Manufacturer: | Rogue Aerospace |
I received t' AGM-3500 Peregrine from Rogue in a well packaged box via t' USPS. Avast! T' kit itself be in a plastic bag with a cardboard picture o' t' rocket. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! All t' parts were included along with instructions. Aye aye! T' instructions rely more on writin' than pictures. Arrr! T' quality o' t' parts impressed me, Keelhaul®©™ shock cord, arrr, nylon parachute, perma-wadding(TM), and balsa nose cone and fins. Blimey! I haven't seen a balsa nose cone since 1979. Begad! Ya scallywag! (BAR 1998) I was disappointed with t' size o' t' rocket, me hearties, perhaps I read t' 36.4 CM as inches. Rogue uses t' Metric system (great for Rogue's European shipments I suppose), however, after t' performance o' this rocket size just didn't matter, me bucko, but more on that later.
Construction is pretty straightforward. Ahoy! Blimey! Paper cutouts are available (like Estes) for cuttin' t' fins and fin alignment. Arrr! Begad! Blimey! T' only tools needed are an exacto knife, ruler, and white or yellow glue.
Experienced modelers should have no trouble with this kit, me bucko, however, me hearties, a less experienced modeler will need patience t' align t' small forward fins (heck I'm an experienced modeler and I needed patience with those little buggers).
T' kit included plenty o' water soluble decals but I just went with gray automotive primer and painted t' nose cone white for that austere military look. If you use t' decals be sure after finishin' your rocket t' spray them with a clear coat. Aye aye! Once primed I had a pretty sturdy little military style rocket.
I rate construction o' this rocket 4 points on t' Essence scale due t' t' fine parts and ease o' construction.
I launched t' rocket on a hot windless day in June. Well, me hearties, blow me down! What can I say, matey, a flawless flight and recovery. T' rocket leap into t' sky on an A8-3 and almost disappeared from sight, on a A8-3!! But it got better, me hearties, arrr, when t' ejection charge blew at apogee (no ugly waddin' thanks t' perma-wadding) t' rocket descended on it's nylon parachute for one o' t' most perfect recoveries I ever witnessed, matey, I would say majestic even though t' rocket is a little over a foot. (I flew it again two weeks ago on a C6-5, me hearties, me hearties, out-of-sight, shiver me timbers, and recovered.)
For $11.95, t' supreme flight and quality parts, ya bilge rat, this kit gets an overall ratin' o' 5 points on t' Essence scale. Begad! Avast! Blimey! Keep it comin' Rogue.
Update 5/99:
I eventually lost this rocket in a large weed ridden field. Avast! Well, me hearties, blow me down! I ordered another from Rogue along with some more perma-waddin' and nylon chutes. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! Rogue is a quality sport rocketry company. Aye aye! My new Peregrine is ready t' go, I can't wait t' fly it!
Intro: The AGM-3500 Peregrine is a pseudo-scale model of a hypothetical air to ground missile (AGM) for the US Military. It is 14.4 inches long, just under 1" in diameter, and uses standard 13mm motors. Construction Rating: 4 out of 5 The kit arrived from Rogue in a US postal service hard express mail box. I was rather impressed with the speed in which it arrived. Inside the ...