LOC/Precision - Onyx {Kit} (PK-12)

LOC/Precision Onyx

LOC/Precision - Onyx {Kit} (PK-12)

Contributed by Alex Jordan

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	3.10 inches
Length:	25.20 inches
Manufacturer:	LOC/Precision
Style:	Sport

Brief:
LOC/Precision Onyx The LOC Onyx is a stubby 3 inch mid power single stage rocket with 14 inch chute recovery. The fins are glued directly to the body tube with no tabs. It has a 29mm motor mount.

Construction:
This was my first 3 inch and LOC/Precision kit. I didn't know what the quality of the parts would be but they turned out to be great. The contents of the bag were:

2 3" x 29mm plywood centering rings (1/8" thick)
1 6" x 29mm motor mount tube
3 1/8" inch thick fins
1 14" x 2.1" body tube
1 3" nose cone
1 3" x 1/4" launch lug
1 14" chute
1 1/4" inch wide shock cord
1 shock cord mount

Construction was easy, and all the steps were in logical order. The first step is to assemble the motor mount and insert it into the body tube. Next, glue on the fins. The body tube is premarked, so no templates were required. I then used an Estes style shock cord mount to mount the shock cord, followed by attaching the NC and chute. Finally, I put on the launch lug. The parts fit nicely together and required no sanding. The only thing LOC should fix is the fins. They should have tabs that go all the way down to the motor mount tube and not just be surface mounted.

Finishing:
No special techniques are required to finish. Just prime and paint. I painted mine with Rustoleum primer and then a yellow body, blue nose cone, and black fins.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
My Onyx has flown twice on F20-4s. Each time it flew straight as an arrow to about 1000 feet and recovered undamaged under the 14" chute. The F20-4 is a great motor for this kit.

Recovery:
Recovery was flawless both times. Chute could be a bit bigger but it is OK for small fields. The shock cord is elastic and was held in the body tube by a piece of paper (Estes style).

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great kit and would be even better if LOC/Precision put fin tabs on. It is a fun and simple build and a great flier. I will fly again many times on F20s and maybe a G38 or G40 once they go back into production.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews

LOC/Precision Onyx By Chip Jenkins
Single stage mid-power rocket. All of the parts were contained in a plastic bag and they were all intact and high quality. The airframe had a very small spiral groove, the fins were top quality plywood, and the nose cone was sturdy plastic. The centering rings were also quality plywood. The parachute provided was hot pink in color and 15" diameter. The instructions were contained on the ...
LOC/Precision Onyx By Nick Esselman
The LOC Onyx is my second LOC kit and I purchased it as one of three "stubby" rockets that were around three inches in diameter. This diameter compliments my 2.6" and my 4" collection. I had also purchased a RocketVision Grymm and the Estes Big Daddy. See my 3" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page The Onyx is the biggest of the three being 3.1" in diameter and 25.2" long, qualifying as a ...
LOC/Precision Onyx By Bryan M. Chuck
( Contributed - by Bryan Chuck) Brief: The LOC/Precision Onyx is a popular entry level mid-power rocket capable of G motor flights. After tinkering around with RockSim, I decided to convert the rocket for a 38mm motor. Modifications: Although for me this project was born via spare LOC parts, I had sitting around, the listing below is what one would need if he or she bought the Onyx as ...

Flights

Comments:

B.H. (January 1, 2000)

At the Danville 99 launch we launched 3 of the Onyx's on H128 reloads. They held up just fine.

R.F. (June 1, 2000)

I bought this rocket because I like the stubby profile rockets. I am also trying to stay within the less than 1 lb, less than 1000' limitations. Personally, I am not a fan of surface mount fins, so I cut slots in the body tube and made identical fins, except tabbed to the motor mount. I, too, used epoxy everywhere (I won't trust glue on anything anymore). Instead of fussing with a smooth surface finish, I sprayed on a faux granite, which gave a marvelous rough green surface, and made its own fillets. It was pretty heavy stuff, and was used up pretty fast, so I painted the nose cone fire red. (I am not so sure that pursuing pure laminar flow is always the best idea, remember the dimpled golf ball). Anyhow, I stuck an EconoJet F20 in it, and it flew great. With the relatively small 'chute, it came down pretty close to the launch pad. Wrasp says it went to about 950' (not sure about that drag coefficient and the borderline weight). I expect many great flights out of this bird, because it is very sturdy, and very simple (what, me worry?). If it were my review, I'd give it about a 5. I liked the review. I found it very much like my experience with this rocket.

B.B. (July 1, 2000)

I personally suggest this kit for anyone looking for a small fat rocket with little experience in high powerrocketry. This rocket will fly on just about any motor, it doesn't have to be selected from the list on the title page. I have flown it twice and both of the flights have been on an ECONOJET F20-7W. Both flights were beautiful. This rocket is easy to build, I built it in one day!!! Plus it is always neat to see a small fat rocket fly!!

B.B. (July 1, 2000)

T.E. (April 1, 2001)

My 13 yr old son bought this kit and ask me to help/built this kit for him. I agree it is a neat,relatively inexpensive kit. Most of the parts fit great. The only exception was the fins. They were all the exact same size but the root edges had 2 noticeable curves in them. It took a fair amount of sanding on a block of 100 grit paper to fit them flush against the tube. I also do not like the surface mount to start with. I solved this by using PML's and Vaughn Bros. technique for minimum diameter rockets. I cut "dado" slots approx half way thru the tube. Tacked the fins on with medium viscosity CA and then filleted with epoxy. This works great and is very easy with the LOC tubing as opposed to phenolic. I had suspected that the chute was too small and after reading these reviews , it looks like I was correct. I would also like to see some decals -- maybe some stripes and an Onyx decals as shown in their photos of the rocket.

D.P. (December 5, 2001)

This is a great kit. It will fly on anything from small E's to big G's without any problems. The stock parachute needs to be upgraded, and a 22" or 24" will work fine. Load her up with a G80FW to give her a ride!

S.P. (August 29, 2002)

I loved this rocket an easy build and great flyer. The people i fly with always enjoyed seeing this one go up. Unfortunately it was destroyed when the g-38 I was flying it on exploded on the pad. I was sorry to see it go, I'm planing on building another one this time i might modify it to fly with 38 mm motors.

M.M. (August 2, 2004)

Want to have some fun? Try a cluster version of this kit. I bought a kit, and ordered a 3x24mm set of centering rings and a coupler tube. Cut three short 24mm motor tubes and epoxy into the front centering ring. Cut the fin slots through the body tube. Then epoxy the front centering ring (with long Kevlar® shock cord installed) into the body tube. Epoxy the coupler tube in the body tube. Epoxy in the aft centering ring. Now install the fins using plenty of epoxy in the slots, which attach the fins to the coupler tube. Cut off the bottom of the nosecone and add lead to the nose tip, using epoxy. Also add an eyebolt so you have an attachment point for the shock cord. My verion needed 4oz. of lead shot to ensure stability. I first flew this rocket on 3 D12-5 motors to about 500 feet. The I installed 3 E30-7 motors and it blew me away, hissing skyward to about 1800 feet. I plan to fly it on 3 F21-8 motors for a high power flight (165Ns).

A.M.D. (July 11, 2005)

I flew my ONYX on an F-21 Econojet motor and she tracked straight and true. However, when deployment occurred the shock cord split and the parachute disappeared. The nosecone separated from the body and the two fell separately to earth. Upon impact only minor scuffing was observed. I wanted to share that the fins remained firmly attached to the body, probably because of my using epoxy rivets during construction. I love this tough little rocket.

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