Brief:
One o' t' few two-stage saucers on t' market, Frick-n-Frack takes off like a fairly conventional 6-sided saucer. Begad! Blimey! At motor burnout o' t' first stage, t' saucer separates into two sections, each with 3 drag-plate fins. T' booster section (Frick) tumbles gently t' t' ground while t' sustainer section (Frack) continues t' burn, matey, me bucko, often with a nice spinnin' action.

Jim Flis showed t' prototype for this at NARCON 2007 in February. Blimey! Since I am a big fan o' Art Applewhite's saucers, matey, I immediately fell in love with Jim's Frick-n-Frack. Well, blow me down! Jim refused t' sell me one in February, so I had t' wait until t' official release at t' National Sport Launch in June. I ordered mine from LongLongJonRocket.com shortly after NSL and be pleased t' receive production kit #84.

Construction:
Parts List:

• 2 2.75" BT-20 Body Tubes
• 3 Laser Cut Balsa Fin Sheets, 2 fins/sheet
• 3 Laser Cut Plate Sheets, me bucko, shiver me timbers, 2 plates/sheet
• 1 Engine Block
• 2 1/8" Launch Lugs
• 1 Fin Alignment Template
• 1 Assembly Instructions

T' laser cut balsa parts are very precise with very narrow cut lines. Avast! Aye aye! Blimey! Like many Fliskits models, this one does nay include any decals, matey, me bucko, leavin' t' decorative creativity t' t' builder. Avast, me proud beauty!

Instructions are professionally printed on two sheets o' 11" x 17" paper. Aye aye! Assembly instructions cover 20 steps, matey, shiver me timbers, each o' which includes a clear line drawing. Ahoy! Four additional drawings describe t' flight preparation process and a full page drawin' shows t' unique two-stage flight profile.

T' first step involves gluin' a spent engine casin' t' t' center o' a full-page cardstock template. Arrr! Arrr! This template is used for all alignment steps. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! A body tube is placed over t' spent engine casin' so that t' fins may be glued in place in later steps.

Step 2 suggests sealin' t' balsa since it will be much more difficult once assembly is complete. This is a good idea. Begad! I used a heavy coat o' Kilz primer, shiver me timbers, which I later mostly sanded off. Ya scallywag! (Hint: T' directions don't mention it, matey, but the fin roots and locatin' tabs should be left bare t' allow t' glue t' penetrate properly.)

Steps 3-7 cover gluin' t' sustainer fins t' t' body tube. Arrr! A unique feature engineered into t' kit is a stop tab on t' fins. Begad! Aye aye! This tab allows accurate vertical placement o' t' fin. Begad! Aye aye! After t' glue has dried, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' stop tab is cut off flush with t' end o' t' tube usin' a sharp knife. Blimey!

I had mixed feelings about t' stop tabs. Blimey! They are a great idea when buildin' accordin' to the directions, ya bilge rat, and most builders should fine them quite useful. Begad! For builders like me who like t' paint their parts before gluin' them together, ya bilge rat, t' tabs made some o' t' dry-fittin' steps more difficult.

Step 8 repeats steps 3-7 for t' booster section fins.

Steps 9-14 cover t' attachment o' t' stabilizin' plates t' t' tips o' t' sustainer fins. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! At each step, the plates are taped t' t' fin or t' t' template for proper alignment while t' glue dries. Aye aye!

Steps 15-18 cover t' attachment o' t' stabilizin' plates t' t' booster fins. Ahoy! T' booster plates must fit precisely betwixt t' sustainer plates so adjacent plates are taped together while t' glue is drying.

After all t' plates and fins are glued, a total o' 24 fillets are applied while t' parts are still taped together.

For t' last two steps, launch lugs are attached t' each stage and an engine block is installed in t' upper body tube.

I am sure that t' method described in t' directions would have worked quite well and resulted in a very sturdy model. I wanted t' do a three-color paint scheme that would have been a bit tricky after t' parts were assembled, shiver me timbers, so I cheated a lot on t' directions. I tacked each o' t' stabilizin' plates t' their respective fins usin' medium CA and a square t' ensure that they were perpendicular. I then filleted each fin t' its plate. Arrr! Blimey! After t' fillets were dry, I painted all t' fin assemblies.

I also primed t' body tube before gluin' t' fins on. Normally when I do this, I use narrow maskin' tape to ensure that t' fin contact area remains bare for good glue adhesion. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! I was on vacation when I built this kit so I did not have me usual assortment o' tapes with me. Avast! I skipped t' maskin' step, me bucko, me bucko, which later proved t' be a mistake. Aye aye! Begad!

