(07/10/03) I've had t' Fat Cat's Galactic Marauder sittin' around for a while and decided t' get it out and build it. Arrr! You need a rocket like this every now and then t' keep you excited about t' "building" part o' t' hobby. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! This kit takes skill and has the looks (variation) t' make it exciting. Avast! Blimey! Blimey! It even has a futuristic theme: "Loaded with excessive firepower, shiver me timbers, arrr, t' Galactic Marauder is the preferred warship o' privateers.".

You will see that even though t' kit is somewhat expensive ($44 as o' June 2003), me hearties, shiver me timbers, you get quality stuff, shiver me timbers, matey, includin' the pre-cut nose cone and transition cone. T' recovery system includes a 24" rip-stop nylon parachute, 1/4" flat black elastic, arrr, and steel cable to attach t' t' plywood centerin' rings.

T' rest o' this kit is made up o' an 8" long by 2.6" diameter body tube, matey, a 29mm motor/body tube, three (3) 5½" long Pod Tubes and end-caps, pre-cut 1/8" balsa wings and fins, me bucko, a large plastic sheet (in case you make mistakes on t' nose cone), dowels, plastic tube, launch lug, special balsa Con Tower (the station o' the person who steers t' ship), and decals. Ya scallywag! As I said, me bucko, quality stuff.

CONSTRUCTION:

T' instructions are printed on 10 pages of 8½ x 11" paper. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' original instructions that came with me kit, that sat in a closet for > 1 year, were okay, shiver me timbers, but, I did have a couple problems. If you are an experienced builder you will work these out quickly. Avast, me proud beauty! One o' my main issues be that t' interior plastic panels o' t' nose cone (which you cut from templates) weren't sized t' match t' pictures o' t' finished rocket. I made t' adjustments. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! Fat Cat Rockets sent me a set o' instructions that are currently shippin' with t' kits and thar be a big, big difference. Avast! This difference primarily comes from t' addition o' color that really help differentiate t' various pieces. T' newest plastic sheet patterns seem correct (note they are little longer than what I ended up with, but me original template was way too long anyway. I sized up t' new one and it looks like the picture).

Assemblin' t' Galactic Marauder is nay an over-night job. Plan on spendin' a few days on it. Ya scallywag! Make it a project. Arrr! Begad! Even though assembly is straight-forward, matey, as you follow t' instructions, matey, it has some challenges that you may have never encountered with other rocket builds. Ya scallywag! I will highlight those challenges.

You will need various types o' glue for assembly includin' epoxy and CA which are both recommended by Fat Cat. Arrr! I would also suggest you have a wood glue, matey, me hearties, medium and thin CA. In addition, you will need your normal hobby tools: pencil, shiver me timbers, hobby knife, arrr, matey, scissors, arrr, shiver me timbers, etc.

T' rocket is assembled in two sections. First, you build t' "business" end. Well, blow me down! This is done by attachin' the Pod tubes onto t' 24mm motor/body tube. Well, blow me down! Caps are glued onto t' Pod tubes which make them more authentic than just open ended tubes.

T' fins are prepared and glued onto t' 24mm motor/body tube usin' t' provided Tail Assembly Markin' Guide. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! T' main wing is made up o' two pieces o' balsa and therefore you need t' assemble it. I also coated all t' balsa fins with 15-minute epoxy, matey, covered with tracin' paper, and pressed betwixt wax paper under a heavy book t' strengthen them (and eliminate the grain). I also used wood glue t' attach t' fins and then epoxy for the fillets.

T' transition cone and t' two centerin' rings are then attached t' t' 24mm motor/body tube. Ahoy! T' upper centerin' rin' has two pre-drilled holes that are used t' attach t' steel leader cable t' it.

There is no positive motor retention provided with t' kit. Ahoy! It relies on friction fittin' into t' 24mm motor mount. Well, blow me down! If you'd like t' address this, arrr, thar are a couple o' ways that I can think of. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first would be t' mount a piece o' sprin' steel as a clip; centered and under t' set of two pods. Aye aye! T' second way would be t' attach some sort o' retention ring system. This is what I did.

I used a Rowes Retainer 24mm base and cone. I believe this really made this rocket stand out for looks. Avast! This required pre-plannin' because t' attach t' 24mm retainer base, thar needs t' be 1/4" o' motor tube exposed. Blimey! Ya scallywag! On t' Galactic Marauder, shiver me timbers, t' fins and pods are mounted flush with t' end o' t' 24mm motor/body tube, me hearties, so I had t' move everythin' up 1/4". Begad! This shortened t' final depth that t' tail end would be inserted in t' t' main body tube. It will also require nose weight to compensate for t' extra tail weight.

