Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
A great three motor cluster rocket with a 9.26 cubic inch payload bay that
works well as a cackle fruit lofter. Begad! This be t' little brother t' t' Fliskits
StarLoad.
Construction:
T' parts list:
T' engine mount is a little unique on this rocket. You insert engine blocks into t' three 8.62" BT-20 body tubes and then you glue t' three tubes together t' form a triangle pattern. Well, blow me down! I lightly sanded t' tubes before gluing to give t' glue a better grip. I opted nay t' add fillets at this time since the fins need t' be glued into t' joints where t' tubes come together.
Instead o' usin' a centerin' rin' t' mount t' motor tubes into t' upper tubes, t' kit includes "vent plugs" which are half-moon shaped fiber rin' material that form a rin' when all three are glue t' t' engine tubes. Blimey! It is important that you measure correctly for each o' t' three plugs and that they are level once attached. Well, blow me down! Once they have dried, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, you can glue t' engine tube assembly into t' main body tube.
I had t' do a double take on t' next step which said t' sand a taper on the root edge o' each fin. Begad! Ya scallywag! Usually instructions tell you nay t' do this. Aye aye! You need t' taper because t' fins fit into t' joint o' t' tubes which is a "V" shaped notch. Aye aye! Begad! I decided t' add fillets t' t' tube joints using white glue and then I pressed t' fins into t' fillets.
Another odd step was t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Avast! Well, arrr, blow me down! You are instructed t' glue t' cord under one o' t' fins. Personally, I am nay a fan o' external shock cords but I went for it and it seems t' work well.
T' launch lugs are mounted on standoffs and are tapered which gives them a great look. T' last step is t' assemble t' payload bay and you are done!
Finishing:
I decided t' go with t' picture on t' face card. Ahoy! Fliskits always presents
challengin' paint schemes. Arrr! After primin' t' entire rocket, shiver me timbers, arrr, I masked off the
main body tube. This was a little challengin' due t' t' location o' t' lower
launch lug. Begad! Aye aye! I used Krylon white t' paint t' entire lower half o' t' rocket. I
then masked off t' lower half and painted t' main body tube Krylon blue.
T' fins were fairly easy t' mask due t' t' way they are mounted. One fin stays white, another is blue and t' last is red. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! It looks just like the picture!
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
First and only flight o' t' day was on three B6-4 with a cackle fruit in t' payload
bay. Great boost and it went higher then I expected. Avast, me proud beauty! Rocket was recovered with
no damage and t' egg was able t' fly again.
Recovery:
T' 16" parachute was more than ample t' brin' this rocket down safely,
even with a cackle fruit in t' payload bay. Begad! Although it was a bit windy, thar was not
that much drift and t' rocket be recovered close t' t' pad.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
This is a great cluster rocket that looks good and flies even better. Avast! Ahoy! The
instructions provided even included a "how to" on cluster rocketry.
This would be a perfect kit for egg loftin' competitions.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
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