FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor

FlisKits - Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor {Kit}

Contributed by Chan Stevens

Manufacturer: FlisKits
(Contributed - by Chan Stevens - 02/07/09)

Brief:
This is a neat display o' t' interior o' a model rocket motor, ya bilge rat, and at 3:1 upscale, it's large enough t' use in a typical classroom presentation.

FlisKits Cut-Away Motor FlisKits Cut-Away Motor FlisKits Cut-Away Motor

Construction:
This kit comes packed in a typical rocket baggie with color header card and contains t' followin' parts:

  • BT-70 tube
  • Laser-cut cardboard detail sheet

This is described as a skill level 2 kit, and I'd say that's accurate. Avast! Blimey! It might nay look that tough, ya bilge rat, me hearties, but this is actually a pretty detailed and highly engineered kit and requires careful construction skills. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' instructions feature excellent illustrations and detailed steps. You will definitely want t' pay close attention t' them, as this is nay at all an obvious/intuitive construction project.

Construction starts out with t' assembly o' t' interior ribs and spine. At first glance, shiver me timbers, this looks like overkill--this really doesn't need t' structural support--but it's intended t' reflect t' motor casin' thickness. Everythin' was pre-notched and fit very well, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and it was smartly tacked together usin' white glue.

FlisKits Cut-Away MotorFlisKits Cut-Away Motor

Next comes t' build-up o' t' "propellant" section. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! There's a flat "top" piece that will be the interior cut-away surface, which is supported by 5 semicircles. This assembly nests snugly inside t' ribs previously built.

With t' guts done, t' next phase is tube cutting. T' outer section o' t' model is a BT-70, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which needs to be split open almost in half, arrr, matey, then trimmed t' length. Ahoy! Blimey! With such laser cut precision details, I'm nay sure why t' tube wouldn't already be cut t' length, but that's minor extra work so nay a big deal. This half BT-70 holds t' rib/spine assembly, which in turn holds a split open BT-60 section. Aye aye! T' propellant section goes into t' split open BT-60.

Dependin' on whether you want t' model a booster motor or one with a delay charge, ya bilge rat, arrr, shiver me timbers, you can choose t' build an upper section for t' delay. Aye aye! This module is much like t' propellant module--a flat piece mounted t' a couple semicircles, though in this case it sits inside a TC-60 coupler section t' strengthen it a bit.

FlisKits Cut-Away MotorFlisKits Cut-Away Motor

FlisKits Cut-Away Motor T' real fin (or pain) comes next: formin' 4 different shrouds t' model t' various tapered sections o' t' nozzle. Avast! Each are made from rolled paper. Ya scallywag! Don't worry about t' seams--once you set them into t' cutout areas in t' propellant assembly, shiver me timbers, arrr, you cut away t' half that sticks out above t' flat piece o' t' propellant assembly. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Gettin' all t' shroud angle correct t' fit together is a little tricky, ya bilge rat, and you might still need a little filler putty anyway.

All told, this can be built in about 2 hours.

Finishing:
Right out o' t' bag, arrr, it looks motor shaped but does nay include anythin' for finishing. You are left t' either paint/decorate it on your own, ya bilge rat, or better yet download t' free patterns t' print out on white label stock. Blimey! The patterns cover an outer wrap t' make it look like a B6-4 or B6-0 motor plus interior labels t' go over t' flat pieces identifyin' t' propellant, delay, ejection charge, etc.

I printed off a set o' labels, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and they looked pretty good, though t' outer wrap can be a little tricky t' apply and keep perfectly aligned. Begad! In me case, I have a very slight wrinkle where I tried t' peel it back up t' reposition.

I then circled back and hand painted in some o' t' interior sections, such as t' half-cones and t' ends.

I coated everythin' when done with two light applications o' Krylon clear acrylic fixative.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I think this is a good instructional aid. At $9, me bucko, it's nay too expensive and it's rugged enough t' survive being handed around for a show and tell session.

PROs: Very realistic looking.

CONs: Slightly over-engineered. T' BT-60 could be supported by just a pair o' half rings, me hearties, no need for t' spine assembly.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By Jim Bassham (March 8, 2009)

    ( Contributed - by Jim Bassham - 03/08/09) Brief: This is FlisKits' new model of a cut-away rocket motor. It is designed to be used as a classroom or science-fair demonstration model. Construction: The kit consists of a laser-cut sheet of fiberboard parts, two body tubes, a coupler tube and a sheet of paper parts. OK, I really wanted to like this kit, but it was frustrating ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By Hans "Chris" Michielssen (February 1, 2009)

    ( Contributed - by Hans "Chris" Michielssen - 02/01/09) Brief: I "won" this kit on a rocketry forum. A build thread hosted by Powderburner followed the steps of the assembly. After the last assembly post, the host asked the readers to find the mistake in his build. If you found the error you would receive a Cutaway Engine Kit as a prize. I read through the ...

  • FlisKits Cut-Away Motor Rocket Motor By David Landgraf (January 2, 2009)

    ( Contributed - by David Landgraf - 01/02/09) Brief: If you have ever been at a loss for a giant version of a model rocket motor to use as a teaching aid to hold up in front of a class, this is your ticket. This little kit provides a good illustration of the internal parts, gives you a model in a good, usable size, and is easy to assemble in a couple hours of total work time. It ...

Comments:

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R.A.M. (January 22, 2009)
The cut-away motor model is generous in depicting the technology for a typical commercial black powder motor by displaying a converging/diverging clay nozzle. Most commercial BP motors have only a diverging nozzle.
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J.F. (March 21, 2009)
Jim, Jim Flis here. I am terribly sorry that you had such difficulty with this kit. To address some of your concerns, I can offer the following:
* This model is not aimed at young modelers and is certainly not what we would call a beginner kit. You are correct that there are challenges in building it.
* The cost point we were aiming for (less than $10) precludes us from including a label with the kit. A free download label is easy to provide and is only an available option. the builder is free to finish it as they choose.
* I would be most interested in working with you offline as your comments about difficulty in removing laser cut parts and a flimsy end product indicate that you may have gotten some defective parts as you shouldn't be having such problems. Feel free to contact me if you would like some resolution in this regard. Thank you for your review. As you know we value all feedback and negative feedback helps us identify things that need attention!

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