Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Sunward Aerospace |
Brief:
I bought this t' use up some 24mm engines. Begad! Plus, I couldn't resist t' idea o' a 6' rocket so bought it as a novelty
item. Avast! I later found out a second review was requested, so here we go...
This skill level 2 rocket tops out at around 6 1/2 feet. As mentioned in t' previous review, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, thar are some things t' consider that aren't necessarily in t' instructions. Overall, it's a fairly straightforward 4FNC rocket. Quality was an issue with some o' t' components, shiver me timbers, but nothin' that required a significant workaround.
Construction:
T' components were packaged like most other rockets: a sturdy plastic bag with t' glossy freeze-frame action-shot
picture on t' front. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Nothin' be missing. T' kit included:
T' body tubes were sturdy and t' fins were thicker balsa than typical. Durin' a dry-fit I noticed that everythin' had such a loose fit that it wouldn't stay together.
T' shock cord is a piece o' elastic--not very heat-friendly but designed t' be over 6 feet from t' ejection charge so it's probably OK. Aye aye! T' nose cone be symmetrical, ya bilge rat, but was "fuzzy" and required sandin' and sealing.
I found t' instructions easy t' follow but some were written in such a way that could be confusing. Every step had hand-sketched pictures. T' procedure be fairly straightforward: engine mount, shiver me timbers, fins, shiver me timbers, couplers, ya bilge rat, arrr, insert engine mount, ya bilge rat, parachute, paint.
In some places I went a little out o' order. For example, I prefer t' insert t' engine mount into t' body tube prior t' attachin' t' fins.
Because o' a very loose fit, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, I tried "buildin' up" t' centerin' rings with glue, me hearties, but this didn't help. T' instructions called for applyin' glue t' t' centerin' rings prior t' installin' them, but I chose t' put epoxy inside t' body tube at t' appropriate locations. Well, blow me down! I put epoxy on forward rin' location first, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, installed t' motor mount halfway, me bucko, ya bilge rat, then put epoxy at t' aft rin' location.
One o' t' pictures shows a centerin' rin' in comparison t' t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! T' gap was easily 1/16th o' an inch.
T' only "gotcha" involved paper tabs/laminates that are attached t' t' root edge o' t' fins prior t' assembly. I was initially confused by t' instructions, me bucko, but after a few re-reads they made sense. Even so, arrr, I bagged t' whole idea o' t' tabs/laminates and used glue t' tack t' fins on and made epoxy fillets after assembly.
My concerns about t' couplers bein' so loose abated when I glued t' tubes together. Begad! They seemed t' stick just fine. Begad! Well, blow me down!
Early on I decided t' change t' design. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Instead o' bein' one long rocket with ejection occurrin' at t' nose cone, I chose t' make it separate in t' middle t' make handlin' easier. Ya scallywag! Begad! This required changin' t' location o' the shock cord. Begad! T' elastic wasn't designed t' be so close t' t' engine, me hearties, but it's still 3' from it so it should be OK.
Finishing:
Finishin' such a big rocket proved t' be a little tricky because I don't have paintin' stands, me bucko, etc. Begad! I found that my
saw horses were leavin' marks. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket is too long t' hold it with a stick or somethin' put in t' aft end.
I already attached t' shock cord, me bucko, which was an oversight on me part: 6 feet is a long way t' reach if I'm holdin' it by t' aft end. Avast, me proud beauty! I ended up paintin' one half at a time even though t' shock cord made this quite awkward.
If I were t' do this rocket again, I would wait t' attach t' shock cord until paintin' was completed.
I used bright yellow t' help it stand out. Blimey! I usually don't apply t' decals (my son usually picks the colors/scheme and decals rarely look OK), but did this time. Blimey! No problems. Begad!
In t' "fleet photo", me hearties, t' Six-Footer clearly stands out. Blimey! For comparison, me bucko, t' fence is nearly 4 feet high. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!
I gave construction only a 3 1/2 because I felt t' components were too loose, and some o' t' instructions required a second readin' (though this is a Level 2 rocket, so presumably it's nay t' builder's first rocket and likely t' directions aren't entirely necessary).
I think it would be easier t' finish if t' builder kept t' rocket in two halves until after it's painted then finish assembly (either as one large rocket or two 3' sections).
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
Prep is straightforward and easy due t' t' diameter o' t' body: 3-4 pieces o' wadding, me hearties, parachute, arrr, engine, and it's
done. It comes with an engine clip for retention. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! I will likely purchase a piece o' Nomex®
to use instead o' t' wadding.
T' rocket is designed for D12 engines. It could probably handle more power ("E" engine) if t' builder is confident o' t' strength o' assembly.
This is a fun rocket t' fly. Well, blow me down! I'm enjoyin' it as much as some o' me others. Ya scallywag! For me, still bein' a new BAR, sending a rocket this tall t' around 1000 feet under t' power o' a controlled explosive is a lot o' fun. Arrr! When it's on my launch stand, me hearties, me bucko, t' nosecone is well over 8 feet high, me hearties, which looks very impressive on t' field. Begad! Aye aye! Also, shiver me timbers, due t' it's weight, t' lift off is a little slow at first then rapidly picks up momentum. This creates a rather large puff of smoke at lift-off.
T' flights have been straight and have had no issues...until t' third or fourth time I used it, me bucko, I didn't pack the waddin' correctly and melted t' chute. Begad! It came down pretty fast with t' shock cord makin' t' 2 halves tumble so violently I couldn't catch it. Avast! T' body has some "compression damage" above t' engine mount. Aye aye! I think this can easily be fixed by cuttin' it open and insertin' a coupler at that location t' reinforce it. Ahoy!
Recovery:
T' included parachute is huge, matey, and t' rocket drifts a bit. I've been flyin' this with a smaller parachute than it
came with. Ahoy! I made pretty strong fillets with JB Weld and have had no problems with t' faster descent until the
parachute melted a bit.
I don't think I'm a fan o' an all-elastic shock cord system, but it makes sense if it's built in two 3' sections. I'd guess that as t' halves come apart durin' ejection, me bucko, arrr, arrr, they have a good amount o' inertia and t' elastic prevents zippering.
As I'm writin' this, I thought an alternative would be t' model this rocket after t' Quest "Super Bird" and have it come down as two halves.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I like this rocket, and if somethin' happened t' it, arrr, matey, I'd likely purchase it (or a similar one) again. Arrr! There are only
a few things I'd change about this rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! I wish t' couplers had a tighter fit, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and I'd recommend assemblin' it so it
is in two 3' sections. If buildin' this in 2 parts, I recommend waitin' t' attach t' shock cord until after it's
painted. Arrr! If you want it as one large rocket, I'd assemble it in 2 halves, paint it, me bucko, then glue t' halves together. Well, blow me down! The
instructions have some quirks (what's up with those cardstock tabs?) but for t' most part are easy enough t' follow. Begad!
( Contributed - by Frank Casey - 10/24/07) Brief: I purchased this kit from a rocketry vendor on eBay for short money, however, when I received it I found that two of the tubes were partially damaged--not badly but there was some creasing (3 inches and 11 inches, respectively) along the length of two of the tubes. Modifications: What I decided to do was to modify the rocket ...
Brief: A "lite" Mean Machine, towering at about 6-1/2 feet tall, this longneck is likely to be one of the tallest rockets at any launch. It's a fairly simple build and flies fine on a single D12-5. Construction: I was cleaning up a few loose ends and decided to pull my prize from EMRR's Longneck contest out of my build pile. I'm glad I did as this is a pretty nice kit. ...
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