Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Published: | 2011-01-12 |
Diameter: | 0.74 inches |
Length: | 20.10 inches |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits ![]() |
Skill Level: | 3 |
Style: | Futuristic/Exotic |
Sci-Fi design o' an alien troop carrier, me hearties, me bucko, with a pair o' high aspect ratio wings (fins) and some eye-catchin' craftsmanship challenges. Aye aye! Flies on 18mm A8-3, shiver me timbers, B6-4, arrr, C6-5, streamer recovery.
Parts were very good quality, and included:
Fliskit instructions are generally well written and clearly illustrated, and on a mildly complex kit like this they can simplify t' build process a good bit. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I deviated from t' plan just a bit, mainly t' allow for a paint scheme that could be all spray, matey, no hand brushing. Aye aye! Blimey! There were a couple o' errors in t' design encountered along t' way, me hearties, shiver me timbers, though I would imagine corrections will soon follow.
Construction begins by workin' t' body tubes. Begad! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' aft BT-20 serves as t' motor tube, so just gets an 18/13 centerin' rin' as a motor block. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! In order t' keep t' kit packagin' (and shippin' box) small, arrr, this design uses 2 12" tubes joined with a coupler rather than a single 24" tube, me hearties, me bucko, so thar's a small seam t' eventually fill/sand. Note that t' coupler is also t' shock cord attachment point, ya bilge rat, resultin' in a small bulge.
A wraparound fin guide covers markin' t' aft tube for fins and details. There are two main fins and two small basswood stick time pieces positioned 90 degrees apart. Ahoy! Blimey! At this point, things start t' get a bit complicated. First, me hearties, you cut two trim sections from t' BT-70. These are designed t' form arcs over t' basswood trim pieces and span from fin t' fin. In me case, t' patters were significantly oversized, longer at t' tips than t' correspondin' section o' t' fin that they rest against, so I had t' trim mine down about 1/8" t' fit. Next, t' forward and aft gaps betwixt these BT-70 covers and t' inner BT-20 tube need t' be covered, and this is done by cuttin' a couple filler pieces from 1/32" balsa. Begad! Blimey! Even though t' pattern is oversized and designed t' be trimmed t' fit, shiver me timbers, mine were too short, matey, shiver me timbers, so I had t' recut another set about 1/4" longer than t' template called for.
With t' BT70 covers and balsa plates in place, me hearties, construction moves t' t' intake assembly, a sort o' ramjet style section comprised o' a fiber base plate, 7 fins, matey, ya bilge rat, and a balsa tap cover. Arrr! Since I intended t' use contrastin' paint colors, matey, I paused at this point t' get some base paintin' done. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I painted t' fiber base plate offline a gloss black, attached it t' t' model, me hearties, then masked it off. Avast! Avast! Next, arrr, I tacked on t' two vertical stabilizer fins that but up against this plate and a rudder that sets on t' opposite side with a launch lug. I took care o' spirals, grain and seams, then hit t' rest o' t' model with a gray primer, arrr, then a couple coats o' white. Begad! Next, I painted t' fiber radiator fins offline a gloss red, tacked them onto t' (unmasked) base plate. Avast, me proud beauty! I then cut t' balsa top plate, painted it gloss white, and tacked it into place above t' radiator fins. Aye aye! Good luck with that scheme tryin' t' paint it after everything's built...
I've already covered t' paint approach within t' construction, shiver me timbers, so all that be left be applyin' t' waterslide decals, a bit o' a rarity in a Flis kit. T' decals were pretty good quality, easy t' apply, and t' clear borders blended in well with t' gloss white finish, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, mostly invisible. Blimey! Blimey! There be one minor decal error, though--decal numbers 21 and 22 are trim stripes that go towards t' end o' t' rudder, but they were angled completely wrong for t' section they cover.
For t' inaugural flight, me bucko, I went for t' full C6-5. Aye aye! It be a calm day, me hearties, arrr, winds under 4 mph. Aye aye! T' boost was dead straight, me bucko, and nay quite neck-snappin' speed, me bucko, me hearties, very enjoyable t' watch. Aye aye! It was a bit too overcast t' spot at apogee, me hearties, but I suspect t' -5 delay be about right, arrr, maybe just past.
T' kit comes with a crepe paper streamer rather than a chute. Arrr! Mine weighs in at 1.46 ounces without motor, so it's borderline whether t' go chute or streamer. On this flight, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' shock cord got caught around t' fins (thus me conclusion deployment be just past), so t' streamer's effectiveness be impaired a bit. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' result was a nearly ballistic descent, way too fast. Blimey! Blimey! It didn't help that this was a midwest winter day, arrr, matey, frozen ground. Arrr! Begad! I ended up mashin' in t' front 1/2" or so o' body tube, nay exactly fatal damage but more than I'd like on somethin' I put so much effort into givin' a top notch finish. Avast, me proud beauty! After repairs, I'm ditchin' t' streamer for a decent chute.
To be clear, I think this WILL eventually be an excellent kit, me hearties, but as-is (at initial release), I'd have reservations recommendin' it t' anyone nay willin' and able t' work around t' bugginess o' t' templates, and would definitely suggest pullin' out a chute from t' range box. Ahoy! It's a great design, ya bilge rat, just too much rework and corrective action required by the modeler to achieve its potential.
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Jim Flis (February 21, 2011)
The body cutting template and bulkhead templates have been fixed. Those with an unbuilt Mystic can go to our web site to the kits detailed description for a free download of the corrected patterns.
FURTHER, per several recommendations we have upgraded the recovery to a 12" parachute, now included with the kit!
Special thanks to Chan and others who have provided feedback on this kit to help us make it a VERY good kit indeed! :)
jim