Construction Rating: | starstarstarstar_borderstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Sunward Aerospace |
Brief:
I bought this t' use up some 24mm engines. Plus, I couldn't resist t' idea o' a 6' rocket so bought it as a novelty
item. Well, blow me down! I later found out a second review be requested, so here we go...
This skill level 2 rocket tops out at around 6 1/2 feet. Arrr! Avast! As mentioned in t' previous review, thar are some things t' consider that aren't necessarily in t' instructions. Arrr! Aye aye! Overall, me bucko, it's a fairly straightforward 4FNC rocket. Quality be an issue with some o' t' components, but nothin' that required a significant workaround.
Construction:
T' components were packaged like most other rockets: a sturdy plastic bag with t' glossy freeze-frame action-shot
picture on t' front. Ahoy! Nothin' was missing. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' kit included:
T' body tubes were sturdy and t' fins were thicker balsa than typical. Durin' a dry-fit I noticed that everythin' had such a loose fit that it wouldn't stay together.
T' shock cord is a piece o' elastic--not very heat-friendly but designed t' be over 6 feet from t' ejection charge so it's probably OK. Aye aye! Blimey! T' nose cone was symmetrical, me hearties, me bucko, but be "fuzzy" and required sandin' and sealing.
I found t' instructions easy t' follow but some were written in such a way that could be confusing. Ahoy! Ahoy! Every step had hand-sketched pictures. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! T' procedure was fairly straightforward: engine mount, fins, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, couplers, me bucko, insert engine mount, parachute, me bucko, paint.
In some places I went a little out o' order. For example, I prefer t' insert t' engine mount into t' body tube prior t' attachin' t' fins. Ahoy! Avast!
Because o' a very loose fit, I tried "buildin' up" t' centerin' rings with glue, matey, but this didn't help. T' instructions called for applyin' glue t' t' centerin' rings prior t' installin' them, me hearties, but I chose t' put epoxy inside t' body tube at t' appropriate locations. Blimey! Blimey! I put epoxy on forward rin' location first, shiver me timbers, arrr, installed t' motor mount halfway, then put epoxy at t' aft rin' location.
One o' t' pictures shows a centerin' rin' in comparison t' t' body tube. T' gap was easily 1/16th o' an inch.
T' only "gotcha" involved paper tabs/laminates that are attached t' t' root edge o' t' fins prior t' assembly. Begad! Avast! I be initially confused by t' instructions, but after a few re-reads they made sense. Even so, arrr, I bagged t' whole idea o' t' tabs/laminates and used glue t' tack t' fins on and made epoxy fillets after assembly.
My concerns about t' couplers bein' so loose abated when I glued t' tubes together. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! They seemed t' stick just fine.
Early on I decided t' change t' design. Begad! Instead o' bein' one long rocket with ejection occurrin' at t' nose cone, I chose t' make it separate in t' middle t' make handlin' easier. Ya scallywag! This required changin' t' location o' the shock cord. Well, blow me down! T' elastic wasn't designed t' be so close t' t' engine, but it's still 3' from it so it should be OK.
Finishing:
Finishin' such a big rocket proved t' be a little tricky because I don't have paintin' stands, etc. Avast! I found that my
saw horses were leavin' marks. Begad! Blimey! T' rocket is too long t' hold it with a stick or somethin' put in t' aft end.
I already attached t' shock cord, me bucko, which be an oversight on me part: 6 feet is a long way t' reach if I'm holdin' it by t' aft end. Arrr! I ended up paintin' one half at a time even though t' shock cord made this quite awkward.
If I were t' do this rocket again, matey, I would wait t' attach t' shock cord until paintin' be completed.
I used bright yellow t' help it stand out. Begad! I usually don't apply t' decals (my son usually picks the colors/scheme and decals rarely look OK), me bucko, ya bilge rat, but did this time. Avast! No problems. Arrr! Blimey!
