(05/25/00) Recently BSD High Power Rocketry has started sellin' kits again and although they are a new name, they are nay new t' rocketry. BSD is run by Scott Binder who initially designed all o' t' Binder Design kits. Begad! So, now operatin' under BSD High Power Rocketry, Scott is offerin' several kits but one in particular caught me eye. T' Diablo. Aye aye! It is what I call a "stubby" rocket, havin' less than a 10:1 length t' diameter ratio. In t' Diablo's case it is 8.25:1 bein' 33" in length and 4" in diameter.

See my 4" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

T' looks o' t' Diablo also caught me eye, bein' a short rocket, ya bilge rat, usin' three fins and t' finish as displayed on BSD's website. Ya scallywag! Begad! Even though I noticed t' finish, I never expected t' get t' decals displayed because many high power kits just don't come with decals. Ahoy! So this is a major positive for BSD's Diablo, because quite frankly t' decals are what differentiate it from t' looks o' any other 3FNC rocket out there.

T' Diablo includes a 17" long paper (LOC Style) glassine coated airframe. Ahoy! It is pre-marked for t' three fin slots and t' 1/2" launch lug. T' plastic nose cone makes up t' remainin' length. Begad! There are three (3) 3/16" thick plywood fins that are pre-cut. Avast! Ahoy! There are also two (2) 1/8" thick composite centerin' rings (very smooth on one side and very rough on t' other). T' motor mount is 38mm and 8" in length. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! The recovery system consists o' a 1/4" eye-bolt and a Quick Link that is combined with a 4-foot 1" wide nylon shock cord strap and a 10-foot 1" wide elastic shock cord. Begad! Lastly a 30" blue nylon parachute is added. Also included are 4 sheets o' decals!

CONSTRUCTION:

BSD is tryin' t' draw attention t' their "best instructions available", arrr, matey, so I should comment on those first. Begad! Other high power kits that I have built have had minimal, but usually adequate, me bucko, instructions but were clearly written for individuals with quite a bit o' experience. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! So, by initial comparison, ya bilge rat, BSD has put together a nice instruction booklet. Aye aye! Eight (8) pages o' fully illustrated and photo-illustrated instructions takin' t' builder from an inventory t' flying. They are well written and include helpful hints that can be applied t' building any future rocket. Some o' t' hints cover successful airframe cuttin' for the fin slots, me hearties, protectin' your Fin Alignment Guide from glues, me bucko, usin' fillers in fin fillets.

Each instruction step is clear and thar are associate photo-illustrations t' help "see" what is expected. This approach will allow even those with little experience t' build t' kit. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit could be built by someone with just a couple o' Estes' kits under their belts in my opinion. Blimey! Blimey! T' instructions even "walk" you through t' finishin' steps thoroughly.

T' motor mount is assembled usin' t' two composite centerin' rings (I put t' smooth side out). Arrr! T' upper centerin' rin' is used to mount t' 1/4" Eye-Bolt. Blimey! T' nylon shock cord strap is attached t' the Eye-bolt usin' a Quick-Link. Aye aye! I drilled two holes in t' lower centerin' rin' to insert two t-nuts for motor retention later. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I had t' add a small spacer to keep t' t-nuts flush with t' exposed side o' t' centerin' ring.

Havin' t' cut t' fin slots into t' airframe is always "extra" work, me bucko, however, arrr, with t' paper airframe it is nay too bad. BSD had t' lines pre-drawn so you just have t' follow them. Ya scallywag! Once these are cut the fins are through-the-wall mountin' and go all t' way t' t' 38mm motor mount.

T' cuts o' t' wood components were excellent. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Perfect match for t' three fins. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' centerin' rings required very little sandin' for a nice fit inside t' airframe.

