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, with a pair o' high aspect ratio wings (fins) and some eye-catchin' craftsmanship challenges. Flies on 18mm A8-3, B6-4, me hearties, C6-5, streamer recovery.
Parts were very good quality, matey, 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. Aye aye! I deviated from t' plan just a bit, me hearties, mainly t' allow for a paint scheme that could be all spray, no hand brushing. Aye aye! There were a couple o' errors in t' design encountered along t' way, arrr, though I would imagine corrections will soon follow.
Construction begins by workin' t' body tubes. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' aft BT-20 serves as t' motor tube, matey, so just gets an 18/13 centerin' rin' as a motor block. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Note that t' coupler is also t' shock cord attachment point, ya bilge rat, me hearties, 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. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! At this point, things start t' get a bit complicated. First, ya bilge rat, you cut two trim sections from t' BT-70. Arrr! These are designed t' form arcs over t' basswood trim pieces and span from fin t' fin. Ahoy! In me case, me hearties, me bucko, t' patters were significantly oversized, arrr, longer at t' tips than t' correspondin' section o' t' fin that they rest against, me hearties, so I had t' trim mine down about 1/8" t' fit. Next, me bucko, matey, 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. Even though t' pattern is oversized and designed t' be trimmed t' fit, me hearties, me bucko, mine were too short, 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, shiver me timbers, construction moves t' t' intake assembly, a sort o' ramjet style section comprised o' a fiber base plate, 7 fins, and a balsa tap cover. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! Since I intended t' use contrastin' paint colors, I paused at this point t' get some base paintin' done. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I painted t' fiber base plate offline a gloss black, ya bilge rat, attached it t' t' model, arrr, then masked it off. Next, shiver me timbers, me bucko, 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. Ahoy! Begad! I took care o' spirals, grain and seams, shiver me timbers, then hit t' rest o' t' model with a gray primer, then a couple coats o' white. Well, matey, blow me down! Next, me bucko, me bucko, 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, and tacked it into place above t' radiator fins. Arrr! 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 be left was applyin' t' waterslide decals, arrr, me hearties, a bit o' a rarity in a Flis kit. Avast! T' decals were pretty good quality, easy t' apply, arrr, and t' clear borders blended in well with t' gloss white finish, arrr, mostly invisible. Ya scallywag! There be one minor decal error, though--decal numbers 21 and 22 are trim stripes that go towards t' end o' t' rudder, ya bilge rat, me bucko, me hearties, but they were angled completely wrong for t' section they cover.
For t' inaugural flight, shiver me timbers, I went for t' full C6-5. Ahoy! It was a calm day, me hearties, winds under 4 mph. T' boost was dead straight, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and nay quite neck-snappin' speed, very enjoyable t' watch. It was a bit too overcast t' spot at apogee, arrr, but I suspect t' -5 delay was about right, shiver me timbers, me hearties, maybe just past.
T' kit comes with a crepe paper streamer rather than a chute. Begad! Mine weighs in at 1.46 ounces without motor, so it's borderline whether t' go chute or streamer. Begad! Ya scallywag! On this flight, t' shock cord got caught around t' fins (thus me conclusion deployment was just past), so t' streamer's effectiveness be impaired a bit. Aye aye! T' result was a nearly ballistic descent, ya bilge rat, way too fast. Well, me hearties, blow me down! 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, 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. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! After repairs, ya bilge rat, I'm ditchin' t' streamer for a decent chute.
To be clear, shiver me timbers, matey, I think this WILL eventually be an excellent kit, 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, ya bilge rat, and would definitely suggest pullin' out a chute from t' range box. Ya scallywag! It's a great design, shiver me timbers, matey, 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