Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 1.64 inches |
Manufacturer: | Semroc |
Skill Level: | 2 |
Style: | Clone, Sport |
Brief:
Originally a Centuri kit circa 1971-77, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' Centurion was perfectly sized t' fit in with t' Estes Big Bertha and
Semroc Vega. With 18mm power and an ejection baffle that all but eliminated t' need for recovery wadding, the
Centurion was another choice in t' crowded field o' skill level one birds that were perfect for flights from smaller
fields. Begad! T' Semroc version also includes t' ejection baffle, me hearties, and adds a second parachute for cool dual-chute recovery.
Construction:
Parts list:
Semroc's instruction manuals are excellent, well illustrated, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and all t' steps are adequately explained. Arrr! That said, thar be very little else t' add about t' construction o' t' Centurion as it is a relatively simple 4FNC build. Aye aye! Blimey! T' baffle also acts as t' connector betwixt t' upper and lower tubes and t' only change I made was t' anchor a 2 foot length o' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord t' t' upper baffle instead o' goin' with t' bare elastic that is provided. Avast, me proud beauty! (Not that I don't trust Carl's judgment. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! It's just a personal preference.) T' only "gotcha" that I encountered be self-created and a result o' nay payin' attention t' t' instructions. Ya scallywag! As a result, me Centurion has t' upper and lower body tubes flipped around. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Unless you're lookin' for it, it's barely noticeable.
Finishing:
Paintin' was blessedly simple. Begad! After riddin' t' project o' tube spirals and balsa grain with thinned Elmer's Fill
'n' Finish and sandin' and primin' with Valspar primer, shiver me timbers, I painted t' bottom section gloss white and t' upper section
gloss black. Aye aye! Ahoy! Although it isn't mentioned in t' instructions, I found that t' paintin' was most easily accomplished
before joinin' t' upper and lower halves o' t' rocket together. (Be sure t' mask off t' tube connector/baffle or
install it after painting.) Decals are minimal, but in this case that's a good thin' as they don't detract from the
Centurion's clean lines.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight and Recovery:
First flight be delayed several times by high winds that canceled our club launches, matey, and had it nay been for a
missin' launcher, t' first flights might well have been made at pseudo-legendary B6-4 Field near me home. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! As it was,
the first two flights were at t' VOA on a warm, matey, breezy Sunday in May. Ya scallywag! Flight #1 was on a B6-4 and proved me suspicion
that this rocket would be perfect for small field flights, somethin' that it's likely t' see quite a few o' before the
end o' this flyin' season. Pointedly loaded without ejection wadding, me bucko, arrr, t' Centurion wind-cocked off o' t' pad in the
stiff breeze, ejected just as it lost momentum, ya bilge rat, and floated t' within 100' o' t' pad, a perfect recovery despite one
of t' chutes failin' t' open. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! (T' chute was in perfect shape, matey, it just failed t' unfurl.) No damage or discoloration
was noted on either chute or on t' elastic shock cord, so t' baffle obviously worked like a charm. Avast, me proud beauty! Flight #2, me bucko, matey, on a
C6-5, ya bilge rat, was a carbon copy o' t' first, me hearties, matey, me bucko, only with greater altitude, dual parachute recovery, and a somewhat longer walk
into t' veggies. Aye aye! Begad! Blimey!
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
PROs: Cool vintage looks. Ahoy! Arrr! Baffled ejection. Avast! Well, blow me down! Dual chutes.
CONs: Ease with which I screwed up t' placement o' t' two tubes.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: This rocket is a retro-repro, 18mm, standard 4FNC rocket with baffle ejection and dual parachute recovery system. Construction: The balsa sheet was within the instructions and was broken in many places parallel to the grain. One fin was broken into 2 pieces, the other three were broken into three pieces each. Let me hasten to add, I am NOT blaming Semroc for this. This ...
Brief: The Centurion is another nice addition in the Semroc Retro-Repro series of rockets. For being a 4FNC rocket, it has some cool extras, namely the dual chutes, ejection baffle and shape of the laser cut fins that lead me to purchasing this rocket. I really like the curved portion of the fin at the rear of the rocket. Construction: This kit comes with 2 sections of body ...
Brief: The original Centurion was introduced in 1970 by Centuri and was one of the first rockets to introduce an ejection baffle system, eliminating the need for recovery wadding. This is good for long, slow flights, and a nice flier. Construction: The parts list: Balsa nose cone 2 ST-16 body tubes 4 Laser-cut balsa fins 18mm motor kit 2 12" plastic ...
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H.C.M. (June 18, 2007)