Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | QuickBurst |
Brief:
A single stage 3FNC kit that has top quality components and includes absolutely everythin' needed t' build a sturdy
high power capable rocket.
Construction:
I be lookin' for a kit for me Level 1 qualification attempt. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Naturally, I used t' many great reports on EMRR in my
research. Aye aye! Avast! Many builders described substitutin' various components o' available kits for stronger and more durable
materials. Arrr! Many o' these modifications were strictly t' builders preference and nay necessary for a successful L1 but
I was noticin' a trend anyway. Durin' me search I was surfin' by t' Quickburst site and saw this parts list:
Structural Parts:
Recovery System:
Launch Guide System:
Motor Retention:
Well I was sold and placed t' order for me 2007 Christmas present. Ya scallywag! Well, matey, blow me down! T' package arrived in good order and parts where every bit as good as described.
T' instructions are outstanding. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Nay only do they take you from start t' finish, me hearties, but along t' way they include tips, techniques, matey, and insights into t' selection and design o' t' components. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' diagrams are clear and accurate and include t' CP calculations that I verified usin' t' VCP program. Arrr! Blimey! As an added bonus, t' instructions are available for download and study on t' Quickburst web site. Begad! Blimey! Construction be straightforward usin' t' manufacturer's recommended adhesives: 30 minute hobby shop epoxy for motor mount, bulkhead, shiver me timbers, and fin attachment, me hearties, yellow carpenters glue for t' stiffy coupler doubler, thin CA t' reinforce t' upper airframe tube ends, arrr, and expandin' polyurethane foam to fill t' fin can.
Finishing:
Quickburst provides a blank canvas as far as finishin' choices are concerned which is a plus in me opinion. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The
plastic nose does require some prep t' allow a good paint bond. Begad! Begad! It's standard practice t' wash plastic cones thoroughly
with soap and water and that's probably obvious t' most o' you. Blimey! I gave mine a light pass with some sandpaper before
proceedin' t' primer and paint and some places started liftin' in chunks right down t' t' plastic after a dive from
the prep table before t' first flight. Ya scallywag! I don't consider this a vendor deficiency. Well, arrr, blow me down! Airframe spirals are minimal and
easily filled in t' primin' process with 3 coats o' t' auto gray sandable Rustoleum. Ahoy! T' fins surfaces were
exceptionally smooth. I used some acrylic wood sealer after they were installed and fillets applied t' provide a
moisture barrier.
I finished mine with three coats o' Rustoleum metallic gold and two coats o' Future and named it the "Sunburst".
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
I flew t' Sunburst with a Cesaroni H153 with about a 10 second delay. T' WRASP32 program said 3300 feet at apogee.
Flight prep is very easy with t' provided Nomex®
chute protector. Blimey! T' Cesaroni be t' easiest reloadable system t' prep and was secured in t' airframe with t' include
Kaplow clip. Avast! Ahoy! Most o' t' day we had wind gustin' from 13 t' 15 miles and blowin' t' t' short end (about 200 yard
recovery area) o' t' field with most flights driftin' into t' trees and grazin' land south o' t' recovery area. Aye aye! At
about 3:00pm we had a good 20 minutes o' sub-10 mph winds so I got her loaded on t' rail and started t' countdown. Blimey! As
luck would have it, shiver me timbers, t' wind picked up right around zero and she weathercocked towards t' trees along t' northwest
border o' t' field, reachin' a height o' maybe 1500 feet.
Recovery:
T' strength o' t' airframe and t' recovery harness really paid dividends here. Begad! T' reduced altitude (due t' the
weathercocking) resulted in what appeared t' a rather high-speed, nose down deployment. T' anti-zipper design,
featurin' a mid-airframe break worked as advertised. Avast! T' rocket landed about 20 feet up in a tree and needed quite a
bit o' coaxin' before it be finally pulled down. Avast, me proud beauty! Other than surface scrapes, arrr, thar be no damage and t' L1 flight was
declared a success by acclamation. Dave and several other fliers who have experience with t' prototype said that it
does nay have any weathercockin' tendencies in calmer conditions, but I took off half a point until I can confirm that
with me model.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
PRO: T' complete package. Ya scallywag! All components are first rate. Arrr! Aye aye! Outstandin' instuctions.
CON: If you need color scheme suggestions or decals, you're on your own
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
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