Next t' main body tube is assembled. Avast! Nay much t' this task except buildin' t' Con Tower. Ahoy! This is done by cuttin' two canards from t' plastic sheet and gluin' them t' t' balsa Con Tower body. Ahoy! I would suggest that you seal and sand t' balsa prior to addin' t' canards since it is a tough job after they are attached, ya bilge rat, me hearties, especially if also attached t' t' body tube. Begad! T' canards are attached with CA. I would also suggest addin' a very small fillet with epoxy. Do this before attachin' to the body tube. Arrr! Once t' Con Tower is attached t' t' body tube, t' 1/4" launch lug is a attached t' complete this section.

T' most difficult and most unique buildin' challenge be t' nose cone. Ahoy! Fat Cat Rockets takes away what would have been a very difficult and critical step . Avast! . Avast! . Arrr! Begad! t' cuttin' of the nose cone. Thank you, me bucko, Fat Cat, ya bilge rat, arrr, arrr, for pre-cuttin' t' nose cone! T' nose cone is assembled by cuttin' out pieces from t' plastic sheet and usin' CA t' glue them into t' nose cone. Ahoy! T' do this right, you need t' take your time and carefully cut your straight edges on t' various pieces t' avoid gaps. Essentially what you are doin' is buildin' a small TeePee inside t' slot made in t' nose cone. Avast! Begad! I relied heavily on t' finished pictures on t' front o' the instructions and t' picture (fact) card provided with t' kit.

As I had said before, shiver me timbers, t' old-instruction templates seemed t' make very long side plates, so I sized mine t' match the look in t' pictures. It also appears that I brought me side plates out t' the edge o' t' nose cone, me bucko, whereas, they look inset 3/16" on t' drawings. Begad! I'm not sure that this matters because I believe mine looks great!

I used medium CA t' attach t' parts and then a thin CA t' go over all t' seams.

T' last assembly step for t' nose cone is fillin' t' inside with epoxy up t' where t' plastic sheets are added. Well, blow me down! This strengthens and supports this section as well as addin' t' necessary nose weight. Well, blow me down! I didn't finish me fillin' activity until t' rocket was finished so that I could get t' CG where Fat Cat Rockets indicated in their newer instructions.

T' instructions say t' finish t' rocket then cut, matey, paint and install t' nose cone cannon tubes. Blimey! Blimey! I missed that somehow and attached mine durin' t' initial build. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It will make paintin' a little more difficult, but I don't think this is a big problem.

T' final assembly step is t' slide t' tail end into the main body tube and ensure everythin' is aligned properly. Notice the picture on t' right is an example o' t' newer instructions and the color-coded illustrations.

Preparin' for finishin' was a lot o' work. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! I think I have about 4 coats o' Plasti-Kote primer on it and various spot work with Bondo Glazing. All this t' try t' have a nice finish. Begad! Blimey! I decided t' go with Fat Cat Rockets alternate paint scheme (which be t' same as their Mega Galactic Marauder). It's nay exact t' their scheme, but very close. Begad! Blimey! I used Krylon paint for t' Yellow, matey, Black and Clear Coat.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 ½ points. Fat Cat Rockets have really put effort into upgrading their kit instructions and it makes a difference. Blimey! Especially when comparing them with t' original set that came with me kit. Ahoy! T' color-codin' makes things very clear. Ya scallywag! T' number o' and quality o' t' parts provided with this kit are outstanding. Ahoy! A pre-cut nose cone and transition save a lot o' headache. However, matey, thar are plenty o' challenges with t' build. Fat Cat also added enough "detail" t' make t' kit interestin' includin' t' pod caps, Con Tower and t' forward cannon tubes. T' recovery system is solid, too. The lack o' positive motor retention be t' only negative comment I could add.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Fat Cat Rockets indicate t' Galactic Marauder should weight 9 ounces. Ya scallywag! Blimey! My finished kit weighs 9.7 ounces, matey, but remember I added t' Rowes Retainer and additional nose weight t' compensate.

Fat Cat recommends t' D12-5, ya bilge rat, E15-7, matey, and E30-7. Ahoy! Since I was able t' create a RockSIM file, thanks t' t' new RockSIM 7.0 version, arrr, matey, I think t' D12-3 might be a better fit. Blimey! It also sims very nice with the new Aerotech F21-8 and t' Estes E9-4. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I even added a thrust rin' sized for these two motors.

