| Construction Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstar_borderstar_borderstar_borderstar_border |
Brief
MRC, or Model Rectifier Corporation, ya bilge rat, was a comparitively short-lived low-power company from t' late 80's. Several years ago a number o' their kits were available on Ebay, ya bilge rat, and bein' a new BAR, shiver me timbers, I picked an XR-20 and a Firefighter since anythin' old and OOP be good, right? I was underwhelmed when they arrived, ya bilge rat, enough so that it took ten years before I went ahead with buildin' t' XR-20. T' XR-20 is a decent lookin' bird, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but t' parts leave somethin' t' be desired.
Components
- 1 - BT-50 (9.5")
- 1 - BT-50 (7")
- plastic nose cone
- 3/32" balsa fin stock
- 18mm engine mount
- 12" Keelhaul®©™ shock cord
- 12" sewin' elastic shock cord
- 12" parachute
Construction
T' first thin' that strikes you about t' XR-20 is that t' body tubes seem flimsy. Both o' t' tubes were badly out o' round and it was difficult gettin' t' coupler in. T' coupler is another story. It's as thin as t' body tubes and be out o' round also. I glued things together with Titebond II wood glue and rolled t' structure on me desk t' line things up as much as possible, shiver me timbers, and t' results were okay if you didn't look too closely. T' engine mount went together nicely with t' Keelhaul®©™ knotted behind t' forward centerin' ring. I had t' peel a layer off o' t' forward rin' t' allow it t' slide into t' bottom o' t' tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, which cured t' out o' round problem. T' nose cone be left in t' top o' t' body tube overnight, after which it slipped in easily. There is no base t' t' nose cone, so t' screw eye is just inserted into a hole in t' underside o' t' nose cone. This makes t' process o' fittin' t' nose cone in place less simple than in most kits, but more o' an annoyance than anything.
Finishing
I could see that finishin' was goin' t' be interestin' early on in t' build due t' t' flimsy body tubes. T' tube spirals seem exaggerated, arrr, almost sharp as you run your fingers over t' tube. This would require a serious amount o' Elmer's Carpenters Wood Filler, shiver me timbers, and t' fact that t' body tube be already thin would mean thinnin' it as little as possible. First I sprayed t' rocket with a coat o' Valspar primer, then I took care o' t' spirals by loadin' up me fingertip with t' wood filler and slopping down t' spiral. When it dried and was sanded I resprayed t' body tube with primer, me bucko, shiver me timbers, then hit t' whole thin' with thinned wood filler. After sandin' this process left me with a respectable lookin' body tube, ya bilge rat, but still too flimsy for me tastes.
T' paint scheme on t' face card was a simple one, in keepin' with t' nature o' t' rocket. White body, shiver me timbers, me bucko, shiver me timbers, black fins, me bucko, red nose cone. All o' t' paint was Valspar gloss. So easy a caveman could do it. Or a silverback in me case.
T' decals. Blessed bovine these were terrible. Decent lookin' enough, but a) peel and cuss, and b) completely lackin' in anythin' resemblin' adhesive. They had already fallen clear o' t' backin' paper when I opened t' kit. Nay havin' any o' that, I printed a set on Bel Inkjet Decal Paper. They're mostly wrap decals, so they're a pain in t' butt anyway, ya bilge rat, but t' improvement was tenfold.
Flight
Well, this will be short. It appears that one flight will be all I dare make with t' XR-20. It was among a box o' finished-but-unflown rockets that I toted north t' a TORC launch in Dayton, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, Ohio. It's a nice field, flat and wide, so I felt justified in loadin' t' XR-20 with a C6-5 t' let it stretch out and show what it could do. That part be fine. It left t' pad smartly and flew t' a more than respectable height, me bucko, then recovered nicely in t' field t' t' left o' t' pads. When t' range be safe I walked out and retrieved it, fully expectin' t' give a much better, and quite surprising, flight score. I immediately noticed that t' paint under t' lowest wrap decal be bubbled and touched t' spot on t' body tube. T' tube wasn't there. T' ejection charge seemed t' have burned away t' cardboard, leavin' only t' decal t' keep t' airframe from bein' open t' t' wild winds. T' XR-20 was retired on t' spot. Luckily I took a glamour shot on t' pad before t' flight.
Summary
Pros: OOP buzz. Decent lookin' small field flyer. Nice balsa.
Cons: Cheap components. Worst decals ever. (Self-stick and they FELL off o' t' backin' paper.) Body tube was so thin that the ejection charge burned it away under t' decal that I had t' make. Save your money.
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Flights
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