LOC/Precision LOC-IV

LOC/Precision - LOC IV {Kit} (PK-48) [1985-]

Contributed by Chris Kiekens

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Diameter: 4.00 inches
Length: 47.50 inches
Manufacturer: LOC/Precision
Style: Sport

LOC/Precision-LOC IVBrief:
An easy t' build 3FNC rocket, ya bilge rat, built for me first shot with a reloadable motor. Begad!

Construction:
T' kit contains a 4" kraft paper body tube, arrr, two centerin' rings (plywood) included, arrr, nose cone, 36" chute, shiver me timbers, me hearties, elastic shock cord, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 3 plywood fins, 29mm motor mount, and a 1/4" Launch Lug.

This was a really easy kit t' build. Avast! I spoke t' LOC briefly regardin' the fins, as they don't use TTW construction. I was concerned, but be told that durin' testin' t' TTW fins were crushin' t' motor tube on hard impacts. Aye aye! Who am I t' argue? I have faith in Barry, arrr, so I built t' fins "stock". Begad! Begad! I used an eyebolt for t' shock cord, and added a couple o' feet o' strap nylon to boot. Aye aye! I didn't look too closely at t' instructions, so I couldn't testify as t' their accuracy. Havin' built several kits before, me bucko, this looked t' be a straightforward construction job. Arrr! Begad! Per typical LOC style, everythin' fit in its place, shiver me timbers, and required no coaxing. I left t' aft centerin' rin' off till t' end to give t' small fin tabs a good once over with epoxy on t' inside o' the body tube. Aye aye! Avast!

I used nothin' but epoxy for construction, and tried Elmer's Fill 'N Finish for t' first time. Ya scallywag!

If I were t' add anythin' t' this kit, it would be another centerin' rin' (I added one) and eyebolt for t' shock cord.

Finishing:
I am still learnin' different ways t' remove t' spirals, and I came mighty close this time. Begad! I expect that me next effort will get rid o' them entirely. T' Elmer's Fill 'N Finish was t' closest I came t' entirely fillin' the spiral's yet. Aye aye! T' rocket looked great when it was done. Ya scallywag! Some decals would have been nice, but I suppose that no decals gives you t' opportunity t' be creative in your finish as well. Aye aye! I had planned t' get some vinyl cut for it, but t' day after it was built, arrr, t' conditions were great for a launch, me hearties, so up it went! I liked t' rocket so much when it was finished that I took it t' a local automotive paint shop for a final finish. Ahoy! They painted it for free, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and did an awesome job! Gloss paint sure does show up a lack o' finishin' skills!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

LOC/Precision-LOC IVFlight:
T' only motors I was willin' t' fly this day were G75 black jack motors. Blimey! I sure love t' smoke! As I said, me hearties, arrr, this be me first shot with a reloadable, arrr, and never havin' seen it done, matey, I be concerned that thar may be more t' it than it seemed. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Especially after seein' sooo many people on RMR suggestin' that you get someone else t' show you t' first time. Arrr! No problem, shiver me timbers, I hope it isn't just luck, and they continue t' be easy for me. Blimey!

I used cornstarch packin' material for wadding, ya bilge rat, and added some machine threads t' t' aft CR for motor retention, shiver me timbers, along with a bolt, matey, and a washer. I installed one on either side o' t' motor tube, matey, shiver me timbers, but only put one in for the flight. Blimey! T' rocket went together without issue, and on t' t' pad. Ahoy! I can count the number o' AP motors I have burned so far on me fingers, me hearties, usually I only have BP t' burn.

It took what seemed like forever t' light t' motor, shiver me timbers, some smoke started to trickle out o' t' hole cut in t' red cap, and I held me breath... Then it took off, shiver me timbers, and up and GAHN! Great flight, slight wind cock, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it be a little windy. Begad! It landed in t' worst possible location, with soy fields all around, matey, it chose t' road t' land on. It suffered minor fin damage, arrr, shiver me timbers, and lots o' scratches to t' beautiful paint job! Hmm, me bucko, maybe I should ask for a refund on t' paint job! T' fins stayed on just fine, and will be easily repaired (only aesthetic boo-boos anyway). Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! T' short delay (6 seconds) seemed about right, and t' chute popped just after apogee.

Recovery:
T' shock cord that was supplied was used in flight. Begad! I added 3 feet o' strap nylon t' it, me bucko, arrr, which I attached t' an eyebolt with a quick link. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' eyebolt was on t' forward centerin' ring, along with 2 washers, shiver me timbers, and two nuts t' hold it tight. Realizin' that I would nay be able t' get inside t' tighten t' nut ever again, matey, I doused it with epoxy prior t' installin' t' centerin' ring. Avast, me proud beauty! T' corn starch peanut packin' material seemed t' do t' job, as I used all o' the supplied BP, and thar was nay a scorch or burn on anything. Arrr! It drifted for awhile, me bucko, and nay surprisingly, hit t' ground! It ended up about 1000 feet away from t' pad, where it was recovered by t' enthusiastic young guy I brought along for t' task o' runnin' after it. Blimey!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' price o' this kit be great. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I picked it up from Hobbylinc for just over $50(US), ya bilge rat, me hearties, anythin' I added be on t' floor in t' basement, so $50 is about what it cost me. Begad! I hate it when $50 becomes $100 durin' t' build! I can't think o' one bad thin' t' say about this kit, other than I wish it be twins!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • LOC Precision LOC IV By Cody Smith (October 20, 2014)

