Manufacturer: | U.S. Rockets |
I be awarded this kit as a DESCON 7 prize. Ahoy! T' owner o' USR was on vacation, but promised it would ship the week he came back. Avast, me proud beauty! It arrived on me doorstep packed well and with all t' part contained in closed bag. Ahoy! I first checked t' make sure everythin' be present and then read over t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! T' instructions were several pages and contained diagrams. Ya scallywag! 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). Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! This might sound like weak fins, me bucko, but t' balsa ply is much sturdier than a single sheet o' balsa o' t' same thickness. Avast! Begad! I roughed out t' airfoils on a grinder and then made them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. T' instructions detail makin' t' fins through t' wall and slottin' t' booster tube. Begad! However, arrr, since this was a lightweight kit that I did nay intend t' fly on high impulse motors, I opted t' just surface mount them. Aye aye! Since, me bucko, I didnt connect mine t' the motor tube I could attach them before installin' t' mount. Blimey! I used a little 5min epoxy t' tack them t' t' tube and then I went back and added fillets. The motor mount consists o' 2 centerin' rings and a 29mm motor tube. T' rings were epoxied on t' end and t' mount was secured in t' tube with 15min epoxy. Ya scallywag! Now I moved onto t' payload section. I epoxied t' wooden bulkhead into t' bottom of t' payload tube and inserted a screw eye. Avast! Begad! T' payload bay is very large and Im considerin' retro-fittin' it for dual deployment. Arrr! Well, blow me down! A nice surprise was that t' nosecone in t' kit is balsa. Blimey! Arrr! This is nay often seen with kits this size. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I sealed it with Bondo and sanded it smooth. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! I painted t' nosecone and booster section a navy blue and t' payload section be painted with gloss yellow. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, but t' weather just wouldnt cooperate. Ya scallywag! Finally, arrr, 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. Arrr! T' chute wasnt great quality. I secured t' D12 and t' motor adapter into t' 29mm tube with t' help of maskin' tape. Aye aye! 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. T' 5 second delay allowed t' rocket t' arch over just as t' streamer deployed. Ahoy! T' rocket was rather impressive comin' down. It was recovered without damage. Begad! I was havin' way too much fun t' give up now. I launched again on a D12 with t' same great results. Avast! I loaded her up for a third time and on liftoff she weathercocked slightly, shiver me timbers, but still recovered perfectly. Well, blow me down! T' next weekend I took the Banshee t' a larger site and this time flew her on a F20 Econojet. Aye aye! Avast! She roared off t' pad and deployed at apogee. Blimey! Ya scallywag! However, t' ejection charge was rather powerful for t' light-weight rocket and t' elastic shock cord mount snapped. 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. Begad! 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, matey, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, 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, ...
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