Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | North Coast Rocketry ![]() |
T' Phantom be t' first large rocket that I have ever built. Avast! Avast! T' 4" diameter and 50 inch length are a lot bigger than anythin' else I have ever built. Begad! Begad! I got this rocket back in July when our Hobby Lobby was havin' their 4th o' July sale. Arrr! I picked up t' starter kit (rocket, pad and launch controller) for $60. Ya scallywag! At t' same time I picked up a bunch o' other kits (50% off) t' practice buildin' techniques. Some o' these turned out really nice (my Sizzler). Blimey! I made several modifications t' t' Phantom as I built it. Aye aye! T' first thin' I did be t' replace t' 28.5 mm motor mount tube with a true 29 mm tube from Giant Leap Rocketry. Avast! Then I replaced t' supplied motor retention system with a set o' Kaplow Klips. Ya scallywag! I needed two styles t' use both t' Aerotech reloads and t' North Coast single use motors. Begad! T' get this t' work I had t' switch t' center and aft centerin' ring, t' get a nice flat bottom t' t' rocket. Well, arrr, blow me down! I also put t' centerin' rings on one at a time. Avast! This allowed internal fillets for t' centerin' rings and t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! I replaced t' elastic shock cord with 8 feet o' tubular Keelhaul®©™ from Pratt Hobbies, me bucko, and used a large heat shield (also from Pratt Hobbies) in lieu o' recovery wadding. I sealed t' plywood fins with finishin' epoxy (it give a nice smooth surface) and filleted overall with 30 minute epoxy. I also used t' finishin' epoxy on t' nose cone t' get rid o' t' weld seam. Avast, me proud beauty! I painted it nearly stock, with a white body and orange fins and nose. Ahoy! It is an impressive rocket sittin' on t' pad. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' listed weight for t' Phantom is 25 ounces. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! I'm nay sure what mine weighs now, me bucko, but it must be a bit heavier. Begad! Ahoy! I give t' kit a 4 (the nose cone weld was huge, t' retention system needs work) and construction also a 4, mainly because even with practice I just wasn't ready t' build it. It still looks nice.
T' whole reason t' replace t' motor tube was t' allow Aerotech reloads as t' motors. T' first launch was on an F52-5 at t' Tripoli Louisiana Gumbo Launch. Avast, me proud beauty! An F is a lot more than t' normal A's and B's t' which I'm used. T' rocket really zooms off t' pad. Begad! Perfect launch, shiver me timbers, me hearties, boost and deployment o' t' 36" nylon parachute. Begad! We recovered t' rocket about 100' from t' pad. Avast! I also launched with a North Coast F62-4 and an Aerotech G64-4 RMS, arrr, all recovered quite close t' t' pad. For now that's all I have launched. It is possible t' launch this one in town, ya bilge rat, since t' boost is nay all that high on an F. Begad! I rate t' flight a 5, matey, ya bilge rat, matey, but then, it's me first big rocket. It wasn't nearly as impressive as t' H180's that were launched right after mine. I think I could use a smaller H in this one with no problem. Ahoy! Maybe a Level 1 launch later?
I'd probably give t' whole thin' a 4+ rating.Still a nice rocket.
The Phantom 4000 is one of the kits that North Coast Rocketry has had out for years. But, now that Estes has taken over North Coast Rocketry, the Phantom 4000 is now only available in this starter set. However, there have been many improvements made on the kit. One is the thick plastic centering rings. They are slotted so that the fins lock into them, adding strength to the fins and good ...
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Date | Flyer | Rocket | Altitude |
---|---|---|---|
2013-06-15 | Rob Hoffman | NCR Phantom 4000 | 932 Feet |
2012-05-05 | Leon Smith | Phatom 4000 | 1,209 Feet |
2012-05-05 | Leon Smith | Phatom 4000 | 600 Feet |
2011-06-18 | Leon Smith | Phatom 4000 | - |
2011-05-21 | Leon Smith | Phatom 4000 | - |
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