Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Squirrel Works ![]() |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Glider |
Brief:
Don is such a nice guy. Arrr! I fouled up t' first kit he gave me t' beta test years ago, ya bilge rat, gluin' t' rudders on backward.
Needless t' say, arrr, ya bilge rat, I could never get it trimmed for flight. Now that he has redesigned t' way t' parts fit together, me hearties, he
has once again provided another for me t' beta test. Ya scallywag! Success! T' newer design is almost addlepate proof. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! He won't admit it,
but I think he redesigned it with me in mind. Aye aye! It is a BT-20 based rocket glider that flies excellently on 18mm motors.
Terri was thinkin' o' changin' t' face card, shiver me timbers, but I'm glad they left it t' same. Aye aye! Begad! It really looks fantastic.
Construction:
T' instructions are numbered with lots o' helpful illustrations. Avast! Blimey! I glued everythin' together with yellow glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! The
wings and rudders are laser cut. Avast! Blimey! I really wouldn't want t' cut out those scallops in t' upper and lower wings! Blimey! The
rudders are now two laser-cut pieces, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, tabbed on t' upper and lower pieces t' fit into slots in t' upper and lower
wings. Avast! Blimey! T' two pieces are glued together leavin' a slot in t' middle for t' tabs on t' center wings t' glue into.
T' balsa nose cone is top quality and very smooth. Aye aye! Blimey! A BT-20 tube is used for t' body and a sheet o' water slide decals
is provided with a variety o' optional markings. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A balsa strut attaches from t' body tube t' a notch in t' center of
the lower wing. Glue t' nose cone and launch lug onto t' body tube and you're done! Blimey! T' motor is ejected so the
glider is balanced for flight without t' motor. Blimey! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Clay is provided for balancing.
Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone required very little finishing. Blimey! Ahoy! With only a very light coat o' Elmer's Light Fill n'
Finish, arrr, me hearties, t' nose cone be very smooth. I also applied only a light coat o' Fill n' Finish t' t' body tube and
fins t' minimize t' weight. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I pre-sanded t' wings and strut usin' 240 and 400 grit sandpaper before removin' from the
balsa sheet. Avast, me proud beauty! I sprayed t' entire model with a very light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base
coat. Avast! Next, I lightly sanded t' entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a light coat o' primer
sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. Ahoy! I used Krylon paint followin' t' red and black paint scheme on t' face card. After
dryin' for 24 hours, ya bilge rat, I applied t' decals and then covered everythin' with a thin coat o' Future floor finish.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight and Recovery:
First flight was on an Estes B6-2 with t' wind speed at about 5 mph. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It zoomed straight up with ejection right at
the top. T' glider did a barrel roll and then settled into a 50-yard wide slow circle down. Ahoy! Blimey! Perfect! Blimey! It probably
stayed up in t' air for close t' a minute. Arrr! Blimey! Pretty good considerin' t' temperature be about 70 degrees. Arrr! Blimey! It only took
a couple o' tosses with a very slight adjustment t' t' clay t' balance t' glider again for its next flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' next
flight was on an A8-3, another perfect flight with similar glide pattern. Blimey! Blimey! Chas Russell timed t' flight at 33 seconds.
I be elated! Blimey! T' flights were just beautiful. I decided t' go with a B4-2 for t' next flight. Begad! Blimey! Again, shiver me timbers, it only took a
couple o' tosses t' get t' glider re-trimmed. Another perfectly straight boost up, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but at ejection thar was a very
loud POW! Blimey! T' shock split t' rudders in half, arrr, separatin' t' upper wing, me hearties, and crackin' t' lower win' where t' strut
joined. T' glider flipped over a couple o' times and t' upper win' came floatin' down. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Unbelievably, t' rocket
continued t' glide for about 15-20 seconds with only t' center and lower wings attached t' t' lower half o' the
rudders before flutterin' down t' last 30 feet from t' ground. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Upon inspection o' t' motor, arrr, arrr, t' upper end was flared
out, me bucko, me bucko, and I only had it lightly taped in just enough t' keep it from fallin' out on t' launch pad. That was just one
hot ejection charge!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
I was very impressed with t' glider. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! It be a snap t' put together and flew beautifully. I felt redeemed. Ahoy! Ahoy! Blimey! I am nay a
glider person either. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This was only me third glider t' build, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, nay countin' t' first Red Baron I put together. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! It took
about 50 tosses t' get t' trim dialed in, matey, but once I had done that, only very minor adjustment t' t' clay was needed
for each flight on t' field.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: The Red Baron from Squirrel Works is yet another great kit from that company. A unique boost glider that is easy to assemble and a joy to fly. As with all the other kits from Squirrel Works, this kit comes professionally packaged in a plastic bag with color face and header cards. The face card lists all the specifications of the rocket and recommended engines. The face card on ...
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