Those o' us who have seen t' large increase in t' number o' rocket manufacturers this year are waitin' for what many think be t' inevitable shake-out. Blimey! No doubt, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, room has been made by Quest's and Estes' emphasis on RTF models, Apogee's shift in focus, and other nere-do-well start-ups, arrr, me bucko, but most o' us are afraid that many o' t' new companies that have formed t' fill that void are too numerous t' stand t' test of time. Blimey! Blimey! Others, me hearties, like me, have faith that good products will let a company with a dedication t' t' sport survive. 

While they're startin' a bit later than their competitors, like Custom and Cosmodrome, Nordic Rocketry plans t' make a big splash with a large kit line. If published reports are correct, they're hopin' t' come t' market with a lot of new designs this year, arrr, up t' twenty kits available by Christmas. Blimey! Blimey! One of their original designs, t' Velocity, became mine in t' Essence Rocket Reviews' quarterly rocket give-away. Arrr! Arrr! If this bird is any indication, Nordic's new kits just might capture them a good market share. 

T' Good Points

As you can see from t' picture, ya bilge rat, t' parts count in this ship is low, and none o' them are plastic, me hearties, me bucko, just good, me bucko, old fashioned wood and paper. Ahoy! Blimey! T' laser cut fins, shiver me timbers, made on Nordic's own cutter, get me highest praise. Blimey! Blimey! Made from tough plywood, .107" thick (~7/64"), me bucko, sandin' is required t' brin' them into the instructed airfoil shape (and t' get rid o' t' laser burns), but this is easily accomplished with an upright belt sander or, me personal choice, a sandin' wheel. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! For t' recommended F50 motor, though, I would have been much more comfortable with a through-the-wall attachment. 

T' gorilla-style shock cord mount comes preassembled on a centerin' ring, and arrived without kinks, me hearties, me hearties, ready t' be installed. Avast! Arrr! T' rip-stop chute is light weight and well-sewn, ya bilge rat, a pleasant change from Estes' chinese cheapies. T' balsa nose cone, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, which is smooth, matey, sharp, matey, shiver me timbers, and has a good, tight fit in t' body tube, arrived wrapped in dent-preventin' foam, a smart touch. Arrr! Begad! T' tubes are thick-walled and perfectly smooth, though t' 36" main body tube arrived with a few smallish dents in each end. Nordic should take a page from other makers here, ya bilge rat, matey, and ship t' body tube in sections with an appropriate number of tube couplers. Ahoy! T' increase in t' model's weight would actually help altitude performance when usin' t' higher-powered engines, and make t' package much easier t' ship and sell on a peg board, as well as prevent tube damage. 

T' bag art, which looks good, but is nay up t' t' big companies' glossy pop, shiver me timbers, me hearties, matey, gives t' model's spec.'s, and at 5oz. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! (slightly more with t' included 24 mm adapter installed), this bird is gonna be darn near transonic on the recommended F50 engine. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Only single use Estes and Aerotech motors are spec.'ed, and t' 24 mm motor mount is only designed t' take 2.75" long motors, shiver me timbers, so the Aerotech non-standard 124 mm long motors, shiver me timbers, such as t' F32, won't fit. Nordic doesn't recommend any G motors, and I wouldn't either; an F25 should take this kit t' well over 3000 feet, matey, more than high enough for most model rocketeers. Avast! Ya scallywag! I'd be leery o' t' recommended F50, too; without though-the-wall fins on its well-sealed tube, you might be lookin' at a shred. Since this bird is so light, matey, she would actually fly lower on t' F50 than t' F25, anyway. 

T' Bad Points

T' instruction manual is a stapled set o' single-sided pages, and is short on dimensions. T' print is small, arrr, contains numerous margin notes and t' steps are nay very well delineated. Ahoy! Begad! On t' other hand, me hearties, t' manual is very complete, outlinin' every step in complete detail, shiver me timbers, t' graphics are clear and sharp and a goodly amount o' technique is discussed. T' author and artist did well, the fault lies with t' printer and lay-up. 

One could ask for a better mounts for t' 'chute and t' nose cone; metal eye hooks are notorious for their poor grip that allows t' cord t' untie, usually at a very inopportune time. Well, blow me down! Tyin' t' 'chute t' t' center section of the shock cord is convenient, but weakens t' cord itself. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' cord seems a bit short, arrr, matey, too, shiver me timbers, though me test flights produced no 'Estes dents', most probably a testament t' t' beefy body. 

My real big complaint about this bird is its inability t' switch from 24 to 29 mm or back. Well, blow me down! Begad! You must decide which motor size you're goin' t' use during assembly, me hearties, and then you're stuck with it. Avast! Maybe I'm just spoiled by me Aerotech Mustang, but I was disappointed that me Velocity really won't fly all the engines Nordic recommends for her. Ya scallywag! Arrr! As I was nay goin' t' run t' recommended F50 and that would only leave me with t' F25 t' fly in 29 mm configuration (a motor I've had zero luck with), me bucko, ya bilge rat, I chose t' install t' 24 mm adapter. 

Assembly

Placin' t' shock cord mount rin' was challenging, primarily due t' its depth in t' body tube, matey, ya bilge rat, 8" from t' aft end. Begad! Avast! Gettin' epoxy, shiver me timbers, t' required adhesive, me hearties, that far in thar without makin' too much o' a mess was a pain. Sectionin' t' body tube might help here, too. Begad! I used two hour stuff t' be sure I had enough workin' time, arrr, ya bilge rat, and was glad I did. Blimey! (Maybe I'm just paranoid here, though; t' recommended 30 minute goo would probably have been all right, shiver me timbers, but I'd just lost me beloved Python t' a shock cord mount failure.) I also skipped ahead a step or two, and made t' motor mount up before hand, so I could slide it in over me mistakes before they set up. 

