Manufacturer: | U.S. Rockets |
I be awarded this kit as a DESCON 7 prize. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! T' owner o' USR was on vacation, but promised it would ship the week he came back. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! It arrived on me doorstep packed well and with all t' part contained in closed bag. Blimey! Well, me bucko, blow me down! I first checked t' make sure everythin' be present and then read over t' instructions. Avast! T' instructions were several pages and contained diagrams. Blimey! Aye aye! They were very nice except that thar was no step 4 and 5 and several o' t' steps were mixed up (IE - There were two steps 8 and 9). Arrr! But with a little searchin' t' directions are sufficient for this 2.25 diameter and 43 tall kit.
I started construction by sandin' airfoils into t' 3 ply balsa fins. Blimey! Ya scallywag! This might sound like weak fins, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but t' balsa ply is much sturdier than a single sheet o' balsa o' t' same thickness. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I roughed out t' airfoils on a grinder and then made them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Begad! T' instructions detail makin' t' fins through t' wall and slottin' t' booster tube. Arrr! Aye aye! However, matey, me hearties, since this was a lightweight kit that I did nay intend t' fly on high impulse motors, I opted t' just surface mount them. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! Since, me hearties, I didnt connect mine t' the motor tube I could attach them before installin' t' mount. Well, blow me down! I used a little 5min epoxy t' tack them t' t' tube and then I went back and added fillets. Arrr! Avast! The motor mount consists o' 2 centerin' rings and a 29mm motor tube. Begad! Ahoy! T' rings were epoxied on t' end and t' mount be secured in t' tube with 15min epoxy. Well, blow me down! Now I moved onto t' payload section. Aye aye! I epoxied t' wooden bulkhead into t' bottom of t' payload tube and inserted a screw eye. Aye aye! T' payload bay is very large and Im considerin' retro-fittin' it for dual deployment. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! A nice surprise was that t' nosecone in t' kit is balsa. Arrr! Aye aye! This is nay often seen with kits this size. Begad! I sealed it with Bondo and sanded it smooth. Well, blow me down! T' kit also comes with and adapter for 24mm motors.
I primed t' whole rocket with cheap flat gray that was on sale at the hardware store. I worked just fine. Begad! Well, blow me down! I painted t' nosecone and booster section a navy blue and t' payload section was painted with gloss yellow. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I then applied one o' t' included decals t' t' payload section.
I had this rocket ready t' fly for quite a while, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but t' weather just wouldnt cooperate. Begad! Aye aye! Finally, shiver me timbers, one Saturday, I lugged t' rocket and a pack off D12s over t' t' local high school. I substituted a PML 12 foot streamer in place o' t' 12 chute. T' chute wasnt great quality. Aye aye! I secured t' D12 and t' motor adapter into t' 29mm tube with t' help of maskin' tape. I flew it off a 3/16 rod in me Estes Porta-Pad however the lugs are 1/4. Begad! It fit be fine and at zero t' rocket lifted off slowly and majestically and lofted its way t' about 350. Begad! T' 5 second delay allowed t' rocket t' arch over just as t' streamer deployed. Avast! Well, blow me down! T' rocket was rather impressive comin' down. It be recovered without damage. I was havin' way too much fun t' give up now. Avast! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I launched again on a D12 with t' same great results. Begad! I loaded her up for a third time and on liftoff she weathercocked slightly, shiver me timbers, but still recovered perfectly. Avast! T' next weekend I took the Banshee t' a larger site and this time flew her on a F20 Econojet. Avast, me proud beauty! She roared off t' pad and deployed at apogee. Avast! Aye aye! However, t' ejection charge was rather powerful for t' light-weight rocket and t' elastic shock cord mount snapped. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' payload came home safely on t' streamer but t' booster landed on its side and snapped off one o' me surface mounted fins. Avast! It will be repaired without trouble.
Overall, this is a decent kit thats fun t' fly on smaller fields and really rips on larger motors. However, me bucko, for what you get, t' $35 price tag seems a bit steep in my opinion.
( 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 ...
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, ...