Manufacturer: | Art Applewhite Rockets |
Brief:
I don't know what Art is feedin' his saucers, ya bilge rat, but they just seem t' keep
gettin' BIGGER. His latest offerin' is 10.25 inches in diameter and flies on
29mm motors. T' construction is almost identical t' his 7.5 and 9-inch
saucers, with a few components beefed up a bit. Ahoy! This one is fluorescent orange,
but he also offers a 'Texas Special', USAF, shiver me timbers, Stas and Stripes, Smiley Face, and
several other solid colors.
Construction:
T' parts are simple, matey, are all o' good quality, and include:
Tools and materials required:
This saucer is another easy build. Ya scallywag! Begad! Blimey! There are five pages o' detailed instructions with plenty o' diagrams. White glue is used t' assemble the conical top and core assembly. Well, blow me down! I will re-emphasize t' construction notes about usin' thin layers o' white glue. More does nay help and will only warp the paper. If you follow this guidance, t' results will be nice. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! Art has added some notes about usin' plates and bowls t' hold t' pieces together as they are assembled. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These techniques worked great, takin' advantage o' t' geometry of the structures t' keep them uniformly in contact with one another. Begad! Once t' top and core are assembled, me bucko, it is time t' add t' plastic plate t' t' bottom. Aye aye! Blimey! He provides a template t' cut out t' center. Unlike its smaller cousins, the plate is epoxied t' t' top assembly. You first sand t' plate t' fit, and then spread a thin layer o' epoxy over t' entire inside o' t' top and core. Ahoy! Blimey! You reinstall t' plate and clamp it down with a suitably sized bowl. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I know this is an odd statement comin' from me (Mr. Begad! Blimey! UseWhatYou'veGot), but use t' Devcon 2-ton epoxy recommended in t' instructions. In a previous experiment, I found that Bob Smith epoxy would bleed through t' cardstock. Avast, me proud beauty! T' fin can assembles with white glue (I used carpenter's glue for this step) like any other set of fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' basswood fin stock is nice and easy t' work with. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unlike t' smaller saucers, t' fin unit is glued in place, matey, completin' t' assembly.
Finishing:
I sealed t' fins with Fill-and-Finish and painted t' fin can in a camouflage
pattern with various day-glow colors. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted 99.9% before installation, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and
touched up around t' fillets after it was glued into t' body. Ya scallywag! Finally, per
the instructions, I sealed t' cardstock with clear enamel. Looks pretty good
if I do say so myself.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
T' recommended motors list includes t' Ellis G35, matey, all Aerotech 29mm SU, and
all RMS 29/40-120 reloads. Avast! I flew t' model on a G38 with t' ejection charge
removed. Ahoy! I angled t' rod slightly away from t' crowd and almost parallel to
the t' t' light wind. T' flight be a real crowd pleaser, me bucko, ya bilge rat, with lots o' black
smoke. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' boost started straight (with t' wind) and t' saucer did a
half-corkscrew turn into t' wind. Ya scallywag! It gently landed maybe 20 feet from t' pad.
I didn't catch a launch shot, me hearties, but you can see t' flight o' a beta-test
version at t' top o' this review,
also on a G38 (the materials were identical except for t' decoration). Ahoy! On this
flight, me bucko, t' winds were stiff so it weathercocked quite a bit, me hearties, as is t' be
expected. Ahoy! Nevertheless, arrr, it be also a cool flight.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
Once again, Art has shown himself t' be a master o' simple, elegant designs.
This saucer is mostly made out o' common household materials, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, yet it looks
great and holds up t' G motors! This is a far cry from me first attempt at a
mid-power saucer, which was built like a tank and flew like one too.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: Won this Art Applewhite saucer kit as part of the 2009 EMRR Rocket Video Contest . www.artapplewhite.com offers numerous cool oddrocs in various styles (saucers, pyramids, monocopters, hourglass/spools, etc) and sizes (i.e. 4" to 18" diameter saucers). I had been thinking about scratch building a saucer for sometime, and am glad I got hold of this kit first. The ...
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DAU (July 21, 2003)