Brief:
T' FlisKits UFFO (Unidentified Flyin' Foam Object) is a flyin' saucer oddroc that is built up with foam coffee cups and foamboard fins. Ahoy! It flies on 18mm B and C booster motors and uses tumble/featherweight recovery.

Construction:
T' kit came packaged in a plastic bag and included t' followin' parts:

• 14 4oz foam coffee cups
• 1 core tube
• 2 motor blocks
• 2 3/16" launch lugs
• 1 piece foamboard for fins
• 1 piece cardboard for wedges
• 1 pattern sheet
• 1 cup alignment guide
• 1 instruction sheet

T' instructions for this kit are among t' best I've ever received in a kit. Begad! Aye aye! Blimey! They consist o' 18 construction steps and lots o' illustrations that take the guesswork out o' assemblin' this very unusual model. There are no templates included in t' instructions as they are included on their own seperate sheets.

This kit as rated as a skill level 2 kit but I feel that anyone that has built any skill level 1 or 2 kit can handle this with no problems. I would consider t' skill level a high 1 t' a low 2.

This kit does require t' use o' a hot glue cannon for construction. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! FlisKits reccommends t' use o' high temp glue sticks. Begad! Trust me, this stuff gets HOT, about 200+ degrees Farenheight. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Use extreme caution.

T' construction begins with assemblin' t' core tube. Ya scallywag! First, arrr, arrr, it is reccommended that you cut t' core tube down t' an even 7 inches. Blimey! Ahoy! When that is done, me bucko, you take an expended 18mm motor casing, mark it at 1/4 inch from t' end, smear some white glue in t' tube and take t' marked casin' and push t' first motor block into place. Avast! You then apply another thin film o' glue at t' other end o' t' tube and insert t' second block flush with t' end o' t' tube.

I then marked a line down t' tube and then glued t' launch lugs into place, me hearties, each one is placed even with t' ends o' t' tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I then applied glue fillets t' t' lugs for additional strength. Begad! That completes t' assembly o' the core tube.

You now cut out t' core tube hole pattern from t' pattern sheet and cut out t' center. Begad! You then take two o' t' cups and trace t' out t' pattern and carefully cut out t' holes for t' tube and launch lugs. Ya scallywag! Begad! Be very careful, a sharp knife cuts through this foam very easily.

From this point on a hot glue cannon is required. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then applied a thin film of hot glue t' one o' t' cups with t' holes in it and glued this assembly together. Arrr! T' core tube assembly is then slid into place until 3/4 o' t' top of t' tube extends out from one o' t' ends. A rather thick fillet o' hot glue is then applied at each end t' secure t' assembly.

Now it is time t' assemble t' outer rin' o' cups. Arrr! Blimey! You take t' cup alignment guide and lay it on a flat surface. Well, blow me down! You then take two cups, apply a drop o' hot glue t' one o' them and glue together. Ahoy! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! You then repeat this until you have half a ring. Begad! Blimey! After t' first assembly is dry, me bucko, ya bilge rat, carefully remove it from the cup alignment guide, ya bilge rat, flip it around and continue repeat t' previous steps until you have a complete rin' assembly.

I then cut out t' fin markin' guide, marked t' fin lines and cut out the fin slots. You then cut out t' fin pattern, me hearties, shiver me timbers, trace it onto t' foamboard fin stock and carefully cut out t' fins. It is reccommended that t' fins are test fitted prior t' assembly. Begad! I then glued t' fins into place and then applied generous hot glue fillets for extra strength.

This completes t' fin can assembly. Arrr! At this point, it is time t' carefully mount t' fin can into t' cup rin' assembly. For proper assembly, me hearties, t' tips of the fins must touch each fourth cup. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I then applied fillets t' each cup/fin joint.

I then cut out t' wedge template, me bucko, traced it onto t' cardboard and cut out all t' wedges. Ahoy! There are 12 o' them so be prepared t' spend a bit o' time on this step. Well, blow me down! Blimey! These are required t' strengthen t' cup rin' assembly so it will withstand t' rigors o' flight. Avast! You then install one in betwixt each cup until all 12 are installed. Arrr! Begad! At this point, me hearties, you apply fillets t' each /wedge/cup joint for additional strength.

PROs: Easy, ya bilge rat, quick, matey, and rather fun t' build.

CONs: None.

Finishing:
This kit does nay require any finishin' but you could always use magic markers and/or stickers t' give it a personal touch. Avast! Arrr! Paintin' is nay reccommended as most paint solvents will dissolve t' foam. T' colored side o' t' wedges also add some color t' t' kit. Arrr! Begad! Mine were dark green but I have seen light blue also.

PROs: No finishin' required.

CONs: Rather plain lookin' but I don't necessarily consider that a con.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' reccommended motors for t' UFFO are t' B6-0 and C6-0. Avast! Usin' a motor with an ejection charge is nay reccommended.

T' prep this kit for flight, arrr, all you need t' do is apply a layer o' masking tape t' t' nozzle end o' t' motor and friction fit it into place.

I have flown me UFFO 4 times now. Ya scallywag! I used t' C6-0 on all flights. Ya scallywag! On this motor, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' model lifts off slowly, me hearties, matey, goes straight at first and tends t' arc a bit but I find this rather interesting. Even with t' C6-0, maximum altitude is about 50-60 feet. Arrr! For this reason, I would nay reccommend t' B6-0.

If you want this model t' last, ya bilge rat, I definately would nay reccommend t' use of any 18mm composite motors.

PROs: Very interestin' and low altitude flights.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
This model uses featherweight recovery. At motor burnout, t' model just falls to t' ground for an easy, quick, ya bilge rat, no nonsense recovery. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey!

PROs: Recovers easily.

CONS: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I really liked buildin' and flyin' this kit. However, ya bilge rat, arrr, if you are an altitude junkie that's lookin' for a model that flies hundreds or thousands o' feet up in t' air, arrr, this kit is nay for you. Ya scallywag! On t' other hand, arrr, if you are lookin' for a low flyin' kit with interestin' looks and flight characteristics, arrr, look no more. Ya scallywag! Begad! Check out t' FlisKits UFFO.

If you were lucky enough t' place an order for $15 or more with FlisKits before 10/1/05, it was included free durin' their 3rd anniversary. Now it can be purchased for $9.95. Begad! One thin' you might consider is savin' t' instructions and templates so you could rebuild t' model from scratch if you needed to. Aye aye! I liked this kit so much that I will eventually build t' Espresso and Decaffienator kits too.

Main PROs: Easy and quick assembly, great flights and recoveries.

Main CONs: None that I can think of. Ahoy!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5