FlisKits be t' newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from me vantage point, ya bilge rat, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. Avast! Blimey! I have built kits from 22 different manufacturers and when I received t' (3) FlisKits I had ordered, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, I be initially amazed at t' packaging. They are so professional lookin' that if hangin' in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in some factory somewhere.

T' packagin' includes a "hanger" section with a nice FlisKits logo and age recommendation on t' front and, me hearties, on t' back, ya bilge rat, me hearties, t' sayin' "FlisKits are t' Best kits," address and a warnin' about plastic bags bein' dangerous. Begad! Inside t' bag you will find a Full One-Year Warranty with a Limited Liability Statement and t' NARRRRR flyin' code all neatly placed in a separate quarter-folded insert. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' other kit I purchased even had a plastic parachute with FlisKits' name and logo on it. Ya scallywag! Like I said, matey, very professional.

This particular kit is K-SP002, Tumble Weed. Arrr! It is FlisKits' smallest kit standin' only 3.6" tall and usin' a 13mm body tube. You might place this kit in amongst t' Estes Mosquito, me hearties, Estes Quark, and Rogue Gnat for doin' comparisons. T' only real problem in t' comparisons is that t' Tumble Weed is a bit more than three fins and a nose cone. Avast, me proud beauty! In fact, it has strong resemblances t' t' old Estes Astron Sprite.

T' Tumble Weed kit includes a 13mm body tube and balsa nose cone. Arrr! There is a sheet o' balsa t' cut out t' fins and a fin template. Avast! T' tail rin' tube finalizes t' outer structure. Aye aye! T' support items include a motor hook and gauze for mountin' t' motor hook. Finally thar be a 1/8" launch lug.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on both sides o' a single sheet o' paper. Arrr! Blimey! They include an introduction and then 13 steps o' assembly instruction with an illustration for nearly every step. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! At t' end o' t' assembly instructions are some finishin' tips. Aye aye! You will need a sharp hobby knife, white glue, ya bilge rat, fine and medium grit sand paper, shiver me timbers, a pencil and scissors.

Assembly is straightforward however thar are some challenges associated with this rocket due t' its small size.

It is interestin' t' know that I have serial number #28 as marked on t' packagin' card. Begad! I like t' fact it is numbered and if thar are problems reported, FlisKits would have a good idea o' t' number o' kits impacted. Ahoy! I did run into three problems with t' kit. Avast, me proud beauty!

One o' these problems was identified by an extra sticker placed on t' outside o' t' packaging. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Blimey! It was t' fact that t' nose cone shoulder needed t' be cut down t' 1/4" length. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' other two problems were nay pointed out with a notice and were discovered durin' t' build. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' two problems involve step 1 o' t' rocket assembly. Ahoy! T' instructions mention that thar be a port hole pre-cut into t' body tube, which was nay t' case. Begad! In addition, me hearties, matey, t' fin markin' guide did nay fully wrap around t' body tube and if used t' mark t' fins would have caused a misalignment. Aye aye! I caught both o' these and resolved them by cuttin' me own hole and usin' an Estes fin markin' guide t' get t' three fins equally spaced. FlisKits must have ID'd these just before or while I was building, ya bilge rat, because when I notified them they pointed me t' a correction sheet that was posted under t' kit on their website. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! All o' these items were addressed and they included a new fin markin' guide.

Movin' on with assembly, matey, t' fins need t' be cut out from 1/16" balsa usin' a card stock template. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' large fins are nay a problem t' cut out, however, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, t' smaller fin tips were challenging. Avast, me proud beauty! T' primary reason is because they were so small (see picture)! FlisKits recognized that some may mistake in cuttin' t' fins and provided at least double t' required balsa t' be successful. Avast! Very thoughtful. Ahoy! Note: Picture t' left be t' remainin' balsa after cuttin' out me fins.

Once me fins were on, I slid t' tail rin' down. Ahoy! It did nay fit right away and I had just a tad bit o' sandin' t' do on t' fins. Aye aye! Arrr! Once complete, it slid (and was glued) in place. Once in place, shiver me timbers, I used a block and sandpaper t' sand off t' excess balsa that stuck out beyond t' tail ring. Next, I cut fin tips, me hearties, held all three together and did t' final shapin' with sandpaper. These were then glued on.