After all t' paint had dried, me hearties, I sanded each o' t' fin roots bare and tacked t' fins t' t' tubes usin' medium CA. Well, blow me down!

Afterwards, ya bilge rat, I used Z-Poxy brand 5-minute epoxy t' create fillets betwixt t' fins and tubes. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This was t' first time I have used Z-Poxy, ya bilge rat, and will probably be me last. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Two days later, me hearties, t' epoxy was still sticky. Aye aye! Blimey! In addition, arrr, me bucko, the heat from t' engine be enough t' make t' epoxy soft and flexible at t' end o' each flight.

Finishing:
I started by coatin' t' raw balsa and cardboard with Kilz primer and sandin' most o' it off. I then painted each of the fin/plate assemblies with Valspar enamel in three patriotic colors (Berry Red, Gloss White, and Pacific Blue). Normally I would use Rustoleum paint and I would have repeated t' primer/sandin' steps until t' grain was eliminated, but I be on vacation and did nay have all me usual finishin' supplies with me.

No decals were provided, but t' kit looks fine without them.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
FlisKits recommends any combination o' B6-0 and C6-0 motors for both t' booster and t' sustainer and suggests B6-0 under windy conditions t' avoid weathercocking. T' manufacturer does nay recommend it, arrr, but any minimum-delay motor (B6-2, B4-2, or C6-3) motor should work fine in t' upper stage.

For me first flight, arrr, ya bilge rat, I used t' recommended B6-0/B6-0 combination. Arrr! Preparation consists o' tapin' t' two motors together usin' a single layer o' clear tape then friction fittin' each motor into its respective stage usin' masking tape. I found it somewhat tricky t' get just t' right fit in each tube, so that t' stages would separate cleanly at first-stage burnout but each engine would remain firmly within its respective section. No waddin' is required and no engine hook is provided.

Takeoff looked normal for a saucer o' this size, goin' straight up t' about 40 feet. When t' upper motor lit, there be a loud pop. Well, blow me down! All t' booster fins tore loose from t' lower body tube and fluttered separately t' t' ground. Meanwhile, me hearties, t' upper stage continued up t' about 100 feet with a slow spin. Aye aye! After burnout, me hearties, t' upper stage descended safely t' t' ground with a slow spin.

Post-flight examination showed that when t' fins pulled loose from t' lower body tube, they took t' primer from t' tube with them. Lesson learned: Always glue t' raw material, nay t' a painted surface.

Flight #2 used just t' upper stage with a B6-2 motor. This time it took off with a rapid spin and rose t' about 50 feet. Begad!

After burnout, shiver me timbers, it arced over and tumbled for a while before settlin' into a gentle spin. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! T' ejection charge fired about 15 feet from t' ground. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! One fin broke loose on landing, ya bilge rat, again because t' primer peeled off t' tube. Aye aye! Blimey! The loose fin be smartly repaired with a line o' medium CA.

Flight #3 flew with only t' upper stage and used a C6-3. Arrr! This time it spun smartly on the way up t' about 100 feet, arced over and spun on t' way back down. T' ejection charge fired at about 50 feet. The landin' was gentle with no additional damage. Arrr! T' heat from t' motor did make t' epoxy soft and flexible though.

Flight #4 again used a C6-3 in just t' upper stage. T' flight was a near-clone o' flight #3, with apogee at 100 feet and ejection at about 75 feet on t' way back down with similar spinnin' on t' way up and down.

Recovery:
Even as a single-stage, Frack is a great flyer on a C6-3. Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

I have since repaired t' booster, so I will be interested t' see what a B6-0/C6-3 or C6-0/C6-3 combination looks like.

It might also be interestin' t' drag-race t' upper and lower stages side by side. Aye aye! Nay many rockets allow that as an option. (Note: Try this at your own risk. Ahoy! Stability o' t' lower stage by itself has nay been tested.)

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a very fun kit both t' build and t' fly. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Gettin' all t' parts aligned properly will require patience and care, but t' precision laser-cut parts and templates make it possible t' do a very good job.

PROs: Unique 2-stage saucer design. Well, blow me down! Wild spinnin' flights. Begad! Low-altitude stagin' works well in small fields. Well-written directions and quality components.

CONS: Friction fittin' t' motors is a little finicky, and t' stagin' is rather violent. Begad! Well, blow me down! A slightly larger body tube or a vent might tame it down.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5