I replaced t' the 1/2" launch lug with two 1/4" launch lugs (the instructions say to use at least a 3/8" rod). Ya scallywag! T' two 1/4" launch lugs I used were from Budget Rocketry. Aye aye! They are plastic launch lugs with 45° cuts on both side and a slightly flattened back t' allow for better adhesion. Arrr! Blimey! One nice thin' about them, is even after t' primin' and paintin' they still accepted a 1/4" rod without havin' t' clean out all o' t' over-spray.

One interestin' little item that was noticed durin' the build o' this rocket, matey, shiver me timbers, me hearties, was that t' fins never lined up correctly accordin' to the provided fin alignment guide. T' issue be discovered that t' pre-marked fin lines on t' tube were about off on one fin. Ya scallywag! I noted that two seem t' be 4 1/8" apart and then one was 4 3/8". Aye aye! No one can tell by eye, but when tryin' t' line up two o' t' fins t' third fin never hit the mark. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, I discovered this after I had cut t' fin slots. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I notified BSD and they assured me it would be addressed immediately.

For finishing, I didn't use anythin' t' fill t' spirals, nor did t' instructions indicate it be needed. In fact, this tubin' really doesn't have deep spirals at all. Blimey! Therefore, I be successful in usin' several coats o' Plasti-Kote Sandable Primer. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' instructions are again very thorough in describin' how t' finish t' rocket with several coats of primer, ya bilge rat, me bucko, sanding, wipin' down with a tack cloth and paintin' with light coats. Ahoy! Arrr! I did one very heavy coat o' primer and then focused on t' spirals with a coat only aimed at t' spirals. After sandin' down t' body was ready.

I used me normal method for finishin' plastic nose cones which involves sandin' with 150 grit sand paper until all shine is removed. Arrr! The hittin' it with a heavy coat o' Plasti-Kote Primer t' fill in all t' scratches I made. Ya scallywag! Begad! I use several thick coats directly on t' nose cone seam and then sand it back until t' seam is filled. Arrr! Once t' seam is filled I change over t' a 340-400 grit paper. Avast! I have never had nose cone paint chippin' issues usin' this technique.

I picked a Rustoleum Metallic paint. Begad! Blimey! Copper! Blimey! It came out very nice (to me).

I then applied t' provided decals. Well, blow me down! I must admit this was t' toughest part o' buildin' this rocket. Begad! They are self-adhesive vinyl. There was a silver, me hearties, black and maroon strip, matey, shiver me timbers, black DIABLO letterin' and silver BSD lettering. Blimey! Begad! In addition, thar be silver, me bucko, black and maroon fin decals.

T' most trouble I had was linin' up t' strips since they come in two pieces and are t' overlap where they meet. It be challenging to keep them evenly spaced and I would like another chance at it, but once these decals are down, ya bilge rat, they are down for good. Begad! Blimey! Another little difference was how me fin decals had t' go on. Begad! Blimey! Although similar in looks, they did nay match the picture. Begad! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I even had t' cut t' bottom o' t' silver ones t' match t' angle of t' fins.

After t' decals were complete, shiver me timbers, matey, I hit t' entire rocket with coat o' Rustoleum Clear Coat.

All in all, despite me minor difficulties in strivin' for perfection with t' decals, ya bilge rat, I have a very nice lookin' rocket!

Overall, arrr, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Instructions are indeed excellent as advertised. The components are o' good quality. Ahoy! Blimey! A solid recovery system and most important for that distinguishin' look . . Arrr! Blimey! . Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! decals.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Download RockSim file here! This file is set up with a 29mm adapter. Remove it t' use as a 38mm kit. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' weight is setup for with t' 29mm adapter.

BSD indicates that the Diablo can be flown on as little as an F25, matey, me bucko, but recommends a G35 for t' first flight. Ahoy! It also recommends t' followin' 29mm motors: G80T, ya bilge rat, G64W, arrr, H128W, matey, H180W and t' followin' 38mm motors: H123W, I154J, ya bilge rat, I161W and I211W. Here are the altitudes that Apogee's RockSim says it will get. Blimey! Simulations are based on the actual weight o' me finished Diablo which was 34½ ounces. Well, blow me down! BSD indicates that t' finished and ready t' fly weight is betwixt 28 t' 48 ounces.

