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, matey, with a pair o' high aspect ratio wings (fins) and some eye-catchin' craftsmanship challenges. Flies on 18mm A8-3, B6-4, C6-5, streamer recovery.
Parts were very good quality, ya bilge rat, 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. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I deviated from t' plan just a bit, ya bilge rat, mainly t' allow for a paint scheme that could be all spray, no hand brushing. There were a couple o' errors in t' design encountered along t' way, though I would imagine corrections will soon follow.
Construction begins by workin' t' body tubes. Avast! T' aft BT-20 serves as t' motor tube, so just gets an 18/13 centerin' rin' as a motor block. Avast! In order t' keep t' kit packagin' (and shippin' box) small, this design uses 2 12" tubes joined with a coupler rather than a single 24" tube, me bucko, so thar's a small seam t' eventually fill/sand. Begad! Note that t' coupler is also t' shock cord attachment point, resultin' in a small bulge.
A wraparound fin guide covers markin' t' aft tube for fins and details. Begad! Blimey! There are two main fins and two small basswood stick time pieces positioned 90 degrees apart. At this point, me bucko, things start t' get a bit complicated. Well, blow me down! Blimey! First, 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. Blimey! Blimey! In me case, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Next, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 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. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Even though t' pattern is oversized and designed t' be trimmed t' fit, me hearties, matey, mine were too short, arrr, 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, construction moves t' t' intake assembly, me hearties, ya bilge rat, a sort o' ramjet style section comprised o' a fiber base plate, arrr, matey, arrr, 7 fins, and a balsa tap cover. Since I intended t' use contrastin' paint colors, me hearties, I paused at this point t' get some base paintin' done. I painted t' fiber base plate offline a gloss black, attached it t' t' model, me hearties, then masked it off. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Next, shiver me timbers, 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, ya bilge rat, grain and seams, me bucko, then hit t' rest o' t' model with a gray primer, me hearties, then a couple coats o' white. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Next, I painted t' fiber radiator fins offline a gloss red, tacked them onto t' (unmasked) base plate. Ya scallywag! I then cut t' balsa top plate, painted it gloss white, me bucko, and tacked it into place above t' radiator fins. Good luck with that scheme tryin' t' paint it after everything's built...
I've already covered t' paint approach within t' construction, so all that was left was applyin' t' waterslide decals, shiver me timbers, a bit o' a rarity in a Flis kit. Arrr! Begad! T' decals were pretty good quality, me hearties, easy t' apply, me bucko, me hearties, and t' clear borders blended in well with t' gloss white finish, mostly invisible. There was one minor decal error, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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, I went for t' full C6-5. Begad! It be a calm day, arrr, winds under 4 mph. Avast! T' boost be dead straight, and nay quite neck-snappin' speed, very enjoyable t' watch. Begad! It was a bit too overcast t' spot at apogee, but I suspect t' -5 delay was about right, maybe just past.
T' kit comes with a crepe paper streamer rather than a chute. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Mine weighs in at 1.46 ounces without motor, so it's borderline whether t' go chute or streamer. Begad! On this flight, me hearties, t' shock cord got caught around t' fins (thus me conclusion deployment was just past), so t' streamer's effectiveness was impaired a bit. Avast! T' result be a nearly ballistic descent, way too fast. It didn't help that this was a midwest winter day, frozen ground. I ended up mashin' in t' front 1/2" or so o' body tube, me bucko, shiver me timbers, nay exactly fatal damage but more than I'd like on somethin' I put so much effort into givin' a top notch finish. Arrr! Ahoy! After repairs, me hearties, I'm ditchin' t' streamer for a decent chute.
To be clear, ya bilge rat, I think this WILL eventually be an excellent kit, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but as-is (at initial release), matey, 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. Avast! It's a great design, 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