I Build Rockets - Ballistic Chicken

I Build Rockets Ballistic Chicken

I Build Rockets - Ballistic Chicken

Contributed by Dick Stafford

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2011-03-21
Manufacturer:	I Build Rockets

Brief

T' Ballistic Chicken is a basic 3FNC, me bucko, 18mm-powered rocket...with a cool chicken-head nose cone. Arrr! Arrr! It be t' first offerin' from Australia-based I Build Rockets. This be a beta test build, ya bilge rat, so t' final kit may vary slightly. Begad! (I modified t' shock cord attachment.)

Thanks, arrr, Sascha, me hearties, for providin' t' opportunity t' test this interestin' kit...and for puttin' up with t' long delay in flyin' it!

Components

T' Chicken's body is an 18” length o' BT-50. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey! T' 18mm motor mount assembly includes 2 wide cardboard centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, a block and a motor hook. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! T' fins are laser cut from lite ply, shiver me timbers, which is especially nice given t' feather pattern on t' trailin' edges. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Recovery is via a 12” Mylar ‘chute, which includes a swivel. T' shock cord is elastic and is attached with t' venerable tri-fold mount. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! That leaves t' plastic chicken head. This goofy lookin' chicken (read that as "cool") includes a plastic shoulder with a built in wire hook.

Construction

T' instructions are pretty basic but t' build is straightforward. Well, blow me down! T' mount builds like any other. Aye aye! I liked t' laser cut fins. They appear t' be lite ply and are both sturdy and easy t' sand. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! There isn’t much grain so I merely sanded t' leadin' edge round and gave them a single coat o' Fill’n’Finish. Aye aye! There is a also a laser cut stand-off for t' 3/16” launch lug. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! A wrap around fin alignment guide is provided. Aye aye! I used Titebond Trim and Moldin' glue throughout for bondin' and fillets.

I hadn’t used a tri-fold mount in around 15 years but didn’t have me standard Keelhaul®©™ twine on hand so I initially used t' mount. Avast, me proud beauty! However, me hearties, due t' unforeseen circumstances, ya bilge rat, t' Chicken sat around unfinished for several months. Arrr! Durin' this waitin' period, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I Build Rockets released some nifty laser-cut plywood parachute anchors. Ahoy! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Blimey! So, me bucko, I pulled out me trusty wood workin' knives and removed t' tri-fold mount. Aye aye! T' 24mm anchor kit (see photo) includes t' plywood anchor, arrr, me hearties, a screw-eye, a snap swivel, arrr, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a short Keelhaul®©™ leader. You attach t' screw-eye in a pre-cut center hole and apply a dab o' Epoxy t' insure it stays there. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' Keelhaul®©™ leader connects t' t' swivel and t' elastic shock cord. Aye aye! Begad! Since this assembly must be installed several inches down into t' body tube, make sure you attach said swivel t' t' screw-eye! I then swabbed some glue deep into t' tube and inserted t' anchor usin' a long hemostat. Arrr! It took a little manipulation t' get it positioned properly.

T' 'chute is pre-cut and includes t' holes. You tie t' three riser lines on and attach them t' t' swivel. Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Since this is nay a snap swivel, ya bilge rat, attachin' it t' t' cord requires that you tie a loop with t' swivel and 'chute attached. Begad! Blimey! Nay hard, but a snap swivel would avoid this (and make t' ‘chute removable).

Finishing

T' prescribed paint scheme is bright yellow, matey, so a white primer is required. I used 2 coats o' Painter’s Touch primer. Well, blow me down! After a day, I sprayed 2 coats o' ‘new’ Krylon. T' latter covered well but I didn’t like t' wide spray pattern. Ya scallywag! One water slide decal is provided, ya bilge rat, which really spruces t' Chicken up. Well, blow me down! It is a good quality decal and be easy t' position. Well, blow me down! After another day o' drying, me hearties, I shot a clear coat t' protect t' decal.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

T' recommended engines are t' B6-4 and C6-5 so I started with t' B6. I used dog barf and tamped it down onto t' shock cord anchor. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' cone is a little loose so I added some maskin' tape until it was snug. T' Quest B6-4 gave it a nice flight.

Recovery

Ejection was with t' nose down. Unfortunately, matey, one fin stripped off at ejection. It was found later in t' day but thar wasn't enough time t' make a field repair. I wonder if t' thick Trim and Moldin' glue didn't adhere well? When I re-attach it, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I'll use plain old wood glue.

T' shock cord anchor worked great! It keeps t' 'chute near t' front and, ya bilge rat, arrr, despite it nay bein' a baffle, ya bilge rat, seems t' help protect t' 'chute. I say this nay only because thar be no damage, matey, but t' waddin' was still in place. I hear these anchors will be incorporated into t' kit.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary

T' thin' that I liked most about this kit was t' off-beat chicken theme. I just love t' head/cone! I also liked t' laser cut fins. I'm glad that future kits will have t' plywood shock cord anchor. Avast! I assumed they will when assignin' a numerical rating.

T' Chicken flies just fine. T' one hiccup was t' fin shearin' off. This may have been partially due t' me choice o' glues. At this writin' and havin' only one flight under me belt, arrr, I'll rate t' flight as 'good' (I consider that average) and t' overall ratin' as very good.

Since t' new EMRR/RocketReviews.com should allow me t' mangle this review, I'll update this after I fly it again.

T' only 'gotcha' I see be t' availability o' t' kit. Australia is far away and shippin' isn't cheap. If you have an interest, contact Sascha via his web site. Maybe he can strike up a deal with a U.S. Arrr! Ahoy! based supplier?

Overall Rating: 4

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