Brief:
T' Stingray from Fliskits is yet another innovative design from one o' the leaders in model rocketry today (my opinion). Aye aye! Aye aye! It is a challengin' level 3 build but is well worth t' effort.

Construction:
T' kit contains:

• Body tube, ya bilge rat, 9" - BT-50-09
• Body tube, ya bilge rat, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 2.75" - BT-20-0275
• Nose cone, Balsa - NCB-50AD
• Engine block, me bucko, 18mm - EB-20-0025
• Centerin' ring, arrr, 2ea - CRP-20-50
• Engine hook - EH-0275
• Fin stock, 1/8" - FSB-4-3-9
• Fin stock, 1/16" - FSB-2-3-6
• Launch lug, me bucko, 1/8 X 2" - LL-1-2
• Parachute, 16" - PCP-16
• Shroud line, ya bilge rat, 96" - SLCA-96
• Tape disk, 6 pack - TD-1-6
• Shock cord, me bucko, me bucko, matey, 18" - SC-1-18
• Keelhaul®©™® shock line - SLK-90-24
• Screw eye, me bucko, medium - SE-M
• Toothpick, square - STP-0225-S
• Fin pattern sheet - FPS-FR005
• Shroud pattern sheet - SHR-FR005
• Instructions - INS-FR005
• NSL 2004 wrap kit - free for first 100 purchased
• Maelstrom wrap kit - FR005A (purchased separately)

Fliskits was one company asked t' create a commemorative kit t' help celebrate NSL 2004, and what a kit it is! I purchased me Stingray direct from Fliskits, it be numbered #27. Ya scallywag! Free NSL 2004 wrap kits are included for the first 100 sold. Aye aye! Ahoy! I also purchased a Maelstrom wrap kit because it just looked too cool t' pass up. Ya scallywag! My kits arrived in perfect condition and contained the usual FlisKits high quality parts. T' instructions are superb.

You start assembly with t' 18mm motor mount, no surprises there. The instructions say t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord around t' motor mount which I feel is a much better method then the standard Estes tri-fold mount. Once t' motor mount is installed in t' BT, the instructions tell you t' stop and go t' t' wrap section. Arrr! Blimey! T' NSL wrap set does include a BT wrap sheet, however, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' Maelstrom kit does not. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' BT will be painted black later on. Ya scallywag! Next, matey, you cut out t' four fins from t' balsa fin stock. Ahoy! Blimey! Two o' t' fins are your standard trapezoid shape used as wings. T' two fin tips are curved so you must take your time in cuttin' these out. I cut mine a little oversized and used sandpaper t' perfect t' shape. Begad! Then you cut out the bulkheads from t' 1/16" balsa stock. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! These were also a challenge to cut because nay only be t' balsa thin (although good quality), me bucko, but they must fit around t' engine mount which protrudes from t' BT. You must cut semi-circles in each bulkhead half plus cut a notch for t' engine hook. Ahoy! Blimey! After you cut out t' two halves, you must then cut t' bulkheads in half so you end up with 4 pieces. Avast! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I test fit me bulkheads on t' engine mount before cutting them in half. Begad! Blimey! I used a Dremel fitted with a drum sander t' form a good fit around t' engine tube.

T' win' assembly comes next. Ahoy! You take one o' t' wings and attach t' two quarters o' t' bulkheads t' either side o' t' root edge o' t' win' so the win' is at 90 degrees t' t' two bulkhead pieces. Avast, me proud beauty! You do t' same for t' other wing. Arrr! Once win' assembly is completed, arrr, matey, arrr, you are again referred t' t' wrap section. Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! I ran into some minor problems with me Maelstrom wrap.

T' fin wraps are printed on crack and peel decal paper that must be cut out before applying. Unfortunately, t' crack and peel does nay always work and in me case, matey, bendin' t' paper t' crack t' backin' left noticeable white lines on t' black win' and fin tip wraps. Arrr! Begad! Also, t' ink seemed all t' willin' to peel and was easily scratched off, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, even by t' metal ruler I used t' cut out the wraps. Avast! What I would recommend is t' coat t' wrap paper with a couple coats of Krylon Clear Coat (it be too late for this build). Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I tested this on leftover scraps o' t' decal paper and it both worked and looked great! Once I had wrapped t' wings and t' fin tips, arrr, me bucko, I used a black Sharpie marker t' color in t' exposed balsa on all exposed edges. I then coated all edges with white glue t' seal both t' marker ink and t' edges o' t' wraps. Avast! One thin' that seemed t' be missin' from t' instructions be any mention o' t' wraps for the bulkheads. Begad! I cut me bulkhead wraps into four pieces and placed them on the individual bulkhead pieces before mountin' t' wings t' t' body tube.

T' next step is t' mount t' wings t' t' BT. Begad! If you cut everything correctly, t' root edge o' t' win' will lie flush with t' BT and the bulkheads will line up over t' engine tube. Blimey! I needed t' sand a bit off the right win' t' get t' root edge t' lie flat. Ahoy! Begad! T' bulkheads were almost perfectly lined up with about a 1/16" gap betwixt t' two halves which form a V shape over t' engine tube.