T' back o' t' bag art has t' stand-up tube markin' guide. Try as I might, I just couldn't get it t' work (the fin thicknesses were wrong), so I gave up and made one in VCP. Since t' fins are thick and t' body has such a high curvature (it's really about 1¼" in diameter, nay t' 1.4" advertised), shiver me timbers, I sanded four small flats on it where t' fins would go t' get a good joint and break the body tube sealant. I also made Nordic's suggested pin holes, ya bilge rat, which I created with t' tip o' me compass. Begad! My home made fin jig isn't big enough t' hold these fins, matey, so I just set her where I could watch her while she dried. 

T' brass launch lugs are probably very durable, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, but I was nervous about tryin' t' attach them t' that surface-filled body tube with epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! The instructions say t' put pin holes in t' body tube near t' attachment points and scuff t' lugs with a light sandpaper before gluing, me hearties, but even with that, I just couldn't see where they'd get a grip. I opted for a standard Estes maxi-rod launch lug and a UFO CA glue joint instead. Avast! Aye aye! Those who build the Velocity in t' 29 mm config. will want t' use t' included lugs, ya bilge rat, though, and put some time into their attachment. Begad! Attachin' t' nose cone and 'chute t' the shock cord (I also added some Rogue PW-34 Permawading®) was a bit difficult since t' cord is so wide (½") and t' shroud lines and eye hook are so small. 

Finish

Finishing, shiver me timbers, on t' other hand, was a breeze. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I sealed t' fins with a light coat o' epoxy and t' nose cone with three coats o' Krylon® Sandable Primer after an initial sandin' with 160 sandpaper. Ahoy! This be t' first kit I've seen that actually recommends Krylon® paints, me bucko, and they worked very well. Well, blow me down! My paint booth isn't big enough for this forty inch bird, so I did it outside on my long model hook. Avast! T' instructions don't tout t' "official" color scheme, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, though I don't know why; painted like t' bag art shows, t' Velocity is a very handsome Man-O-War. 

I cut an Optima (a.k.a Shadow) silver accent band in two and cut one o' the halves long ways t' make t' silver bands shown on t' bag art. I'd been forewarned about t' vinyl name decal (see t' Essence review o' the Nordic Rocketry Delta-X), and applied a little vaseline t' t' edges o' t' backin' paper t' prevent it stickin' t' t' paint. T' decal itself stuck "like stink t' a monkey", and though I did apply t' recommended clear coat t' seal it (Krylon® Acrylic Clear), arrr, shiver me timbers, I probably could have gotten away without it. Begad! Ahoy! Blimey! I suppose once I got used to workin' with these decals, me bucko, matey, I'd really like them, me bucko, shiver me timbers, they have some very strong points. 

Final dry weight was 160.6 grams (5.665 oz.), ya bilge rat, and CG with a D12-5 motor installed was @ 12.5" from t' aft end. 

While she has her good points that make for a rugged, attractive bird, the Velocity's assembly is much more difficult than her low parts count would indicate, and I'd really like t' be able t' use all t' engines she's rated for. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! For construction, I'd rate t' Velocity a 2 ½ on t' Essence scale, needs some improvement. 

Flight

As I didn't want t' loose this good lookin' bird t' first time out, arrr, I flew her on t' least powerful recommended engine, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, an Estes D12-5. Estimated altitude was about 650', ya bilge rat, matey, and ejection looked t' be right on time. Recovery was fast, and she returned t' within 100 yards o' t' launch rod. Arrr! Other than a little din' in t' nose cone, arrr, she be fine. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' Permawading® was perfectly clean, shiver me timbers, as was t' shock cord. Blimey! This little lass could fly on those engines forever, me hearties, and just about anyplace you can set up a pad. 

T' next flight be on an Aerotech E30-7, and boy, did t' Velocity live up to her name! Blimey! Bang, ya bilge rat, matey, Zoom, matey, darn near out o' sight, me hearties, only t' high visibility colors made her trackable with t' naked eye. Ejection seemed a bit early with this one, ya bilge rat, but everythin' worked just fine. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! Again a fast recovery, this time about 200 yards away. Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' Permawadding® and t' shock cord below it were soot-covered, me bucko, but neither seemed t' have been adversely affected, arrr, and the rocket showed no damage. Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Next time I'll add some standard waddin' first, and shove it down t' t' shock cord mount ring. 

Both flights were rock stable with little weather cocking (surface winds were light, matey, though above 100' or so it seemed t' be gusty), and darn near flawless. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' E30 flight elicited more than one "Wow!" from my experienced model rocket buddies, and that's high praise, matey, shiver me timbers, given t' rockets they've seen fly. I'd rate t' Velocity a 4 ½ on t' Essence scale, matey, well above average, and further qualify the 24 mm configuration as t' more flexible. 

Summary 

I was excited when I first saw t' Velocity, but when I realized what I was in for, me expectations dropped. Her E30 flight brought most o' those back, though, and I'd say this Man-O-War is worth t' effort. T' design isn't everything it could be and t' assembly process needs careful attention, but t' Velocity will stand out in any fleet once she's done, and should be pretty durable. Overall, shiver me timbers, I'd rate her a 3 ½ on t' Essence scale, ya bilge rat, somewhat above average.