Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)

Rocketarium VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)

Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)

Contributed by Martin's Funkworks

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2019-05-27
Manufacturer:	Rocketarium

Brief

This be me first cluster rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, a few details are included, shiver me timbers, which likely increase its drag, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! But then, ya bilge rat, me hearties, arrr, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, it runs long at over 29". All in all, it makes for a surprisingly beautiful kit with a very unusual colour scheme.

Components

Materials are very standard for an intermediate level kit: polypropylene nose cone, ya bilge rat, me bucko, balsa fins, matey, plywood centerin' rings. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Just as expected. It does include a baffle assembly, which eliminates t' need for wadding.

Construction

Instructions were easy t' follow. No issues, and no surprises. Aye aye! Blimey! Unless thar's a good reason t' do otherwise, ya bilge rat, I use CA glue when I need an immediate bond, wood glue when I need time t' do precise adjustments, and epoxy when I need maximum strength.

Finishing

I was very intrigued by t' colour o' this kit, ya bilge rat, as t' package's artwork is affected by lighting, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online be black & white. Well, blow me down! Was it light brown? Light grey? Fortunately, matey, t' instructions specified t' use o' Rust-Oleum's "Navajo White" for t' body and some o' t' fins, arrr, me bucko, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, me hearties, me hearties, and black for t' remainin' fins. Begad! After fillin' in t' spirals with white Tamiya putty, me hearties, and sandin' everything, me hearties, I ran a dowel through t' assembled rocket and laid it down like a shish kabob for a series o' about 10 light coatings o' Rust-Oleum flat white primer coatings over 2 days. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Begad! After a little masking, I did t' black parts, me hearties, and a couple o' clear coats. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I applied t' decals, and finished off with a few more clear coats.

T' only issue I had with t' finishin' is that since t' body is actually made out o' two body tubes joined by a coupler (the baffle), shiver me timbers, thar be a deep slit where they meet, shiver me timbers, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Oh well, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

I used two B6-4 for t' first flight, which occurred on a very calm day. T' flight trajectory had a very shallow s-turn at first, and ended up goin' straight up.

Recovery

I upgraded t' parachute t' 15" nylon before t' first flight. Arrr! Avast! T' rocket was recovered at about 60 ft from t' launch pad, with only minor scuffs t' one o' t' fin's black paint. Avast, me proud beauty! There be practically no wind that day.

Flight Rating: 5

Summary

This rocket comes straight out o' those years where space flight still wasn't a sure thing, and that's what I like about it. Ya scallywag! It represents t' excitement o' those early days o' R&D and that feelin' o' nay quite knowin' if a project will succeed or not, but goin' at it full throttle nevertheless. For me, me bucko, ya bilge rat, this is a wonderful kit as it also allows cluster flights in a small field, shiver me timbers, but t' unique colour scheme and questionable fin details are nay for everyone. Arrr! For those reasons, I'll give it a 4/5.

Overall Rating: 4