T' body shroud is then put on. Blimey! Blimey! T' kits comes with a blank, two piece paper shroud t' you can color t' your imaginations desire. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Both t' NSL and Maelstrom wraps kits included 1 piece shrouds printed on heavy, glossy paper. There are some small cuts t' make, and t' paper is thick. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I used several passes with a sharp X-Acto knife usin' a ruler as a guide. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Once t' shroud is cut out, you lightly score t' folds with your knife, me bucko, put glue on t' glue tabs, and brin' it all together. Avast! Blimey! T' creases on t' shroud were white, matey, so I used a ultra fine point Sharpie t' color these in which worked very well and made t' creases practically invisible. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Once t' glue has dried on t' shroud, you place it over t' BT and win' assembly. Begad! Blimey! Usin' a sharp pencil, arrr, I traced the outline o' t' shroud onto t' body tube and wings. Ahoy! Blimey! Then, ya bilge rat, you remove the shroud, and use t' lines as a reference point for t' glue. Aye aye! Blimey! I decided t' paint the body tube at this point. Ya scallywag! Blimey! (See me finishin' notes below.)

After t' paint had dried, me bucko, I put glue inside t' lines I drew earlier. After you lay down t' glue, you put t' shroud back onto t' kit and let it dry. Aye aye! T' shroud surroundin' t' bulkheads tended t' want t' separate a bit, ya bilge rat, so I placed a light weight on top t' model t' keep t' shroud pressed against the bulkhead while drying. Ya scallywag! I added white glue fillets t' all t' joints for added strength and t' improve t' appearance. Well, blow me down! I also touched up any exposed balsa with a Black Sharpie. Blimey! My shroud had a 1/8" overhang in t' rear, matey, but the instructions show this area t' be flush. Aye aye! I decided nay t' trim t' shroud because I thought t' overhang looked pretty cool, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, kind o' a 3D effect. I then glued on t' fin tips and added fillets t' t' joints for strength.

All that remained was t' build, arrr, mount, me bucko, ya bilge rat, and paint were t' two gun assemblies and launch lug with standoff. Begad! I hand painted me cannon and lug assemblies before attachin' them t' t' body tube.

Finishing:
I masked off t' wings t' protect t' wraps and also put Testors thin masking tape on t' three areas where t' guns would mount and where t' launch lug attaches. Blimey! I cut t' maskin' tape t' size t' exactly match t' size o' t' gun and lug mounts. I also carefully masked off t' areas inside t' lines I traced around t' shroud so that t' shroud would be able t' adhere t' t' unfinished body tube and nay t' t' paint. Aye aye! Avast! T' balsa nose cone was given two coats of sandin' sealer with a light sandin' in betwixt coats. Two coats o' Krylon grey primer on both t' nose cone and body tube and then two coats K brand (German) black metal flake auto touch up paint. Although t' auto paint is more expensive, shiver me timbers, it goes on thick, ya bilge rat, it is fast dryin' and gives a rock hard finish that can take a lot o' abuse. Ahoy! Once I had fully assembled t' rocket, I gave the whole assembly 2 coats o' K Brand Clear Coat.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Launch day was almost perfect, arrr, shiver me timbers, with a 5-10 mph wind. I added three sheets of waddin' t' t' BT and inserted t' parachute. Avast, me proud beauty! I always get nervous launching rockets that I spend a lot o' time building, so first flight was with a "safe" A8-3. Ahoy! T' Stingray really took off fast, me bucko, weather cocked a bit into t' wind and flew t' about 250 feet. Ahoy! Begad! Ejection occurred just after apogee and she smartly floated down for a safe landing. Arrr! Looks great goin' up and comin' down. Second flight was with t' next recommended motor, B4-2. Begad! Arrr! She weathercocked a bit more this time, me bucko, and had another perfect recovery. Last flight was with a B6-4. Well, blow me down! I would estimate about 420 feet on this flight, shiver me timbers, and a experienced a lot more weather cocking. I must have over packed t' wadding because t' parachute did nay fully deploy. Arrr! Fortunately, I launch in tall grass and it had a fairly soft landing. Avast! I did lose one o' t' cannon mounts--easily replaced since FlisKits always includes plenty o' extra balsa in their kits.

Recovery:
PROs:

• Plenty o' shock cord, t' Keelhaul®©™® can take some punishment and it helps t' protect t' elastic.
• Good descent rate, me hearties, me bucko, even under slightly windy conditions
• Rocket survived a 400+ foot free fall with negligible damage

CONs:

• None

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
What can I say? I am hooked on FlisKits! Blimey! This is yet another example o' a superbly designed kit with plenty o' attention t' detail. Avast! I would love t' see the crack and peel wrap sheets go away and I would suggest usin' a stronger ink on t' Maelstrom wrap kit so it does nay scratch quite so easily.

PROs:

• Quality parts
• Great instructions
• Many finishin' options

CONs:

• Crack and peel wrap sheets for Maelstrom wrap kit

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5