    This kit was my Junior. Level 1 and I must say it is a beautiful kit. Some people say this rocket is not good for certifications due to the fact that the fins hang below the body. But, unless you land on concrete or desert, these fins are hard to break off. This kit is four-feet tall, four-inches in diameter and, coincidentally, my finished weight was four pounds. I tend to build heavy and ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC-IV By Alex Jordan

    Brief: This is a large single staged, simple mid/high power rocket. It uses parachute recovery and was my first big rocket. Mine came with a 38mm motor mount, although many websites say it has a 29mm motor mount. Also, the fin tabs extend all the way to the motor tube. Construction: The components of this kit came in the typical LOC plastic bag. All of the parts were of the highest ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC IV By Frank Ross

    ( Contributed - by Frank Ross - 11/11/00) Brief: Up-scaled to 38mm. Modifications: For my level-1 certification and my first high-power rocket I wanted a large, simple rocket kit without any bells and whistles. I chose the LOC-IV as I thought it looked to fit the bill, and wouldn't break my credit card. I decided to up-scale to 38mm rather than stick to 29mm because I liked the ...

  • LOC/Precision LOC-IV By Alex Rothchild

    - by Tom Bell  Instructions: The instructions were complete and easy to follow.  Although this is a large rocket, it was not difficult to build. The parts were well manufactured and fit together without problems. This kit was my first large rocket, and it is a good starter kit for large rocketry despite its imposing size.  This kit requires epoxy for assembly of the ...

Flights

Comments:

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J.S. (November 1, 1999)
This is was my first High Power Rocket and my certification project (Level 1). Loc makes great kits and the transition to HPR is easy. The review is thorough and quite accurate in many respects, as the model will benefit from reinforcing the fin joints w/either with epoxy/FG on the fillet or better yet, extending larger fins thru the BT to the Motor mount. The fins extend below the bottom of the BT and "butt strikes" (even under canopy) tend to crack the fin joint loose. (My LOC IV needed fin reinforcing after each flight). I would like to know if anyone experienced this problem: On my first flight I used an Aerotech G55, which really put it up there, but the ejection heat must have damaged the stock white cardboard motor tube.... I couldn't get the Vulcan H100ss to fit for my next flight (certifiction) as the tube had collapsed somewhere ahead of the G55. So much for certifying that day. I extracted the whole works inside and replaced the stock kit motor tube with much sturdier stronger phenolic tube... no problem now!
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M.K. (April 1, 2000)
Although I enjoy flying this rocket, I am disappointed by the fin design (true of all Loc/Prec models I have built). What would a few more centimeters of wood cost on the fin tabs? My Loc IV has been repaired every time I fly it, it is truly an epoxy sculpture. I guess I could 'glass the fins, but I really don't want to redo my paint job. My advice- if your looking for a 4" model to get into high power, check out Public Missiles instead. Their stuff is virtually indestructible.
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S.F. (January 1, 2001)
The LOC IV was my first attempt into mid power rockets. I assembled the kit as per instructions and it was very easy to build. My rocket landed in a tree on its second flight, and broke a fin at the joint, despite glue fillets. I brought the rocket back home and used 2 oz. fiberglass and finish cure 20 min epoxy to reinforce the fins. This has made the fins extremely durable and the rocket is an outstanding flier on a RMS G64-4. To reinforce the fins, I first epoxied them into place and let them dry. Them I cut a piece of glass cloth slightly bigger than the area to be covered. I went down one fin, over the body tube and up the other fin. Then I repeated this until all fins were glassed.  after the cloth was cut, I mixed enough epoxy to cover all surfaces I was immediately working with. Then I carefully laid the cloth on the fins and rocket and smoothed it out with a squeegee until the cloth followed all contours and flat on the fins. After this has been done to all sided, sand it smooth and apply a second coat of Finish Cure 20 min epoxy. When that is dry add the glue fillets along the fin joints let that dry and sand and paint. This is an excellent rocket for those wanting something bigger then an Estes. It is straight forward and easy to build. It is straight forward and easy to build. If you reinforce the fins the rocket will fly straight and true for a long time. The review was right on the mark. I also found the rocket to be everything the reviewer said.
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R.A.V. (November 4, 2001)
The review was right on the mark. The LOC IV was an easy build and finished up real nice. As the other comments stated the fins could use some work and a heat shield would be nice for the chute. Flew great on low Aerotech G motors and that big red chute made it easy to spot as it slowly floated back down. I launched with zero wind so it didn't drift very far at all but if there was wind it would drift quite a distance I'm sure. Even with that big red chute and slow recovery speed it still popped a fin on landing. Gave it some good epoxy fillets and it should be fine.

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