Brief:
T' Maxi-Icarus be produced from 1980 t' 1984, a period when rocketry was about t' furthest thin' from me mind but I had always like t' looks o' t' Icarus. Well, blow me down! Arrr! I never really set out t' clone this bird. Avast! It came about when I was looking over t' nose cone list tryin' t' find a project for a PNC-60AH from me last Screamin' Mimi kit. Begad! Blimey! Realizin' that I also had an extra PST-60R layin' around made t' project a no-brainer.

Construction:
Parts included:

• PNC-60AH nose cone (scavenged from a Screamin' Mimi kit)
• PST-60R payload tube (scavenged from a Loadstar kit)
• NB-60 nose block (Semroc)
• BT-60 body tube
• BT-50J engine tube
• EH-2 engine hook
• TA-71 centerin' rings
• AR-2050 engine block
• 2 LL-2AM launch lugs
• large screw eye
• 48" sewin' elastic shock cord
• 48" Keelhaul®©™® shock cord
• 3/32" fin stock
• large snap swivel
• 18" parachute

I gave some thought t' buildin' t' engine mount with an E hook, me hearties, but went with the standard 18-24mm hook instead. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! This was a mistake. For some reason I decided that buildin' it stock would be better but had I built it with t' E mount I could have swapped in t' shorter D's and C's with a spacer.

Finishing:
Tube spirals and balsa grain were killed off with an initial coat o' primer followed by two coats o' thinned Elmer's Fill & Finish® and a second coat o' primer, me hearties, sandin' betwixt each coat. Begad! T' paint is a simple black and white scheme. All paints were Valspar and decals were supplied as a favor by Scott Branche.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight:
T' unpainted first flight o' t' Maxi-Icarus took place on a windy day at a QUARK launch in t' sprin' o' 2007. Ahoy! With the steady breeze, arrr, I decided t' go with a C11-5 for t' first flight. Avast, me proud beauty! It proved t' be plenty o' motor for the conditions. Aye aye! Windcockin' was fairly severe off t' pad but t' flight be plenty stable. Aye aye! Blimey! T' five second ejection was a perfect choice (lucky) and fired just as t' rocket began t' tip over. Avast! Begad! T' same winds that caused t' windcockin' then brought t' rocket back toward t' pad and it recovered within 100' o' t' pad.

Finally painted and decaled, t' second flight took place at t' 2007 National Sport Launch in Muncie, ya bilge rat, me bucko, Indiana. Scott McCrate had mentioned numerous times over t' years about how impressive t' field at t' International Aeromodelin' Center was, shiver me timbers, and after seein' it I had no qualms about choosin' a D12-5 for t' second flight. Begad! T' flight path was much t' same as t' first flight, but noticeably higher. Windcockin' was again fairly severe but t' recovery walk was a lot longer. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Despite what looked like a nasty hit on t' hard ground, t' rocket was recovered without damage.

Recovery:
I used t' tried and true method o' tyin' t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' motor tube behind t' upper centerin' rin' and securin' it with wood glue. Avast! Avast! I used 48" each o' Keelhaul®©™® and 1/4" sewin' elastic, givin' me a 8' long recovery system. Someone standin' near t' flightline at NSL muttered "Sep" when t' ejection charge fired. Arrr! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! They thought things had come apart. Ahoy! T' parachute was a 12" nylon chute that I've had layin' around forever. So far it's been bulletproof, even with t' hard NSL landing.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
PRO's: Classic looks. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Gumby rides in t' payload.
CON's: I wimped out and didn't go for t' E mount.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5