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 was me first cluster rocket. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, a few details are included, arrr, which likely increase its drag, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Arrr! But then, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, me hearties, it runs long at over 29". Avast! Blimey! 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, balsa fins, plywood centerin' rings. Just as expected. Ahoy! It does include a baffle assembly, ya bilge rat, which eliminates t' need for wadding.

Construction

Instructions were easy t' follow. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Blimey! No issues, and no surprises. Blimey! Unless thar's a good reason t' do otherwise, 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, as t' package's artwork is affected by lighting, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online was black & white. Arrr! Was it light brown? Light grey? Fortunately, t' instructions specified t' use o' Rust-Oleum's "Navajo White" for t' body and some o' t' fins, ya bilge rat, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, matey, and black for t' remainin' fins. Begad! Blimey! After fillin' in t' spirals with white Tamiya putty, and sandin' everything, 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. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Ahoy! Well, blow me down! Blimey! After a little masking, arrr, me hearties, I did t' black parts, and a couple o' clear coats. 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), thar be a deep slit where they meet, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Ya scallywag! Oh well, ya bilge rat, matey, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

I used two B6-4 for t' first flight, matey, 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. Blimey! T' rocket be recovered at about 60 ft from t' launch pad, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, with only minor scuffs t' one o' t' fin's black paint. Ahoy! Ahoy! 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, me hearties, and that's what I like about it. Begad! 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. Avast! For me, me bucko, arrr, this is a wonderful kit as it also allows cluster flights in a small field, ya bilge rat, but t' unique colour scheme and questionable fin details are nay for everyone. Avast! Aye aye! For those reasons, I'll give it a 4/5.

Overall Rating: 4