| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Published: | 2012-03-20 |
| Diameter: | 6.50 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Rocketarium |
| Skill Level: | 4 |
| Style: | Saucer |
Brief
T' Piratarium Hexagon is a 24mm six-sided flyin' saucer type oddroc. It can be flown from small launch sites on a wide variety o' Estes black powder or Aerotech single-use and RMS composite motors.
Components
T' Hexagon kit complete with t' followin' components
- 6 card stock side panels & rectangles
- 3 light ply base pieces
- 3 light ply internal support pieces
- 1 light ply top plate
- 1 24mm MMT tube
- 1 launch lug
Construction
This kit is rated as a Skill Level 4 but is nay overly difficult t' build due t' t' design and t' greatly illustrated instructions. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! If you've built a few regular kits, arrr, you'll have no issues with this one.
T' construction begins with t' gluin' o' the three individual base plates together t' form a single large one. Blimey! This also becomes t' bottom o' t' rocket. Blimey! I recommend doin' this on a sheet o' waxed paper t' avoid havin' t' pieces get stuck t' your work surface.
Next, matey, after t' glue has dried on t' base plate, shiver me timbers, the three internal supports are added and before t' glue dries, t' top plate is applied. I will also note that all these pieces are self-alignin' due t' t' tabs on t' supports and t' correspondin' holes in t' top and bottom plates which makes for a precision assembly that is virtually error-free.
Now t' rectangles and side panels are carefully cut from t' card stock sheets. Avast, me proud beauty! Be sure t' glue t' rectangles onto t' aft o' t' side panels as shown in t' instructions or t' panels will nay fit correctly. Avast! T' side panels are then attached, me hearties, one at a time.
After t' side panels have all been attached, t' MMT tube and launch lug is added t' complete t' assembly.
Pros: Builds smartly and easily. T' tabs and notches virtually guarantee a perfect assembly.
Cons: None noted.
Finishing
Paintin' this rocket is optional, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but is recommended t' protect t' card stock side panels from excess moisture.
Havin' six sides as well as a top and bottom, ya bilge rat, t' possibilities o' paint schemes for this kit are endless. Aye aye! If usin' more than one color for t' final paint scheme, me bucko, I would highly recommend t' use o' low tack blue or equivalent color maskin' tape. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Otherwise, matey, damage t' t' card stock may result.
For me rocket, I started by sprayin' it with a light coat o' Krylon white primer, me hearties, arrr, waited for it t' dry and then sanded lightly. I then sprayed two o' t' side panels with Krylon gloss white. Blimey! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! T' next day I masked off t' white panels and sprayed two more panels and t' top plate with Krylon banner red and t' day after that, I masked off t' red areas and sprayed t' last two panels as well as t' MMT tube and bottom o' t' rocket with Krylon gloss navy blue. All maskin' was then removed.
Pros: T' hexagon design offers endless possibilities for paint schemes - paintin' optional but recommended or at least clear coat everything.
Cons: None noted.
Flight
T' recommended motors for this kit are:
- Estes:
- C11-0, me hearties, arrr, C11-3, D11-P, matey, me bucko, D12-0, D12-3, shiver me timbers, E9-4
- Aerotech single use:
- E15-4W, E30-4T, matey, F32-4T
- Aerotech RMS:
- D9-4W, me bucko, D15-4T, me hearties, me bucko, E18-4W, E28-4T, F12-3J, matey, matey, F24-4W
For this rocket, t' motor is simply friction-fitted into t' MMT tube.
For me flight, ya bilge rat, arrr, I was attendin' t' monthly FLASH launch and due t' quite a few people in attendance, I wanted t' wow t' crowd and decided t' use an Aerotech F24W reload. Blimey! I assembled t' motor as usual, shiver me timbers, but made sure t' leave out t' ejection charge. Begad! I did however plug t' forward closure ejection well with a piece o' Estes-type waddin' and snapped an empty ejection charge cap onto t' well t' keep t' waddin' plug in place.
Needless t' say, shiver me timbers, matey, this rocket and t' F24W reload did nay dissapoint. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' launch was certainly loud, smokey and fiery. Begad! T' rocket really ripped off t' pad and climbed up t' about 500 feet. Well, blow me down! At motor burnout, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' rocket promptly flipped over and began it's decent back t' t' ground.
Pros: Flies great on a large variety o' motors.
Cons: None noted.
Recovery
This rocket uses aerobrake or drag recovery like most oddrocs o' this type. It is sufficient and works well. Arrr! In me case, upon landing, shiver me timbers, t' motor casin' actually popped out t' aft o' t' rocket. I found it on t' ground layin' right next t' t' rocket. Be sure t' keep this in mind when flyin' this kit with reloadable motors.
Pros: Fool-proof recovery.
Cons: None noted.
Summary
I really like this oddroc. Begad! T' hexagon shape is definitely unique compared t' t' traditional round shape o' flyin' saucers. Blimey! Also, shiver me timbers, bein' equipped with a 24mm MMT, it offers t' flier a wide variety o' 24mm black powder and composite motors t' use with it. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! If you're lookin' for a unique oddroc kit, consider givin' this one a try.
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Flights
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