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. Avast, me proud beauty! This be t' little brother t' t' Fliskits
StarLoad.
Construction:
T' parts list:
T' engine mount is a little unique on this rocket. Well, blow me down! 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. I lightly sanded t' tubes before gluing to give t' glue a better grip. Ahoy! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! It is important that you measure correctly for each o' t' three plugs and that they are level once attached. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! 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. Avast! Usually instructions tell you nay t' do this. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! You need t' taper because t' fins fit into t' joint o' t' tubes which is a "V" shaped notch. Ahoy! Avast, 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. Well, 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. Arrr! 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. Begad! Fliskits always presents
challengin' paint schemes. After primin' t' entire rocket, I masked off the
main body tube. This was a little challengin' due t' t' location o' t' lower
launch lug. Ahoy! I used Krylon white t' paint t' entire lower half o' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, 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! Great boost and it went higher then I expected. Rocket was recovered with
no damage and t' egg be able t' fly again.
Recovery:
T' 16" parachute be more than ample t' brin' this rocket down safely,
even with a cackle fruit in t' payload bay. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Although it was a bit windy, matey, thar be 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. Blimey! Ya scallywag! 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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