Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7) {Kit}

Rocketarium VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)

Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7) {Kit}

Contributed by Martin's Funkworks

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2019-05-27
Diameter:	1.64 inches
Length:	29.50 inches
Manufacturer:	Rocketarium
Style:	Cluster

Brief

This be me first cluster rocket. Blimey! Begad! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, a few details are included, arrr, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which likely increase its drag, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! But then, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, ya bilge rat, it runs long at over 29". Aye aye! All in all, arrr, 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, arrr, ya bilge rat, me bucko, plywood centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! Just as expected. Aye aye! It does include a baffle assembly, which eliminates t' need for wadding.

Construction

Instructions were easy t' follow. Aye aye! No issues, and no surprises. 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, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online was black & white. Arrr! Was it light brown? Light grey? Fortunately, shiver me timbers, t' instructions specified t' use o' Rust-Oleum's "Navajo White" for t' body and some o' t' fins, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, me hearties, me bucko, and black for t' remainin' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Blimey! Avast! After a little masking, I did t' black parts, and a couple o' clear coats. Blimey! Begad! 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), arrr, thar be a deep slit where they meet, me bucko, me bucko, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Ya scallywag! Begad! Oh well, ya bilge rat, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

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

Recovery

I upgraded t' parachute t' 15" nylon before t' first flight. T' rocket be 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! Begad! There was 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. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! 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. Begad! For me, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! For those reasons, I'll give it a 4/5.

Overall Rating: 4