U.S. Rockets Banshee

U.S. Rockets - Banshee {Kit} (1059, K-59) [1979-]

Contributed by Peter Clay

Manufacturer: U.S. Rockets
US Rockets Banshee review is provided courtesy of:
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I be awarded this kit as a DESCON 7 prize. Blimey! T' owner o' USR be on vacation, but promised it would ship the week he came back. Begad! It arrived on me doorstep packed well and with all t' part contained in closed bag. I first checked t' make sure everythin' was present and then read over t' instructions. Begad! T' instructions were several pages and contained diagrams. They were very nice except that thar be no step 4 and 5 and several o' t' steps were mixed up (IE - There were two steps 8 and 9). Aye aye! But with a little searchin' t' directions are sufficient for this 2.25” diameter and 43” tall kit. 

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I started construction by sandin' airfoils into t' 3 ply balsa fins. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This might sound like weak fins, arrr, but t' balsa ply is much sturdier than a single sheet o' balsa o' t' same thickness. I roughed out t' airfoils on a grinder and then made them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' instructions detail makin' t' fins through t' wall and slottin' t' booster tube. Blimey! Blimey! However, matey, me hearties, matey, since this be a lightweight kit that I did nay intend t' fly on high impulse motors, I opted t' just surface mount them. Begad! Blimey! Since, shiver me timbers, I didn’t connect mine t' the motor tube I could attach them before installin' t' mount. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! I used a little 5min epoxy t' tack them t' t' tube and then I went back and added fillets. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The motor mount consists o' 2 centerin' rings and a 29mm motor tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' rings were epoxied on t' end and t' mount was secured in t' tube with 15min epoxy. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Now I moved onto t' payload section. Avast! Blimey! I epoxied t' wooden bulkhead into t' bottom of t' payload tube and inserted a screw eye. Arrr! Blimey! T' payload bay is very large and I’m considerin' retro-fittin' it for dual deployment. A nice surprise was that t' nosecone in t' kit is balsa. Arrr! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! This is nay often seen with kits this size. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I sealed it with Bondo and sanded it smooth. Ahoy! Blimey! T' kit also comes with and adapter for 24mm motors. 

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I primed t' whole rocket with cheap flat gray that was on sale at the hardware store. Avast! I worked just fine. I painted t' nosecone and booster section a navy blue and t' payload section was painted with gloss yellow. Avast! I then applied one o' t' included decals t' t' payload section. 

I had this rocket ready t' fly for quite a while, matey, me bucko, but t' weather just wouldn’t cooperate. Finally, one Saturday, arrr, I lugged t' rocket and a pack off D12’s over t' t' local high school. Well, blow me down! I substituted a PML 12 foot streamer in place o' t' 12” chute. Well, blow me down! T' chute wasn’t great quality. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I secured t' D12 and t' motor adapter into t' 29mm tube with t' help of maskin' tape. Blimey! Begad! I flew it off a 3/16” rod in me Estes Porta-Pad however the lugs are 1/4”. Blimey! Begad! It fit was fine and at zero t' rocket lifted off slowly and majestically and lofted it’s way t' about 350’. Ahoy! T' 5 second delay allowed t' rocket t' arch over just as t' streamer deployed. Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket was rather impressive comin' down. It be recovered without damage. I was havin' way too much fun t' give up now. I launched again on a D12 with t' same great results. I loaded her up for a third time and on liftoff she weathercocked slightly, but still recovered perfectly. Aye aye! T' next weekend I took the Banshee t' a larger site and this time flew her on a F20 Econojet. Ahoy! She roared off t' pad and deployed at apogee. Ya scallywag! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! However, t' ejection charge was rather powerful for t' light-weight rocket and t' elastic shock cord mount snapped. Avast! Aye aye! T' payload came home safely on t' streamer but t' booster landed on it’s side and snapped off one o' me surface mounted fins. It will be repaired without trouble. 

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Overall, matey, this is a decent kit that’s fun t' fly on smaller fields and really rips on larger motors. However, for what you get, arrr, t' $35 price tag seems a bit steep in my opinion. 

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Other Reviews
  • U.S. Rockets Banshee By Lance Alligood

    ( Contributed - by Lance Alligood - 07/01/04) Brief: The US Rockets (USR) Banshee is a 4FNC MPR with a 29mm MMT, TTW fin attachment, large payload bay, and streamer recovery. The kit also includes a 29-24mm motor adapter allowing this lightweight design to be flown on motors ranging from a D12 for small fields to H motors by the exceptionally brave. The Banshee would make an ...

  • U.S. Rockets Banshee By Peter Clay

    Brief: Single stage with payload Construction: The Airframe is two 17" tubes with the separation point at the center. There are 4 fins, made of light ply, and slotted into the MMT. The MMT is 29mm x 5.5", with a 24mm adapter included. Recovery utilizes a 5/16" x 6' elastic shock cord. The rocket is topped off with a Balsa ogive nose cone The instructions are good, ...

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