Brief:
T' Mini Fantom is a downscale o' LOC's MPR/HPR Fantom. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It is a simple 3 fin and nosecone design. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' start on it because me other projects had me sittin' around and waitin' for glue t' dry.

Construction:
T' first surprise I got with this kit was with t' instructions. Arrr! Begad! I kept lookin' for them in t' little plastic case the kit came in and finally realized that they are printed on t' back o' t' face card. Since t' package itself it small, this meant some small instructions. Avast! Well, blow me down! For me, they were difficult t' read but this is a simple kit and it is doable.

Actual construction began with t' motor mount. Blimey! Begad! A line was marked 1/4" from one end and a slit be made on the line t' receive t' engine hook. Begad! Blimey! T' centerin' rings were then slid into place on either end and glued. Both rings needed plenty o' sandin' on their inner surfaces t' fit t' motor tube. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' thrust rin' be then glued into place right over t' top o' t' engine hook.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but it was a bit different from what I am used to. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! With most wraparounds, I just tape into place and make t' marks. On this one, me hearties, wrappin' t' guide all t' way would obscure some of t' marks. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It be just taped at one end and then wrapped t' make a single circumference. Ahoy! I did nay like t' idea but it be no trouble at all. Avast! T' end o' t' fin markin' guide is taken up by a fin alignment template. T' lines for the three fins and t' launch lug were transferred and then an angle was used t' extend them.

T' fins came on a single small sheet o' balsa and were in good shape. Begad! Ahoy! I cut them out, matey, ya bilge rat, stacked them t' sand them even, and then sanded bevels in all but t' root edge.

For this project, I decided t' give another try t' t' idea o' usin' label paper t' "seal" t' fins. Each fin be placed on t' sticky part o' t' label paper with t' root edge flush with t' edge o' t' paper. Well, blow me down! T' fin was then rolled over t' leadin' edge and t' paper pressed into place on t' opposite side. A razor was used t' trim away t' excess. Avast, me proud beauty! T' result was a bit better than t' last time I tried this, but I still need some practice.

As mentioned earlier, me bucko, arrr, matey, t' end o' t' wraparound fin markin' guide is taken up by a template used for t' placement o' the fins. Arrr! Arrr! A section representin' t' BT is cut out along with t' correct angle for t' fins. T' instructions say t' cut along t' red line but t' guide is in black print only. Ya scallywag! Begad! Even so, arrr, matey, ya bilge rat, t' correct line was easy t' identify as it is dotted.

I had real doubts about t' efficacy o' this fin guide but must admit that it worked out fine. Begad! Each fin was placed usin' a double joint o' yellow glue. Avast! When t' glue was tacky enough t' stick, ya bilge rat, t' guide was used t' maintain alignment. T' launch lug was also glued into place along its line at this time.

For a shock cord mount, this kit intends for a piece o' elastic t' be threaded through a perforated piece of sticker and stuck into t' body tube similar t' t' old Centuri mount system. I declined t' do this. I tied a Keelhaul®©™® thread around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and t' filleted it into place with some yellow glue. Ya scallywag! A small notch was cut into t' forward centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' passin' o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

T' inside o' t' airframe tube was swabbed with yellow glue, t' Keelhaul®©™® was fished through t' tube, shiver me timbers, and t' motor mount was slid into place with just a bit protrudin' from t' aft end. Well, blow me down! Blimey! The instruction call for t' motor tube t' be flush but I like t' leave a bit hangin' out. Begad! While waitin' for t' glue on the motor mount t' dry, I took t' opportunity t' add more white glue fillets.

When t' glue was dry, me hearties, thar was nothin' left o' construction except t' tie t' elastic t' t' Keelhaul®©™® and plastic nosecone. Arrr! Ahoy! I should comment here that t' plastic nosecone was one o' t' nicest I have seen with no mold lines.

PROs: simple, good materials

CONs: instructions difficult t' read (small)

Finishing:
T' built rocket be quite unpretentious, arrr, little more than a generic 3FNC. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! I had hopes that t' paintin' and finishin' would change that.

