Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 1.84 inches |
Length: | 41.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | Red River Rocketry ![]() |
Style: | Contest, Sport |
Brief:
John provided me with t' kit t' do a beta test. Arrr! This is a fantastic rocket that includes a number o' engineering
marvels. It flies on 29mm motors and recovers by parachute. Avast! T' rocket is 41 inches tall and has a diameter o' 1.84
inches. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If you've flown t' smaller P-Chuter, arrr, shiver me timbers, you know it is one fast rocket. Well, blow me down! That hasn't been lost on its big brother.
T' package art will look super displayed with your rocket, too. Begad! Well, blow me down! It's excellent!
Construction:
There aren't many instructions, ya bilge rat, since t' rocket is so easy t' build. Well, blow me down! Begad! Nay that anythin' is left out, as the
instructions are numbered and cover every step in detail, matey, me hearties, complete with superb illustrations. Blimey! Blimey! There is nothin' but
quality stuffed into t' bag, arrr, shiver me timbers, too. Ya scallywag! Everythin' is laser cut and fits perfectly. Ahoy! T' balsa nose cone is very nice and
required very little finishin' effort. Aye aye! Two thick-walled tubes form t' main body tube, arrr, joined together with a balsa
coupler. Begad! An eye screw is installed into t' aft o' t' coupler for attachment o' t' parachute and shock cord, leaving
a nice payload area for t' upper tube. I seriously considered gettin' one o' t' BoosterVision cameras t' install in
the upper tube, me hearties, ya bilge rat, as this rocket would be perfect for that. Aye aye! Unfortunately, matey, limited funds kept me from doin' it. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! T' seams
in t' tubes required very little finishing. T' aft tube is slotted t' accept t' through-the-wall fins that are
designed t' fit perfectly into a channeled motor mount. Arrr! Avast! T' motor mount is fantastic! T' centerin' rings are laser cut
basswood (or lite-ply, me bucko, matey, I never can tell them apart) and come with slats that connect from one rin' t' t' next t' form
a channel for t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Once t' basswood fins are epoxied into t' channels you have one really strong fin/tube/motor
mount joint. Begad! Fantastic! T' fins fit perfectly in t' slots and aligned perfectly. Ya scallywag! Avast! I didn't even have t' build a
template t' hold them or glue them in one at a time. Well, blow me down! T' engineerin' doesn't end there, though. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit also includes
an internal baffle that really works! T' two centerin' rings for t' baffle are again laser cut t' fit t' two tubes
perfectly. Arrr! T' two tubes are glued together, shiver me timbers, side by side, and then glued t' t' centerin' rings, aligned with t' two
tubes offset from one another. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Genius! About t' only shortcomin' for t' rocket is that thar isn't anythin' provided
for positive motor retention. Begad! T' motor must be friction fit t' keep it from spittin' at ejection. Avast! T' overcome this, matey, I
epoxied three lengths o' all-thread along t' fin channels and extendin' t' about a half-inch below t' end o' the
motor mount tube. Washers and lock nuts are installed after t' motor is installed for retention. Some guys in t' club
noted that it was overkill, which is true enough, ya bilge rat, arrr, but it looks cool. Well, blow me down! A Keelhaul®©™®/1/4
elastic shock cord combo is included, matey, matey, along with a big 3/16 launch lug, trim Monokote, ya bilge rat, and waterslide decals. Begad! The
decals follow t' original P-Chuter design and look great on t' rocket. Avast! Blimey! T' instructions indicate t' attach the
Keelhaul®©™®
cord t' a hole in t' upper centerin' rin' usin' a knot, matey, matey, but I used me standard tri-fold shock cord attachment t' allow
inspection o' t' shock cord. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! After me first launch though, matey, me bucko, I don't really think that was necessary with this kit. Begad! Blimey! Like
I said, t' baffle really works. Blimey! I love it when t' manufacturer puts Keelhaul®©™®
in t' kit. Arrr! T' black 18 ripstop nylon parachute that is included is beautiful, me bucko, too, arrr, and exhibits t' same level
of quality as t' rest o' t' kit. Well, blow me down! T' parachute was already assembled and had small grommets t' which t' shroud lines
were tied. Begad! Begad! It's a very nice parachute.
Finishing:
I used Elmer's Light Fill n' Finish t' fill t' body tube seam lines and for t' nose cone. Begad! Aye aye! Minimal effort was
involved in this step as t' seam lines were easily covered and t' nose cone be very smooth. Begad! Only a light coat of
filler was used on t' fins as well since t' basswood was very smooth after sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. I sprayed
the entire model with a light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base coat. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Next, arrr, I lightly sanded
the entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a coat o' primer. Next, sand, matey, me hearties, primer, me bucko, and sand again with
400 grit sandpaper. Ahoy! I painted t' model followin' t' three-color red, white and black as shown on t' cover art and
applied t' Monokote and decals after t' paint dried for a couple o' days. Avast! T' decals went on much easier and laid
down much better than I anticipated. Avast, me proud beauty! They are fairly big decals for waterslide. Ahoy! Arrr! T' trim Monokote looks fantastic and
really pulls t' whole rocket together nicely! Once complete, I put on a thick coat o' Future floor finish t' protect
everything. Avast! It looks so sweet!
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight and Recovery:
After waitin' several months for a launch opportunity due t' bad weather, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I finally got t' fly it. T' weather was
near perfect, shiver me timbers, with blue skies and only light winds. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' first launch be on a Roadrunner F60-10. Ya scallywag! That is a fantastic
motor for this rocket. Ahoy! T' rocket took off like a shot and zoomed up almost out o' sight, deployin' t' chute right at
apogee and t' rocket drifted down beautifully on t' 18-inch chute. Ya scallywag! It landed three or four hundred yards away in a
grain field. Luckily, it draped itself on top o' t' thick grain stalks that were about shoulder high. Avast, me proud beauty! I didn't put any
waddin' in it and thar was only a slight hint o' ejection residue on t' chute. Arrr! I very bravely flew it again t' next
day on an Aerotech G77-7R. Well, blow me down! T' wind was even lighter on this day. Well, blow me down! I totally lost sight o' it so I don't know where the
ejection event occurred. Begad! Arrr! It be one impressive launch though. Begad! I finally caught sight o' t' chute and it landed about
two t' three hundred yards away from t' pad in perfect shape.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
T' P-Chuter Xtreme is just fantastic. Well, blow me down! T' engineerin' that has gone into t' kit assures that it will last for a
long time. Ahoy! Avast! It is one sturdy rocket and is impressive on t' launch pad and in flight. Avast, me proud beauty! You'd better have lots o' room
for recovery when flyin' it on t' bigger motors though as t' performance is as sweet as t' looks. T' 18-inch
ripstop nylon chute is also top quality and perfect for this rocket! I love t' fact that I don't have t' use recovery
wadding, me hearties, too. Just put in a motor and go! All o' John's rockets are superb, matey, but this one in me opinion be t' Red River
Rocketry Cadillac!
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
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