Brief:
T' FlisKits ACME Spitfire was a long awaited item from their line o' models and was recently introduced at NARAM 45 in Evansville, Indiana. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Well, ya bilge rat, arrr, I just had t' be first in line t' get a couple o' these kits, shiver me timbers, one t' save and one t' build. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I had seen this model debut at NSL 2003 earlier this year as a prototype and it’s a real head-turner. Avast! T' kit resembles somethin' you would see in a Farside comic or Warner Bros Roadrunner/Coyote cartoon.. As bent up as it is, ya bilge rat, this 24mm beauty, if you can call it that, matey, arrr, is a real stable flier and I see a large followin' for this model down t' road.

Construction:
T' kit comes in t' standard, colorful FlisKits package and includes a BT70 outer body tube and an inner 24mm body tube, which also is used as t' motor mount and nosecone mount. Arrr! In addition, it comes with a large assortment o' templates (four o' which are used for cuttin' t' body tubes) along with nosecone, ya bilge rat, launch spacer, and tail skirt templates. Well, blow me down! Clay for nose weight and a guide pin are also included, shiver me timbers, along with t' infamous FlisKits very high quality laser-cut black fiber Centerin' rings — seven rings in all! This is listed as a Level 3 kit, arrr, and with t' quantity o' parts and templates, it is listed appropriately. Avast, me proud beauty! High quality balsa and heavy duty 3/8-inch shock cord is also included and a website is given that contains down-loadable colored “Skins” for t' model. Begad! Finally, matey, a very detailed and comprehensive set o' instructions, shiver me timbers, complete with illustrations, me hearties, compliments t' kit. Arrr! Aye aye!

Construction, me bucko, although complex, shiver me timbers, is actually very simple and goes very fast! A motor block is used for 24mm motors, however, I would nay recommend usin' t' E9 in this kit nor is it listed by t' manufacturer—the model is way too heavy and wind resistant. Begad! Well, matey, blow me down! For you higher power guys, I am willin' t' bet it would fly great on D15 or E18 RMS and will test it. Back t' building; once t' motor stop and hook are in place, me hearties, you start by addin' Centerin' Rings and body tube sections.

A separate cuttin' template wrap is supplied for each o' t' body tube sections and FlisKits method o' keepin' t' tubes in alignment is both simple and effective. Ya scallywag! A centerin' rin' is used at each body tube joint, shiver me timbers, givin' additional support t' t' model. Avast! Ya scallywag! Note that if you wish t' use t' “Skins” provided on t' website, you print t' colored lower tail template wrap and nosecone on card stock usin' t' PDF file from their website. Aye aye! Arrr! Otherwise, t' kit contains a plain white nosecone and tail-cone wrap. What I decided t' do was t' use t' provided wrap, then print t' tail and nose on label paper as a Skin and use them as such t' cover t' two templates with color on both ends. I also printed each o' t' stock Skins found on t' site on Avery label paper. T' kits, arrr, for cost reasons, me bucko, matey, me bucko, do nay include colored Skins and that is fine by me. Begad! I see many people gettin' innovative with their own ideas and I even have a few o' me own for another Spitfire down t' road.

Most o' t' time durin' construction was spent buildin' t' body tube. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! You need t' cut them out usin' templates, matey, arrr, easy enough, and then they need t' be assembled one at a time, usin' alignment marks you drew earlier. This method works great and t' main body tube be done in no time. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Cuttin' t' templates, matey, then cuttin' t' tubes took more time than building. Once completed, you can build t' nosecone and add weight t' t' model. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Clay is provided for nose weight, but is added t' t' body tube top instead o' t' nosecone—this keeps t' nosecone light and prevents that separation a heavy nosecone can suffer from after a few launches. Begad! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' design keeps t' stress low and components light.

If you decide t' use t' Skins, matey, you apply them t' t' fins and tail before gluin' on t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! I used Epoxy t' insure t' fins were attached well t' t' tail. Blimey! Also, I opted t' use Epoxy when coatin' t' inside o' t' nosecone, which adds strength. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Follow t' directions and assembly is a breeze. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! One thin' t' note, ya bilge rat, I did fit t' nosecone guide pin, me bucko, then cut it a bit longer, 5/8-inches, t' make sure it would engage in t' slot on t' nosecone. Blimey! Also, take note t' cut and install your upper launch lug in t' correct direction on t' lug spacer. Begad! They tell you twice t' do it with t' grain on t' leadin' edge and they even provide drawings and notes on t' template. Ya scallywag! Still, I got it wrong and had t' cut another spacer from t' plentiful supply o' balsa.

Finishing:
Finishin' for me was a breeze—I printed t' “Skins” from t' website and applied them like labels. Begad! T' model was clear coated t' waterproof it, then some final touches were made. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I edged each fin, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, then built t' standard 16-inch parachute supplied with t' kit. I also wound up usin' t' stock 3-fold paper mount for t' shock cord as it had worked well and is still holdin' up fine in me Deuces Wild!. Well, blow me down! One thin' t' note—you get a 3/8-inch wide, ya bilge rat, very stout shock cord for this model—plenty strong and wide enough t' prevent zippers. Avast! T' other end was tied t' t' “eye” hook on t' nosecone and t' “Spitfire” be ready for t' field.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
Launch time was here and I decided t' use a C11-3 for t' first flight. T' model was prepped and tissue added t' t' bay. Begad! Once all packed, arrr, I headed for t' field, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, at a local school and set up me pad for a launch. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! After everythin' be ready, ya bilge rat, I thought, it be a shame no one be around t' see this as I had seen t' Spitfire demo launched many times by t' manufacturer and t' looks he always got from t' crowd were amazing. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, T' good thin' was this one be mine, all mine and I got t' push t' button. Well, blow me down! T' Acme Spitfire left t' rod in a hurry, straight up with no wiggles—what a ride!

Recovery:
T' model slowed vertically t' a hover, then t' parachute deployed right at apogee. It never nosed over, ya bilge rat, me bucko, just up…stop…pop…and down for a landing, very cool! I cannot wait t' try it at our club launch this weekend and am glad I finally had t' chance t' own one. I packed up t' car and headed home t' prep for t' weekend and will update me flight logs then.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' FlisKits ACME Spitfire is an amazingly stable, absolutely cool model that is a MUST-HAVE for everyone’s silo. Begad! Ahoy! T' looks on peoples’ face when you approach t' launch line will be priceless and now that it’s a real “FlisKits” model, shiver me timbers, t' LCO will say, arrr, “oh, matey, I see they’ve been at it again—yea, you can launch it.” And FlisKits has been at it again, me hearties, burnin' t' midnight oil t' brin' you probably t' most unique model rocket kit ever t' be mass produced—T' FlisKits “ACME Spitfire!”

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5