Mercury Engineering Integrator

Mercury Engineering - Integrator

Contributed by jeff ybarra

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Published: 2010-05-08
Manufacturer: Mercury Engineering

Brief:
This be t' same model as t' 3x24 cluster edition . Begad! T' difference is a single 29mm mount. Aye aye! Arrr! If you are lookin' for a big rocket and big thrills that won't break t' bank, me hearties, arrr, your search is over.

Construction:

Instructions for this model were straight forward, no surprises. Begad! I used 5min. Avast, me proud beauty! epoxy for all joints. Begad! I be unsure about t' fiberboard shock cord mount.It seemed that might be a weak point, so I epoxied a piece o' 1/8' ply t' the back side, drilled then attached t' eye-bolt. Ahoy! Aye aye! I used Keelhaul®©™® shock cord that extended just t' t' end o' t' body tube then attached t' 60"elastic shock cord t' it. Avast! Avast! My other concern was t' paper fin covering. Ahoy! Ahoy! It turned out fine though, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, I did use t' glue stick method. Blimey! It worked well. Avast! Blimey! I also added positive motor retention with threaded inserts, me hearties, arrr, ya bilge rat, screws, me bucko, and a drawer repair bracket. Avast, me proud beauty! It be an easy build for me. This be me first mid power kit. Well, blow me down!

Finishing:
Finishin' be an easy job. Begad! I got good transitions on t' paper fin covering. Blimey! I sealed the open edges with thin CA. I filled t' tube grooves with thinned Elmer wood filler, shiver me timbers, then sanded t' whole unit. Aye aye! I started with 2 coats o' Valspar white primer. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Sanded with 220, then painted with 2 coats o' Valspar white. Arrr! Blimey! I washed ,then sanded t' nose cone, and painted with Valspar plastic paint. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I applied t' water slide decals with no problems and finished with 2 coats o' Krylon crystal clear. Blimey!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' recommended motors are an F45-5, F42-4, shiver me timbers, matey, G40-4, shiver me timbers, and G80-7. Winds were calm.

Maiden flight was with a G76-4G. Ya scallywag! It be a perfect shot, matey, nice and straight. Blimey! It went t' about 900ft. Arrr!

#2 was on a F40-7W maybe 500ft.Delay be t' long for comfort, me bucko, but we survived.Paper coverin' peeled partially away on one fin tip. Ya scallywag! Blimey! No problem thin CA t' t' rescue.

#3 be a G76-4G. Well, blow me down! This seems t' be t' perfect motor for this big rocket. Well, blow me down!

Recovery:
I used a piece o' Keelhaul®©™® extendin' just beyond t' body tube t' attach t' elastic shock chord to. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' 36" parachute be fine. Blimey! All three shots it landed within 100ft o' pad. Blimey! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Descent was nice and slow. Arrr! On a windy day you might have t' walk a ways.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a easy buildin' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! T' only thin' I might change would be t' balsa paper covered fins. Lite ply would be better. Begad! All parts were good quality. Ahoy! It's nice t' have a big rocket that you can see all stages o' a launch clearly. Ya scallywag! Avast! Slow take off. Begad! Nice straight ascent. Begad! Begad! Apogee and chute deployment. Avast! I think it's a great kit.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

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  • Mercury Engineering Integrator By George Beever (July 6, 2009)

    Described as "High-Powered Thrills in a Mid-Powered Rocket". This is a single-staged, 3 X 24mm cluster rocket that builds out to 52.5 inches in length with a diameter of 4 inches. A 3FNC for those who like to cluster 24mm motors. The kit, which was packaged in it's shipping box and not bagged, consisted of two 4-inch diameter main body tubes, three 24mm motor mount tubes, fiberboard ...

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