T' first step was t' take t' cardboard colored rocket and make it white. This was done with t' application of 3 coats o' white spray paint.

T' face card scheme called for a white body, black fins and a green nose cone. Ya scallywag! My intention be t' go along with that scheme but I had been have really bad luck with paint lately. I decided t' try paintin' just a single fin first. Begad! I taped it off usin' Frog tape and then brushed on t' acrylic. Ahoy! T' result was less than stellar. Begad! There had been some seepage and it looked like one o' me earlier efforts. Well, blow me down!

Since me maskin' jinx still seemed t' be active, I modified me plans a bit. Begad! I kept t' color scheme but decided to apply t' black t' t' entire base o' t' rocket from just below t' launch lug. Even I have trouble messin' up the maskin' o' a simple ring. T' rocket was duly masked and t' paint brushed on. Aye aye! It be given a little while t' dry.

Maskin' for t' green was simple. Avast, me proud beauty! I applied tape around t' forward end o' t' BT and sild t' nose cone out a bit. Arrr! I then wrapped some foil around t' body o' t' rocket t' protect it from spray. Avast, me proud beauty! T' sprayin' itself was trivial. Two coats o' green were applied and t' maskin' be removed.

You may recall me overconfident statement about nay bein' able t' mess up t' maskin' o' a simple ring. I was selling myself short. Well, me bucko, blow me down! I was able t' mess it up and thar was some leakage under t' tape. Blimey! On inspection, though, I decided that I could live with it. Ahoy! Blimey! T' black was a bit mussed, shiver me timbers, t' green be great, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, and I was happy that paintin' was over.

At this point I would very much like t' wax rhapsodic about t' wonderful waterslide decals but I cannot since there were none. Avast, me proud beauty! Instead, t' kit came with crack and peel stickers. T' stickers do really dress t' kit up, especially with t' face card color scheme, but in t' end, arrr, they are stickers. Aye aye! They are also quite stiff and a few of them refused t' stay layin' down along t' body tube.

T' artwork consists o' a pair o' chevrons for each fin, two name placards, two similarly sized "438"s and a couple o' little bitty things that were completely forgettable.

There is one matter havin' t' do with t' stickers about which I am unsure. Blimey! One o' t' logos is a very good lookin' "Fantom". At first glance, I thought thar be a second just like it, but instead it is a mirror image. Avast! I don't mean that t' letters are slanted in t' opposite direction, I mean that t' letters are reversed. Begad! I have no idea if they are supposed t' be that way or not.

CONs: Thick plastic stickers instead o' decals

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
For its maiden flight, I decided t' start off easy with an Estes A8-3. Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket be prepped and put on t' pad and an announcement was made. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Several o' t' people nearby were new and I heard a comment t' t' effect o' "Big deal, its just an A motor..."

T' countdown came and went and t' rocket went too. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! It really climbed well on t' A. Avast! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' person who made the comment about t' A motor asked me t' verify what motor I be using. He was impressed. A video o' t' maiden flight o' t' Fantom Mini can be seen here.

For t' second flight, matey, I loaded a B6-4. Ya scallywag! This time, people were payin' more attention. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! T' rocket again took off well and climbed great, arrr, ya bilge rat, just showin' a bit o' roll towards t' end. Blimey! T' chute ejected and Lindsey had a nice little walk goin' t' recover it. Avast, me proud beauty! A vid o' t' second flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a well designed little kit with quality parts. It goes together and flies well. Aye aye! Aye aye! It's nay t' most exciting thin' out thar but is quite respectable.

I have only two real gripes. T' directions printed on t' back o' t' face card were sometimes hard for me older eyes t' read and I would expect t' maker o' a quality product t' use waterslide decals. Ya scallywag! Blimey! At t' very least, me bucko, if stickers must be used, I would like them t' be thinner and t' stick better.

Persons interested in t' ongoin' fate o' this rocket through photos and videos can find it here.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5