Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | FlisKits |
Brief:
I am partial to ring fin rockets. The Sprite was the first rocket I built at 11
years old. This kit will not disappoint with its fine materials, classic form,
and good looks but has a little higher price than that Sprite I built. Supposed
to be a tumble recovery but more on that later.
Construction:
The kit includes a small body tube, balsa nose cone, balsa sheet, extended
engine hook, and ring. All parts were above average quality, sturdy, and fit
well.
The instructions were right on. I used three fillets on both ends of the fins where they attach to the BT and the ring. I recommend a magnifying glass or reading glasses as the parts are small. I used a Dremel tool to fine tune the fins and outer piece attach to the outside of the ring can. I deliberately cut the parts a little larger and trimmed them down carefully to the lines. Tweezers helped too. I used all yellow wood glue for construction.
Finishing:
I used a water based sanding sealer, which I did not like but still used it. I
will go back to the smelly sealer in the future. I taped of the nose cone and
the ring can with 3M blue painter's tape. Having a sharp X-Acto blade is a must
here. Gave it three coats of Gloss orange. I had to spray some into a old cool
whip bowl and use a small calligraphy brush to touch up the corners. I then
taped the BT and the fins and left the ring can covered.
Three coats of gloss white were then sprayed on the nose cone. I let everything dry 24 hours before next coat. I then taped the nose cone and uncovered the ring can and the small outer detail parts outside the ring and fin connection. I then painted it a gloss bright yellow. All paint adhered pretty well. The finished rocket looks pretty at least to me.
Construction Rating: 4 out of 5
Flight:
I only did one flight because I put too many hours into it to lose it. I used a
1/4A3-2T on a calm day. 5-4-3-2-1 and it took off and reached about 80 feet.
There was a nice small smoke trail that was easy to follow even with the
rocket's small size.
Recovery:
It dropped more than tumbled into some long tall hay grass and I found it right
away 20 yards from the pad. I did notice that the engine had ejected from the
rocket completely although it was supposed to slide back and be held by the
extra long engine hook. This must have thrown off the balance need for proper
tumbling. I thought it was a successful flight. There was no damage and now it
is ready for the retired shelf.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
PROs: Nice little clone of the Sprite. Good quality parts. Cute, cute, cute!
CONs: The engine hook allowed the motor to exit the rocket on ejection.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
(by Carl Tulanko - 05/20/03) Brief: The FlisKits "Tumble Weed" Model Rocket Kit had caught my eye on the FlisKits website when I was looking to purchase a Nomad, so I had it added to my order. It's by far the smallest rocket in their line, resembling somewhat a dressed up Mosquito and it is designed to fly on 13mm motors. However, upon arrival I knew this was much more than ...
FlisKits is the newest company in town (opened in September 2002) and from my vantage point, they have come in with a big banner-like entrance. I have built kits from 22 different manufacturers and when I received the (3) FlisKits I had ordered, I was initially amazed at the packaging. They are so professional looking that if hanging in a hobby store you would think they were mass-produced in ...
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FlisKits (October 31, 2002)