Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
I am partial t' rin' fin rockets. Arrr! T' Sprite be t' first rocket I built at 11
years old. Aye aye! Ahoy! This kit will nay disappoint with its fine materials, matey, ya bilge rat, classic form,
and good looks but has a little higher price than that Sprite I built. Begad! Supposed
to be a tumble recovery but more on that later.
Construction:
T' kit includes a small body tube, balsa nose cone, balsa sheet, extended
engine hook, and ring. All parts were above average quality, me hearties, matey, sturdy, and fit
well.
T' instructions were right on. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I used three fillets on both ends o' the fins where they attach t' t' BT and t' ring. I recommend a magnifyin' glass or readin' glasses as t' parts are small. Arrr! I used a Dremel tool t' fine tune the fins and outer piece attach t' t' outside o' t' rin' can. Begad! Well, blow me down! I deliberately cut t' parts a little larger and trimmed them down carefully t' t' lines. Tweezers helped too. Avast! Begad! I used all yellow wood glue for construction.
Finishing:
I used a water based sandin' sealer, shiver me timbers, which I did nay like but still used it. I
will go back t' t' smelly sealer in t' future. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I taped o' t' nose cone and
the rin' can with 3M blue painter's tape. Arrr! Havin' a sharp X-Acto blade is a must
here. Ahoy! Gave it three coats o' Gloss orange. I had t' spray some into a old cool
whip bowl and use a small calligraphy brush t' touch up t' corners. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then
taped t' BT and t' fins and left t' rin' can covered.
Three coats o' gloss white were then sprayed on t' nose cone. Begad! I let everythin' dry 24 hours before next coat. I then taped t' nose cone and uncovered t' rin' can and t' small outer detail parts outside t' rin' and fin connection. I then painted it a gloss bright yellow. Aye aye! All paint adhered pretty well. Ya scallywag! T' finished rocket looks pretty at least t' me.
Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5
Flight:
I only did one flight because I put too many hours into it t' lose it. Blimey! I used a
1/4A3-2T on a calm day. 5-4-3-2-1 and it took off and reached about 80 feet.
There was a nice small smoke trail that was easy t' follow even with the
rocket's small size.
Recovery:
It dropped more than tumbled into some long tall avast grass and I found it right
away 20 yards from t' pad. Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I did notice that t' engine had ejected from the
rocket completely although it was supposed t' slide back and be held by the
extra long engine hook. Begad! Blimey! This must have thrown off t' balance need for proper
tumbling. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I thought it be a successful flight. Aye aye! Blimey! There be no damage and now it
is ready for t' retired shelf.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
PROs: Nice little clone o' t' Sprite. Begad! Good quality parts. Arrr! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Cute, arrr, cute, shiver me timbers, cute!
CONs: T' engine hook allowed t' motor t' exit t' rocket on ejection.
Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5
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FlisKits is the newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from my vantage point, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. I have built kits from 22 different manufacturers and when I received the (3) FlisKits I had ordered, I was initially amazed at the packaging. They are so professional looking that if hanging in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in ...
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FlisKits (October 31, 2002)