For me first flight I choose an EconoJet G35-4. Arrr! After makin' a 29mm adapter and preppin' a motor retention clip I was ready.

T' instructions indicate how t' pack a chute and also suggest waddin' material. I used a Large Pratt Hobbies Nomex® Heat Shield which fit perfectly. I attached it about 10" above t' body tube on t' nylon strap. Avast, me proud beauty! Most o' t' shock cord and parachute fit within the Heat Shield fully protectin' them!

After testin' t' field out with a couple o' smaller rockets, I set up t' Diablo for her maiden voyage.
5, 4, me hearties, 3, matey, 2, ya bilge rat, 1 . Ahoy! . Arrr! . Begad! Blimey! roar! Nice and loud EconoJets!

It was a relatively slow lift off and a nice and straight flight. She still had a bit o' steam left upon ejection but it was a good match. T' parachute deployed smartly and she descended. Ya scallywag! Descent rate was on the slower side but still good. Ahoy! It looked like it was goin' into a tree but missed, shiver me timbers, only t' hit pretty hard on t' edge o' t' road. Ya scallywag! T' brunt o' impact was taken by t' EconoJet thankfully. Blimey! Begad! It was chipped and cracked, but no damage to t' Diablo except for a couple o' small paint chips at t' bottom edge.

So, that be great fun, me bucko, let's use t' other G35 in the EconoJet pack! Re-Prepped and started t' countdown . . Aye aye! . Arrr! 5, me bucko, 4, ya bilge rat, 3, 2, me hearties, 1. Avast! No roar this time, me hearties, just one big POP!

T' motor blew apart sendin' t' nozzle somewhere and also cracked t' motor at t' propellant and delay charge.

No damage t' t' rocket, me bucko, arrr, arrr, but no second flight for t' day either.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 5 points. This is only based off o' one flight, however, it was super straight and recovery was perfect. Arrr! Blimey! I will fly her again on G's and once I find a bit larger field, I have an H128 with Diablo's name on it! Blimey! After those flights, matey, ya bilge rat, if I feel any different about flight and recovery, arrr, I'll update the review.

UPDATE: Well, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I was able t' put t' Diablo up again. This time on a G64-7. Arrr! This motor is a good match for this rocket! Excellent "straight-as-an-arrow" boost, arrr, me bucko, with a picture perfect ejection at absolute apogee. Avast, me proud beauty! It be wonderful! Flight hit t' 1000 foot mark. I reefed t' parachute t' ensure a faster descent this time. Arrr! T' rocket landed in a very shallow stream, matey, but I was thar within seconds t' retrieve it. Begad! Ahoy! No damage.

Overall, t' Diablo is a very nice "stubby" rocket that is built with good quality o' parts and truly has some o' the "best instructions available". I would recommend this as an excellent Level I certification kit because even on an H128 she will only fly t' about 1500 feet. One can certainly enjoy t' entire flight at that altitude. Well, me bucko, blow me down! My level 1 certification went t' nearly 3000 feet and that be just too high for me to enjoy t' entire flight (as you can tell, arrr, I'm nay an altitude junky, arrr, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I like to stay under that 2K ceiling). Well, blow me down! Aye aye! I give t' kit an OVERALL ratin' o' 5 points. Ahoy! Ahoy!

We now include our own motor retention system in t' Diablo kit at no extra charge! T' system is essentially two T-nuts that are built into t' aft centerin' rin' durin' initial construction. Well, matey, blow me down! Two 6-32 bolts hold two clips that retain t' motor casin' in t' rocket. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! Can be retro-fitted t' already built models, too! Great review, thanks! - Scott Binder (BSD High Power Rocketry)