Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
I am partial t' rin' fin rockets. Aye aye! T' Sprite was t' first rocket I built at 11
years old. Avast! This kit will nay disappoint with its fine materials, classic form,
and good looks but has a little higher price than that Sprite I built. Blimey! Supposed
to be a tumble recovery but more on that later.
Construction:
T' kit includes a small body tube, balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, me hearties, balsa sheet, matey, extended
engine hook, shiver me timbers, and ring. Aye aye! All parts were above average quality, arrr, sturdy, and fit
well.
T' instructions were right on. I used three fillets on both ends o' the fins where they attach t' t' BT and t' ring. Blimey! Begad! 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. I deliberately cut t' parts a little larger and trimmed them down carefully t' t' lines. Tweezers helped too. I used all yellow wood glue for construction.
Finishing:
I used a water based sandin' sealer, arrr, ya bilge rat, arrr, which I did nay like but still used it. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! I
will go back t' t' smelly sealer in t' future. Begad! I taped o' t' nose cone and
the rin' can with 3M blue painter's tape. Havin' a sharp X-Acto blade is a must
here. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Gave it three coats o' Gloss orange. Well, blow me down! I had t' spray some into a old cool
whip bowl and use a small calligraphy brush t' touch up t' corners. Avast! 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. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! I let everythin' dry 24 hours before next coat. Avast! Arrr! 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. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! All paint adhered pretty well. Ahoy! Ahoy! 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. I used a
1/4A3-2T on a calm day. Avast! Aye aye! 5-4-3-2-1 and it took off and reached about 80 feet.
There was a nice small smoke trail that be 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. Well, blow me down! 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! Avast, me proud beauty! This must have thrown off t' balance need for proper
tumbling. Ya scallywag! I thought it be a successful flight. There was 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Cute, me bucko, ya bilge rat, cute, 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 ...
FlisKits (October 31, 2002)