Brief:
T' Fruit Fly be a nice minimum diameter rocket from HotRod Rockets. Aye aye! Ahoy! Unfortunately, arrr, it has been discontinued. Avast! Arrr! It is a simple build with elliptical wings reminiscent o' those o' an insect. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! It has a resin nose cone and streamer recovery which should make it easier t' recover this light rocket.

Construction:
T' first step in construction is t' insert t' thrust ring. Blimey! Begad! T' instructions call for t' use o' a spent 13mm casing. Avast, me proud beauty! I had only one that had been sawed up but checkin' t' length, thar was enough t' get t' rin' where it was supposed t' go. Well, blow me down! It was glued with white glue.

Next came t' cuttin' o' t' fins. Blimey! Avast! A template is provided on a piece o' stiff cardstock which is a pleasant change from light bond paper. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' template be cut out and t' outlines o' 4 fins were traced onto t' balsa sheet. The cardstock meant that t' template kept its shape as well for t' 4th fin as it did for t' 1st. Begad! Aye aye! T' fins were then cut out with a razor knife.

One o' t' fins be selected t' serve as t' anchor for t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord. Arrr! Blimey! A small notch be cut out o' t' top and bottom o' this fin.

T' kit came with a wraparound fin markin' guide. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It too was printed on cardstock like t' fin template. Avast! Blimey! While that be handy and appreciated for t' template, me hearties, it was less handy here. Arrr! There were no real problems, me bucko, ya bilge rat, it just did not wrap as easily as paper would have. Aye aye! Blimey! It be cut out, me bucko, wrapped around t' BT, and t' marks were transferred. Aye aye! T' wrap guide joint was used as a mark for t' launch lug.

After t' fin lines were extended with an angle iron, each was given a tick mark 1/4" from t' aft end to mark t' back o' t' fins. T' fins were then applied usin' yellow glue and a double joint.

T' instructions say t' tie t' Keelhaul®©™® around t' base o' t' fin with t' notches in it. Avast! Instead o' doin' that, I glued t' end o' t' Keelhaul®©™® along side o' t' notched fin with t' long end hangin' down. Avast! When that dried, ya bilge rat, I wrapped it around t' bottom and glued it along t' base on t' other side. Begad! Blimey! This prevented t' frustration o' tryin' t' tie a good knot and hide t' knot in the fillets.

Filletin' was done with white glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! It was applied t' t' joint and smoothed out with a finger. Arrr! Blimey! While this was bein' done, I took t' opportunity t' apply t' launch lug as well.

T' sewin' elastic be tied into t' Keelhaul®©™® and t' knot was firmed up with a bit o' white glue. Arrr! T' provided streamer looks t' be a Sky Gripper from Hartle Engineering. Begad! I used one o' t' provided tape strips t' affix it t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. T' cast resin nose cone proved t' be quite loose. I applied several wraps o' cellophane tape around t' base and then used a razor knife t' trim back t' excess. Begad! Avast! It then fit t' BT well. Ahoy!

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Fruit Fly began with priming. Ahoy! I decided nay t' try and fill t' balsa in what, perhaps, is a vain hope. I am hopin' that a little o' t' grain will show through on t' final paint job t' give the "impression" o' t' vasculature found in insect wings. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! It may or may nay work but I decided t' give it a try.

I used some cellophane tape t' cover up t' part o' t' Keelhaul®©™® shock cord that would be exposed t' most o' t' paint stream. Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket was then put in t' booth and given a coat of Kilz. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' nose cone was sprayed separately hangin' from its harness. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I wish I had waited t' install it.

While waitin' for t' primer t' dry, matey, me bucko, I got a suggestion from CharlaineC on TRF about t' veins in t' insect wings. She suggested that I glue pieces o' thread on t' fins t' simulate them. It seemed like such a sensible idea that I decided t' give it a try.

Before applyin' t' veins, I first needed t' sand down t' Kilz. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! This was done with #400 sandpaper until t' fins were smooth. Aye aye! I then took out some black rayon thread and fixed t' end near t' root with a spot o' CA. When t' CA had grabbed, arrr, ya bilge rat, I proceeded t' stretch out t' thread along t' fin in a "random curved" manner, tackin' it down with more CA. Ahoy! Blimey! When I reached t' endpoint o' a fin, matey, I used a razor t' slice off t' excess.

I tried t' give three veins per side o' a fin. Begad! My first impression was that it looked pretty tacky right but then I remembered feelin' t' same way when usin' thread t' give some relief t' a nozzle on a Dr. Arrr! Zooch Discoverer Thor. After it be painted though, it looked great.

I got about 3/4 through this time consumin' operation before I had t' give up and do other stuff in order t' stay gainfully employed. Ya scallywag! When I got back t' it, I only had one fin left t' do and that went more smartly than I remembered. It still didn't look great, arrr, but I was countin' on t' paint t' change things.

I couldn't think o' a good way t' mask this rocket so I decided t' take a slow approach that I thought would work. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' mask and do one fin at a time, arrr, hopin' that I could control things that way. Well, blow me down! Accordingly, t' first fin was masked and then t' fin go 2 coats o' a Rustoleum copper. Begad! Aye aye! T' paint came out significantly darker than t' can lid indicated but I like copper.

When t' first maskin' was removed, shiver me timbers, I found lots o' bleedin' from under t' tape. This as nay along t' edges of the fins but rather, at t' fore and aft tips. Arrr! Begad! Thinkin' I would fix this later, matey, I tried t' do a better job o' masking the second fin. Avast! It too got 2 coats o' copper.

After peelin' back t' maskin' on t' third fin, ya bilge rat, I realized that I was fightin' a losin' battle. Aye aye! There be way too much leakin' under t' maskin' and t' rocket looked bad. Avast, me proud beauty! T' paint had helped with t' veins in t' fins but the rest looked bad. It was time for a new strategy.

Since finishin' is nay me forte and I did nay want t' strip things bare, arrr, I decided that t' entire body was going to be copper. Begad! Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' booth was busy so I stuck t' rocket on a rod and took it out in t' yard where t' entire thing except for t' nosecone was painted copper.

T' rocket sat painted in nothin' but copper for a few weeks because I be too busy t' get t' it. Well, blow me down! Arrr! Then I found I had a day before me next club launch and I just gave t' cone a shot o' metallic purple. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It would have t' do.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
When I prepped t' Fruit Fly for its maiden flight, I did want t' get it back so I started slow with a 1/4A3-3T. Avast, me proud beauty! Some tape was used for a friction fit and t' rocket be put on t' pad. Ahoy! After a couple o' misfires, it took off just fine but t' ejection charge snapped off t' Keelhaul®©™® just before t' attachment point t' t' elastic. Since t' steamer was on t' nosecone portion, shiver me timbers, both parts were recovered with no other harm than t' snapped cord. A video o' t' maiden flight can be seen here.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
T' rocket flies well and will probably scream when I get it fixed up again. I need t' try it on an A but I need to rethink t' shock mount.

I like t' rocket and will repair it. It has its niche in t' scheme o' things. Avast! Its easy t' build and need nay be a hassle t' assemble. Begad! That be me doing.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5