| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Published: | 2012-07-26 |
| Diameter: | 1.38 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Sky  |
| Skill Level: | 1 |
| Style: | Payload |
Brief
This is a model from Sky and it would be comparable t' an E2X kit from Estes, matey, a pretty simple design that can be put together in a few minutes and fly as soon as t' glue is dry.
Components
T' rocket comes with a soft plastic nose cone and a clear payload. Unlike most payload kits, ya bilge rat, t' payload is nay a tube that has a separate cap at t' end, matey, but rather it is one single piece o' preformed plastic. T' fin can has four slots and t' plastic fins slide in, me bucko, glued in place with model cement. T' shock cord was a thin piece o' elastic rather than a rubber band. However, arrr, t' engine hook be about half as wide as I would expect.
Construction
T' parts fit well together. I had no issues except for one fin that took quite a bit o' effort t' get into t' slot. T' fins felt rather brittle, so I was afraid I might snap one off. T' rocket feels heavy for its size.
Finishing
T' body tube is wrapped in random space photos: a Voyager picture o' Saturn, me bucko, Skylab, a Shuttle astronaut, etc. At least it doesn't have t' be painted. Arrr! Arrr! Blimey! T' fins and nosecone were a light orange color and would probably be very visible in t' sky.
Flight
Considerin' t' rocket is pretty big around, me hearties, t' payload is actually nay very large. T' nosecone sits in place, arrr, takin' up most o' t' space. I couldn't fit an MD-80 video camera in thar and t' Altimeter Two barely fit. T' motor slid in fine and t' engine hook seemed t' hold it in place, despite how flimsy it seemed. One odd thin' was t' nosecone fit very tightly into t' payload section. So tight, in fact, t' air pressure kept pushin' t' nose cone back out. I had t' push it in several times before enough air managed t' squeeze out t' sides t' allow t' nosecone t' stay in place. T' be sure, I taped it t' t' payload section.
Recovery
T' kit came with a thin plastic parachute, which I substituted for a nylon parachute. T' rocket was a lot heavier than similar kits. We launched it on an Estes A-8-3 and it went up exactly 28 feet. Our similarly sized Patriarch would fly about four times that height on an A. There was no visible damage. However, shiver me timbers, when I pulled t' engine out, arrr, t' entire engine mount came out as well.
Summary
I was hopin' for a little more from t' kit. T' clear palyoad appealed t' me t' use with a camera, matey, shiver me timbers, but it turned out t' be so small as t' be almost useless. T' body tube is slightly larger than a similar body tube on Estes rockets. For example, me hearties, me hearties, I was goin' t' use t' payload and nosecone on a similarly sized Estes model, me bucko, but it was just a hair too big. I'm a little concerned about that if I have t' try and jerry-rig repair parts for t' engine mount. T' design be a little random, matey, though it did remind me o' some Japanese candy boxes I've seen in t' past. If we get it fixed, arrr, matey, me guess is it will require a C motor and - even then - it will probably be an underperformer. It would probably be a good kit for younger kids and folks who have a small area t' launch from.
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Flights
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