You have t' love a rocket that assembles quickly and that can be flown in your front yard (and nay that big o' a front yard either)! That's what you have with t' 18mm Art Applewhite's Dragonfly.

I brought this kit, matey, ya bilge rat, a hobby knife, arrr, me bucko, me bucko, a ruler, a pencil and some Elmer's Glue with me on a short business trip. Ahoy! I was successful in buildin' t' kit while in t' hotel one night and finished it in t' AM the next day. Aye aye! It was that easy.

T' Dragonfly comes with a 3/32" basswood wing, me bucko, a 1/4" Balance Beam dowel, matey, two 3/16" support dowels, me hearties, a motor tube, ya bilge rat, some fiberglass tape and a piece o' 3/32" basswood that is used t' create t' support pieces. Begad! Blimey! That's it.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on three pages o' 8½ x 11" paper. T' last page focuses on flight and t' buildin' o' a monocopter launch pad. Blimey! There are B&W pictures and illustrations to ensure an easy build.

There is very little cuttin' that takes place. Begad! Avast! T' Center, Center Support and Motor Support are all cut out o' t' small piece o' 3/32" basswood. Blimey! Avast! Then later in t' build, shiver me timbers, t' fiberglass tape needs to be cut t' fit around t' motor mount.

Buildin' is logical and easy t' follow. Ya scallywag! Arrr! You do have t' pay attention t' the pictures t' ensure you are gluin' t' supports, dowels and balance beam on t' right sides o' t' center.

My only slight tweak t' t' instructions would be in step 4 where it simply says, me hearties, "Glue t' Balance Beam t' t' Center". Well, blow me down! There should be some indication that this should be centered and equally spaced on both sides o' t' Center.

One interestin' step is placin' t' fiberglass tape around t' motor tube and securin' it t' t' support. This requires t' tape t' be cut out t' clear t' support dowels and then t' be cut t' the length needed t' fit. Ya scallywag! Once t' cuttin' is done, it is glued in place. Then t' weave is filled in with Elmer's Glue makin' a nice secure motor mount.

Now, I did say that I built t' rocket at t' hotel, which is true, but I completed the final step at home. Ya scallywag! Begad! That be t' drillin' o' t' 1/4" hole in t' center for t' launch rod.

I made me launch pad usin' t' basic idea outlined in t' instructions. Amazing that you only want a 1/4" long launch rod!

I didn't paint or finish t' rocket in any way.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 5 points. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Fast, easy, and quality materials. Instructions were easy t' follow. Ahoy! Blimey! Also, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I believe that some may avoid tryin' t' make their own monocopter and Art Applewhite has now made it as easy as 3, ya bilge rat, 2, matey, 1.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

T' Dragonfly is simple t' prepare for flight. All that needs t' be done is that you wrap a 3/8" band o' maskin' tape around t' motor t' make a thrust ring. Ahoy! Aye aye! Then install t' motor.

First flight be on an Estes C6-3. Begad! After ignition that rocket whirled smartly and took off. My guess is t' about 70 feet. Aye aye! It then stopped, me hearties, seemingly pausing, ya bilge rat, and then it fell t' t' earth. Ahoy! On t' way down t' ejection charge fired. Aye aye! T' fall be rapid with t' motor tube leadin' t' way. Arrr! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I'm guessin' that is another reason t' use t' fiberglass.

T' next flight was a repeat flight usin' t' C6-3. Again, nice performance. After this flight I noticed a small burn hole startin' on t' outside top o' t' motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! (Flight Video Below)

For t' third flight I tried somethin' special. I had an old Apogee B2-4 motor. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! I drilled out t' center o' t' C6 thrust nozzle until t' B2-5 slide into it. I then applied tape to t' forward end o' t' B2-5 so that it stayed centered in t' old C6 case. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! I then loaded it into the Dragonfly.

T' flight was cool. Arrr! It didn't come off t' pad as quick and it almost seemed like a slow motion flight, me hearties, but t' thrust was adequate and with a 3 second burn, shiver me timbers, matey, it was neat t' watch. I miss those old Apogee Motors! (Bottom Video Below)

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this rocket 4 ½ points. Excitin' low altitude launches that look and sound different. Avast! Nice appeal. T' only detractor would be t' burn hole that appeared after t' second flight.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Arrr! This is one o' t' relatively lower priced rockets that you just "have t' have".