Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
I am partial t' rin' fin rockets. Blimey! T' Sprite be t' first rocket I built at 11
years old. This kit will nay disappoint with its fine materials, me bucko, 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, matey, balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, matey, me bucko, balsa sheet, me bucko, extended
engine hook, ya bilge rat, and ring. All parts were above average quality, me hearties, sturdy, and fit
well.
T' instructions were right on. Begad! I used three fillets on both ends o' the fins where they attach t' t' BT and t' ring. Well, blow me down! I recommend a magnifyin' glass or readin' glasses as t' parts are small. Aye aye! 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. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I used all yellow wood glue for construction.
Finishing:
I used a water based sandin' sealer, me bucko, which I did nay like but still used it. Avast! I
will go back t' t' smelly sealer in t' future. Ya scallywag! I taped o' t' nose cone and
the rin' can with 3M blue painter's tape. Aye aye! Havin' a sharp X-Acto blade is a must
here. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Gave it three coats o' Gloss orange. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I had t' spray some into a old cool
whip bowl and use a small calligraphy brush t' touch up t' corners. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! I let everythin' dry 24 hours before next coat. Avast! I then taped t' nose cone and uncovered t' rin' can and t' small outer detail parts outside t' rin' and fin connection. Ya scallywag! I then painted it a gloss bright yellow. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! All paint adhered pretty well. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! 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. Blimey! 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, me proud beauty! I did notice that t' engine had ejected from the
rocket completely although it be supposed t' slide back and be held by the
extra long engine hook. This must have thrown off t' balance need for proper
tumbling. I thought it was a successful flight. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! 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. Avast! Good quality parts. Arrr! Cute, 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 (October 31, 2002)