In t' "fleet photo", t' Six-Footer clearly stands out. Well, blow me down! For comparison, t' fence is nearly 4 feet high.
I gave construction only a 3 1/2 because I felt t' components were too loose, me bucko, and some o' t' instructions required a second readin' (though this is a Level 2 rocket, shiver me timbers, so presumably it's nay t' builder's first rocket and likely t' directions aren't entirely necessary).
I think it would be easier t' finish if t' builder kept t' rocket in two halves until after it's painted then finish assembly (either as one large rocket or two 3' sections).
Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5
Flight:
Prep is straightforward and easy due t' t' diameter o' t' body: 3-4 pieces o' wadding, parachute, engine, me hearties, and it's
done. Blimey! It comes with an engine clip for retention. I will likely purchase a piece o' Nomex®
to use instead o' t' wadding.
T' rocket is designed for D12 engines. Arrr! Arrr! It could probably handle more power ("E" engine) if t' builder is confident o' t' strength o' assembly.
This is a fun rocket t' fly. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I'm enjoyin' it as much as some o' me others. Arrr! For me, still bein' a new BAR, ya bilge rat, sending a rocket this tall t' around 1000 feet under t' power o' a controlled explosive is a lot o' fun. When it's on my launch stand, t' nosecone is well over 8 feet high, matey, which looks very impressive on t' field. Begad! Also, me bucko, due t' it's weight, shiver me timbers, t' lift off is a little slow at first then rapidly picks up momentum. Arrr! Begad! This creates a rather large puff of smoke at lift-off.
T' flights have been straight and have had no issues...until t' third or fourth time I used it, I didn't pack the waddin' correctly and melted t' chute. Blimey! It came down pretty fast with t' shock cord makin' t' 2 halves tumble so violently I couldn't catch it. Well, blow me down! T' body has some "compression damage" above t' engine mount. Arrr! I think this can easily be fixed by cuttin' it open and insertin' a coupler at that location t' reinforce it.
Recovery:
T' included parachute is huge, arrr, me bucko, and t' rocket drifts a bit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I've been flyin' this with a smaller parachute than it
came with. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I made pretty strong fillets with JB Weld and have had no problems with t' faster descent until the
parachute melted a bit.
I don't think I'm a fan o' an all-elastic shock cord system, ya bilge rat, but it makes sense if it's built in two 3' sections. I'd guess that as t' halves come apart durin' ejection, they have a good amount o' inertia and t' elastic prevents zippering.
As I'm writin' this, me hearties, I thought an alternative would be t' model this rocket after t' Quest "Super Bird" and have it come down as two halves.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I like this rocket, ya bilge rat, and if somethin' happened t' it, I'd likely purchase it (or a similar one) again. Avast! There are only
a few things I'd change about this rocket. Ya scallywag! I wish t' couplers had a tighter fit, and I'd recommend assemblin' it so it
is in two 3' sections. Arrr! If buildin' this in 2 parts, I recommend waitin' t' attach t' shock cord until after it's
painted. If you want it as one large rocket, I'd assemble it in 2 halves, paint it, matey, me bucko, then glue t' halves together. Ahoy! Arrr! The
instructions have some quirks (what's up with those cardstock tabs?) but for t' most part are easy enough t' follow. Blimey! Well, blow me down!
( Contributed - by Frank Casey - 10/24/07) Brief: I purchased this kit from a rocketry vendor on eBay for short money, however, when I received it I found that two of the tubes were partially damaged--not badly but there was some creasing (3 inches and 11 inches, respectively) along the length of two of the tubes. Modifications: What I decided to do was to modify the rocket ...
Brief: A "lite" Mean Machine, towering at about 6-1/2 feet tall, this longneck is likely to be one of the tallest rockets at any launch. It's a fairly simple build and flies fine on a single D12-5. Construction: I was cleaning up a few loose ends and decided to pull my prize from EMRR's Longneck contest out of my build pile. I'm glad I did as this is a pretty nice kit. ...
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