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. This be t' little brother t' t' Fliskits
StarLoad.
Construction:
T' parts list:
T' engine mount is a little unique on this rocket. Arrr! 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. Aye aye! I lightly sanded t' tubes before gluing to give t' glue a better grip. Begad! Begad! 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, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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. Arrr! It is important that you measure correctly for each o' t' three plugs and that they are level once attached. Aye aye! Once they have dried, 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. Blimey! Begad! Usually instructions tell you nay t' do this. Begad! You need t' taper because t' fins fit into t' joint o' t' tubes which is a "V" shaped notch. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! 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. Aye aye! You are instructed t' glue t' cord under one o' t' fins. Personally, shiver me timbers, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 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. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! 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. Fliskits always presents
challengin' paint schemes. After primin' t' entire rocket, shiver me timbers, I masked off the
main body tube. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This be a little challengin' due t' t' location o' t' lower
launch lug. I used Krylon white t' paint t' entire lower half o' t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! 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. 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. Begad! Blimey! Great boost and it went higher then I expected. 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. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Although it be a bit windy, shiver me timbers, thar was not
that much drift and t' rocket was 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. 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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