| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2011-12-21 |
| Diameter: | 3.75 inches |
| Length: | 5.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Odd'l Rockets  |
| Skill Level: | 2 |
| Style: | Odd-Roc |
Brief
If you're tired o' fins or sanding/fillin' balsa, consider this simple odd roc from Ol'SaltRockets. Well, blow me down! Consider it an extreme downscale o' t' Fliskits Espresso, me hearties, it's a flyin' single foam cup. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Nay only is it capable o' entertainin' flights, but it can hold about 16 ounces o' your favorite beverage as well, me hearties, though you might notice a slight aftertaste o' black powder 
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Components
I purchased one o' t' very first o' these kits from Jonrocket.com, me hearties, and when first openin' t' bag I have t' admit I felt a little silly t' have spent ($7.75 retail) on basically a cup and a motor tube. T' kit actually came with two cups, ya bilge rat, arrr, ya bilge rat, one stuffed inside t' other t' protect it, and an inflated baloon t' offer more inner support. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! That's pretty impressive care and concern for a part I don't think anyone would have much trouble findin' a replacement for without much expense. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! After I'd built this, Hans Michielssen contacted me directly, shiver me timbers, offerin' a new/improved version that included a very nice set o' vinyl decals. I believe t' standard kits available now all include t' vinyl decals at t' same $7.75 price, and I've got t' say those decals are a great upgrade t' t' kit and make it a much more appealin' value.
Construction
This is rated as a skill level 2 kit, matey, probably a bit higher than I'd have pegged it. Aye aye! Ahoy! Construction be quick and easy, takin' about 15 minutes thanks t' t' precut cup. Begad! Aye aye! You begin by installin' a plywood disk into t' forward end o' t' motor tube. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! Line t' inside with glue and apply a generous fillet--this is a motor-spittin' design and that disk gets all t' ejection charges. Next, shiver me timbers, arrr, cut a section out o' one centerin' rin' t' accomodate a launch lug, arrr, me bucko, glue it t' t' tube, then glue t' lug t' t' tube. Well, blow me down! Once those are in place, glue a larger centerin' rin' t' t' forward end. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This assembly is then glued t' t' inside o' t' cup. Rubber cement is recommended, though I went with white glue. Arrr! T' motor tube will stick out t' front (bottom) o' t' cup a bit, and you'll glue a centerin' rin' over this exposed section, shiver me timbers, lockin' t' tube in place.
Once everything's dried, line t' inside o' t' cup with a generous wipe o' glue or epoxy t' deal with t' exhaust plume.
Finishing
For t' original kit, I was left on me own t' decorate, shiver me timbers, so I found some assorted colored vinyl tape and applied a couple stripes t' me cup. I then patched a couple pieces together and cut out a red arrow, matey, matchin' t' cover art. Ya scallywag! It looked OK, me bucko, matey, but nay exactly me finest work.
For t' second kit, shiver me timbers, I used a number o' t' decals provided (you get more than you'll probably want t' use), ya bilge rat, and t' finished appearance be much better in me opinion.
I would definitely nay waste any time paintin' this, matey, though if you're artistically inclined I'm sure you could do some interestin' work with markers.
Flight
Recommended motors are B6-2 and C6-3, though -0's in each class might be worth considerin' too. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I was flyin' a pair o' them, I loaded one with a B6-2 and t' other with t' C6-3 and sent them each up. T' B6-2 flew perfectly fine, maybe 150 feet up. Well, blow me down! T' C6-3 be definitely pushin' this up a lot harder, and it was noticeably wigglin' on its way up. T' B6-2 ejected while still coastin' up, shiver me timbers, and I forgot t' record t' C6-3 ejection.
Recovery
This is designed t' spit t' motor and tumble down. Ya scallywag! Begad! Each cup came down safe and sound within very short recovery trek distance. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Note that t' motor tube is actually a TT-20, ya bilge rat, nay a BT-20, which means it's 20mm ID and a regular 18mm motor fits too loosely t' stay in on its own. Arrr! Arrr! This is on purpose--you attach a crepe paper streamer (included in t' kit) t' t' motor, wrap it around, then wedge t' streamer/motor into t' tube. This way, me hearties, me hearties, me hearties, you can also track t' motor as it falls and make sure no one gets hit in t' head with it. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! You'll obviously need t' recover t' motor t' reuse t' streamer, though, which tends t' go in t' opposite direction o' t' cup and therefore extends t' recovery walk.
Summary
This is another cute offerin' by Odd'l--cheap, easy t' build, me hearties, flies great on even t' smallest fields, matey, and entertaining. Ahoy! T' decals make it worth buyin' versus cloning.
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Flights
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