb lookin' rocket awaits you at t' end o' t' build. Aye aye! T' more difficult points are alignin' t' ramjet fins with t' main fins and rounding the dowels on t' end o' t' canards. Arrr! If you can handle that, ya bilge rat, t' rest is a standard build. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I used a 6" length o' Keelhaul®©™® to install in t' shock cord mount and then attached t' provided elastic shock cord t' that. Well, blow me down! T' minimize t' abrasiveness o' t' Keelhaul®©™®, I put a loop in t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® and set t' knot in t' loop so that it met t' end o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! I also soaked t' end o' t' body tube in CA and then sanded t' shoulder o' t' nose cone for a snug fit.
Finishing:
I painted mine just like t' cover, shiver me timbers, except I used a light grey base color
rather than white, me hearties, matey, t' match t' color I used for me Squirrel Works Spirit of
Texas. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' waterslide decals really compliment t' already unique style o' this
rocket. I messed up a couple o' t' decals when applyin' them, but that just
happens now and then with waterslide decals. Avast! Don provided another set, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I
decided t' save them t' apply after a few flights.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
I've only flown t' rocket once, on a C6-5. Begad! Ahoy! Man, did that rock! I was
surprised. I thought t' tubes would add a lot o' extra drag but it sure wasn't
noticeable. Begad! Blimey! Zoomed off t' pad and went almost out o' sight. Arrr! Flew straight as
an arrow, even with a pretty stiff 10-12mph breeze.
Recovery:
I used a much shorter streamer I had in me range box, because o' t' high winds
and t' field wasn't that large. Avast! It came down pretty quick. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Luckily, it landed
in some tall grass and didn't suffer any damage. Ahoy! I'd recommend stayin' with the
longer streamer. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' JX-1 looks super on t' pad and in flight. Arrr! Begad! Can't think o' a reason why
someone wouldn't want one o' these in their fleet. Avast! Avast! Very impressive!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: Squirrel Works is carving a niche for interesting designs, and this futuristic space model is no exception. It flies great on common 18mm motors, and has enough trim and detailing to make for a nice diversion from the typical 3fnc designs. Construction: Parts were all very good quality and include: Balsa nose cone/screw eye BT-50 tube (white/glassine, very light ...
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S.S. (September 26, 2004)