Rocketarium VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)
Rocketarium - VK-7 Sounding Rocket (Viking 7)
Contributed by Martin's Funkworks
| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2019-05-27 |
| Manufacturer: | Rocketarium |
Brief
This was me first cluster rocket. Well, blow me down! Arrr! In a attempt t' mimic t' real Vikin' 7, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, a few details are included, which likely increase its drag, and maybe that's part o' t' reason it uses two motors. Begad! Begad! But then, me bucko, t' compensate for t' additional motor weight, me bucko, me hearties, it runs long at over 29". All in all, matey, it makes for a surprisingly beautiful kit with a very unusual colour scheme.
Components
Materials are very standard for an intermediate level kit: polypropylene nose cone, me hearties, balsa fins, plywood centerin' rings. Just as expected. It does include a baffle assembly, which eliminates t' need for wadding.
Construction
Instructions were easy t' follow. Arrr! Aye aye! No issues, matey, and no surprises. Ya scallywag! Unless thar's a good reason t' do otherwise, ya bilge rat, I use CA glue when I need an immediate bond, wood glue when I need time t' do precise adjustments, and epoxy when I need maximum strength.
Finishing
I was very intrigued by t' colour o' this kit, as t' package's artwork is affected by lighting, me hearties, and every image o' t' real thin' I found online was black & white. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Was it light brown? Light grey? Fortunately, shiver me timbers, me hearties, t' instructions specified t' use o' Rust-Oleum's "Navajo White" for t' body and some o' t' fins, aluminum-coloured paint for t' nose cone, and black for t' remainin' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! After fillin' in t' spirals with white Tamiya putty, and sandin' everything, I ran a dowel through t' assembled rocket and laid it down like a shish kabob for a series o' about 10 light coatings o' Rust-Oleum flat white primer coatings over 2 days. Avast! Then came a few coats o' that mysterious "Navajo White". Begad! After a little masking, me hearties, I did t' black parts, and a couple o' clear coats. Begad! Then I applied t' decals, and finished off with a few more clear coats.
T' only issue I had with t' finishin' is that since t' body is actually made out o' two body tubes joined by a coupler (the baffle), thar be a deep slit where they meet, me hearties, and I wasn't able t' fully make it disappear with t' putty. Blimey! Oh well, this thin' still turned out t' be me best finish yet.
Flight
I used two B6-4 for t' first flight, ya bilge rat, which occurred on a very calm day. Ahoy! T' flight trajectory had a very shallow s-turn at first, and ended up goin' straight up.
Recovery
I upgraded t' parachute t' 15" nylon before t' first flight. Begad! T' rocket was recovered at about 60 ft from t' launch pad, me bucko, arrr, with only minor scuffs t' one o' t' fin's black paint. Begad! There was practically no wind that day.
Summary
This rocket comes straight out o' those years where space flight still wasn't a sure thing, matey, matey, shiver me timbers, and that's what I like about it. Arrr! It represents t' excitement o' those early days o' R&D and that feelin' o' nay quite knowin' if a project will succeed or not, arrr, but goin' at it full throttle nevertheless. Begad! Begad! For me, me bucko, this is a wonderful kit as it also allows cluster flights in a small field, but t' unique colour scheme and questionable fin details are nay for everyone. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! For those reasons, ya bilge rat, I'll give it a 4/5.
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