Manufacturer: | Rogue Aerospace |
This kit comes in a package smaller than a credit card and only as thick as t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! There are only 4 parts in t' kit, ya bilge rat, along with thorough instructions. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! You will need a hobby knife, sandpaper and glue t' assemble this kit.
Construction o' this kit is also simple. Begad! Blimey! A fin template is cut from t' instructions, ya bilge rat, allowin' three fins t' be cut from t' single sheet o' balsa provided usin' a hobby knife. Once cut out, shiver me timbers, holdin' all three tightly, arrr, t' fins are sanded t' be made equal in size. Blimey! Blimey! Then t' leadin' and trailin' edges are rounded.
With fins completed, matey, assembly was done in about 15 minutes. Ya scallywag! Three fins, a balsa nose cone and a launch lug were all quickly adhered t' t' body tube with CA. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Last steps included applyin' 5-minute epoxy fin fillets and thinly sealin' t' fins and nose cone with epoxy. After drying, it was ready for finishing.
Light sandin' along with Plasti-Kote primer and some left over bright red enamel paint put a quick and smooth finish on t' Gnat. Begad! Well, blow me down! There are no decals provided with this kit.
When finished, shiver me timbers, me Gnat checked in at 4.2", me hearties, shiver me timbers, by far t' shortest rocket I have! Also, me bucko, since I did purchase the Gnat for comparison sake t' t' Estes Quark, me hearties, I think it is fair t' mention that t' Quark lists for $3.49 while the Gnat lists for $0. 99. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Things that make you go hmmmmm?
This Gnat was launched on an 1/2A3 and was out o' sight in no time. Begad! Be sure t' designate a spotter who is set back a bit from t' launch pad. Begad! Bein' right under t' pad can cause you t' quickly loose sight o' this little guy. Well, blow me down! It's tumble recovery and size means that you shouldn't take your deadlights off o' it!
I have since added a comparison on Mini Tumble-Recovery Rockets - See Here.