T' motor hook is glued in place and t' provided gauze is used t' secure it t' t' body. Well, blow me down! This is done betwixt two fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! T' launch lug is glued betwixt another set o' fins, me hearties, while t' vent port is betwixt t' last set o' fins.

I didn't get too fancy in finishing. Arrr! I hit t' rocket with about 3 coats o' primer, ya bilge rat, sandin' in betwixt and then used Krylon Gloss White on t' whole rocket. Ya scallywag! Once dry I taped off t' tail rin' and nose cone and then painted t' exposed rocket with Krylon Fluorescent Orange. Nay too bad looking. Ya scallywag! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! T' kit does nay come with any decals.

Overall, matey, ya bilge rat, me bucko, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' instructions were fine and t' extra balsa was a nice touch. Havin' t' cut out balsa fins has never bothered me, me hearties, however, it does add a level o' challenge t' t' kit especially t' tiny, arrr, tiny fin tips. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Also, I understand t' need for t' gauze on t' outside o' t' body, but I don't like its looks.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

FlisKits recommends t' 1/2A2-3 and t' A3-4 motors. They indicate t' finished weight is 0.2 ounces, so you know even t' 1/2A is goin' t' put some distance betwixt you and t' rocket smartly ... Begad! so you better have more than 1 spotter. Well, me hearties, blow me down! I was able t' create a rocksim o' t' Tumble Weed™ and below is me 3D image and flight simulation from RockSim results.

T' rocket is prepped by simply placin' t' motor into t' bottom and slidin' it up until it hits t' nose cone shoulder. Ahoy! There is a motor hook, me bucko, however, me hearties, ya bilge rat, it is thar t' catch t' motor upon ejection so that t' motor is hangin' way back. Avast! Ya scallywag! This makes t' rocket unstable so that it will tumble on recovery.

I did all three o' me launches on a 1/4A3-2. Begad! Arrr! I really didn't want t' loose this little Tumble Weed. T' first flight showed just how fast this rocket will come off t' pad (I missed t' picture, in fact, I missed all 3 flights). Arrr! Yes, it is very fast. I be able t' follow t' rocket up, which was nay straight but like a very large corkscrew, matey, and I did see ejection. Ahoy! T' ejection, with a big "flame-pop", seemed t' send t' rocket away fast and on another trajectory. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket came in stable and hard into t' road (didn't tumble) and dented nose cone. Ya scallywag! T' motor had kicked out upon ejection.

For t' next 1/4A flight, matey, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I bent t' motor hook inward a bit t' try t' prevent t' motor from kickin' out. Ahoy! Blimey! This flight was much more straight and it did tumble back. Well, blow me down! I assumed it tumbled because t' motor casin' be still in, me bucko, me hearties, but I was wrong; t' motor kicked out again.

For t' third 1/4A flight, shiver me timbers, I bent t' motor hook inward a bit more t' try t' prevent t' motor from kickin' out. Avast, me proud beauty! This flight was also more straight than t' first and it tumble recovered. Blimey! But, shiver me timbers, matey, t' motor kicked on this flight too.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 3 ½ points. T' rocket, as designed, is nay stable unless a motor is in place. Arrr! If t' motor stays in place then it will nay tumble durin' recovery. Begad! T' motor hook is supposed t' keep it in place, ya bilge rat, however, on me three attempts it did not. Could it be t' placement and size o' t' vent port? Maybe. Blimey! Is t' Tumble Weed a good flier. Aye aye! Yes, in comparison t' Estes Mighty Mites, Mosquito, Quark and t' likes. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! And I did find it all three times. Avast, me proud beauty! On a 1/2A or an A, shiver me timbers, I would be very afraid o' loosin' it. Blimey!

I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 points. As FlisKits "mini" entry it definitely competes in looks with t' Estes Mosquito and Quark. Blimey! You'll pay almost double o' those kits, shiver me timbers, but for t' distinctive look, me hearties, it is worth it. Well, blow me down! I don't understand t' motor hook issue I had and I would love t' see some set o' decals. Arrr! Buildin' it requires some nimble fingers and patience. Ahoy! Make this rocket an "add-on" when you call FlisKits t' purchase any other rocket and you will find it t' be a nice rainy day build kit. Blimey! Begad! Also, I will now watch for who converts this one t' Quest MicroMaxx motors...maybe it will be me (Idea: get rid o' t' motor hook, add MMaxx motor mount, add needed nose weight t' make stable).