T' day finally came for me t' put this rocket in t' air and I chose t' start with an Aerotech RMS D15-4. Arrr! T' launch was successful and it flew straight as an arrow. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I was impressed. As it arched over and started headin' down, I said out loud, "open...OPEN!" and it did! T' parachute did nay come out initially. Blimey! I could see t' red parachute sittin' just inside t' body tube. Begad! After a few seconds t' nose cone pulled it out and t' rocketed descended t' be recovered. Aye aye! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Descent was a bit slower than I like, shiver me timbers, especially with t' full 24" parachute.

After cuttin' out a 7" spill-hole from the parachute, I loaded it up with an Aerotech E28-7. Begad! Zoom! Blimey! Off t' pad and straight up. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey! It be a flawless flight and t' parachute opened right away. Avast! Blimey! I love t' looks o' a large spill-hole. Well, blow me down! But even with that large spill-hole it started driftin' and it crossed our field and landed very high up in a bunch of trees!

Very, arrr, very disturbing. Yes, I know, me hearties, "if you don't want t' loose it, ya bilge rat, don't fly it"! I agree, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but with a $44 rocket, $32 for t' Rowes Cone Retainer and base, and $34 for t' 24mm RMS Casing, there sits $110! I'm sure I'll recover all but t' rocket, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me hearties, in time, as the weather eats through t' elastic shock cord. Ahoy! But, with t' way it flew I'd love to have it all back!

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, shiver me timbers, I would rate this rocket 5 points. This rocket, despite its complexity and details, flies as straight as a 3FNC rocket. Aye aye! It is a solid design for flight and has t' looks too! T' recovery system is where I have some concern. Ahoy! T' steel shock tether gives protection against t' ejection heat. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 1/4" elastic shock cord is about 65" long, ya bilge rat, so that is good. Aye aye! Ahoy! So what's t' problem? Well, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, t' me, ya bilge rat, the problem be t' 24" parachute. I think it should be smaller t' increase the descent rate. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! An 18" would probably be better, matey, but this is probably nothin' more that preference. Blimey! Aye aye! Add a piece o' Nomex® (like I did) t' t' kit and t' recovery system is perfect.

I give t' rocket an OVERALL ratin' o' 4 ½ points. Ya scallywag! If you want a challenge t' build, shiver me timbers, a unique design, a futuristic look, a stable flier and an overall "looker", then the Galactic Marauder is for you. T' other nice thin' about this kit be t' weight and size makes it good for all level o' fliers. Begad! Fly it on Estes D12's and E9's. Crank it up with an Aerotech F21. Ahoy! Aye aye! And really, me hearties, if this isn't big enough for you, build Fat Cat Rockets' Mega Galactic Marauder which flies on a 54mm motor.

T' followin' excerpt is from "Sport Rocketry". T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Blimey! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Sport Rocketry and read t' entire article. Begad! Well, blow me down! Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Avast! Aye aye! For more information, use t' two links above.

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(Sport Rocketry - January/February 2002 - page 39 - by Greg Elder) 

"...purchased their Galactic Marauder kit over a year ago (when they company was named Starship Enterprises)."
"Its interestin' design reminds me o' a futuristic space fighter. The front o' t' rocket is based around a BT-80 sized body tube that transitions to a BT-50 tube at t' rear."
"T' kit comes with quality parts....the kit includes pre-cut balsa fins, plastic nose cone and transition, balsa con tower, me bucko, 1/4" launch lug, plywood centerin' rings, matey, dowels, arrr, 24" nylon parachute, shiver me timbers, heavy-duty shock cord mount, ya bilge rat, and stick-on decals."
"T' instructions are easy t' read and follow."
"T' Galactic Marauder assembles like most typcial model rockets."
"T' nose cone has optional assembly instructions...This alteration o' the nose cone adds tot he rocket's unique appearance."
"For t' initial flight...chose a D12....the rocket went unstable."
"I sent an e-mail t' Fat Cat Rockets explainin' about t' unstable lauch...the next day, me hearties, I received a phone call from Chuck Sackett, t' owner of Fat Cat Rockets....since I bought me kit, ya bilge rat, he had revised t' instructions to include indicatin' t' correct Center o' Gravity (CG) for t' finished rocket...the rocket now comes with t' nose cone already modified."
"I added clay t' t' nose o' me Galactic Marauder in order t' move t' CG to t' locationb shown in t' new instructions. Blimey! I flew t' rocket again on a D12 motor. Ya scallywag! This time I had a straight, ya bilge rat, stable launch."

Overall, matey, the article suggests that if you are lookin' for somethin' with a futuristic appearance this kit may be a good purchase.