Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Diameter: | 1.63 inches |
Length: | 48.00 inches |
Manufacturer: | LOC/Precision |
Skill Level: | 3 |
Style: | Sport |
Brief:
Single stage, 14" parachute recovery at apogee usin' motor ejection.
Construction:
Two airframe BT's (27", 13"), me bucko, shiver me timbers, 1.6" LOC nose cone, 3-plywood fins, me bucko, 2- paper centerin' rings, matey, LOC-type 29mm motor mount tube (8"long), 1 coupler, bulkhead, and eye screw.
You also receive a length o' 1/4" elastic for a shock cord. No decals.
Instructions are straight forward. Blimey! I always expect good things from Barry. Arrr! T' construction be very simple, me hearties, me hearties, with tips on how t' beef up your fin joints for higher power flights. Avast! No alignment problems. Ahoy! Everythin' went together very well. Ahoy! Ahoy! Because, I intend t' fly mine on H and I motors, arrr, shiver me timbers, I beefed up t' fin joints with fiberglass.
Finishing:
No special requirements are needed for t' airframe and fins t' get it ready t' paint. Avast! Begad! Blimey! However; with all LOC nose cones, ya bilge rat, be sure you take extra care in preppin' it for paint. Begad! Blimey! I usually sand mine down startin' with about 150-grit and progressin' up t' 600-grit. Blimey! Blimey! It makes for a nice smooth finish that will stand up t' a lot o abuse.
T' only CON I found with this kit is that it doesn't come with decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I didn't worry about it that much as I just purchased vinyl letters.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
On t' day o' t' flight, shiver me timbers, I used an Aerotech G64. Ahoy! Avast! Since I replaced t' shock cord with Keelhaul®©™ and a chute protector, arrr, this made preppin' recovery very easy. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' rocket lifted off t' pad straight and true. Begad! With t' prevailin' winds from t' south at our launch site, t' rocket ended up driftin' down range a bit. Begad! Avast! Never t' less, it be recovered in perfect condition.
Since t' trailin' edge o' t' fins are 1 caliber in front o' t' aft end, t' chance o' breakin' a fin is minimized.
Next, arrr, arrr, I loaded it with an H128, which gave us a neck snappin' launch. Avast, me proud beauty! Again, t' rocket performed flawlessly.
T' third flight o' t' day be with a single use F32 with a 24mm motor adaptor. Arrr! It wasn't as excitin' as t' H128. Ahoy! T' F32 launched it t' a respectible altitude. Arrr! My shock cord got tangled in t' shroud lines. Aye aye! So t' rocket flat spinned into t' Texas grass. Avast! I'm glad I glassed t' fins now.
Recovery:
Shock Cord: replaced with Keelhaul®©™ from Apogee Components.
Parachute: 14" flat panel- rip stop nylon. Begad! IMHO, too small. Ahoy! This rocket needs at least a 24" t' recover it. Avast! Begad! I think a 14" was chosen because t' fins are situated 1.5" ahead o' t' aft end o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! Thus, me hearties, reducin' t' chance o' breakin' a fin on landing.
Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5
Summary:
I don't have any bad things t' say about this rocket. Avast! It went together very well and quickly. As I stated above, it needs a larger parachute. Ahoy! And replace t' elastic shock cord with Keelhaul®©™.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
Brief: The LOC/Precision Weasel is a simple, near minimum diameter 3FNC MPR that can fly as little as an E or absolutely tear a hole in the time-space continuum on a high thrust H. The Weasel is a basic kit with a minimal number of parts. The kit includes: 1 1.63"d ogive plastic nose cone 1 38mm x 11.5" payload tube 1 38mm x 27" body tube (premarked for fins and launch lug) 1 ...
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R.T.P. (August 10, 2002)