Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Manufacturer: | Public Missiles |
Brief:
PML's smallest and simplest kit, this is a simple tried-n-true 3FNC rocket,
suitable for F to H motors.
Construction:
Rocket consists of a single body tube, plywood centering rings, and a piece of
woven nylon that's epoxied to the motor tube. The piston is attached to the
other end of the nylon. The fins are G10, which sands very nicely and is really
tough. Includes a fairly small chute with a large spill-hole, so the rocket
falls pretty quickly, but not fast enough to hurt it.
The instructions are fairly easy to follow if you've built HPR kits before. They consist of a single sheet with a minimum of illustrations. I'd recommend that you have someone help you out if this is your first HPR kit, as the instructions aren't really designed with the beginner in mind. The components themselves are beautiful. Everything fit together very well, and all of the components are the best you'll find --G10 fins, phenolic motor tube, Quantum Tube airframe, a very sturdy nose cone, and the toughest parachute I've found. This is a kit that has survived a dozen flights.
Finishing:
Well, I've gotta admit. This was one of the old kits with the phenolic
airframe. I've heard the new Quantum Tube is even easier to finish, but the old
hard phenolic was fairly easy to get a mirror-finish. All it took was a little
Elmer's wood filler to fill the groove, and some fine sandpaper and sandable
primer. If you take your time, you'll get a rock-hard finish that'll easily
last for dozens of flights. I'm subtracting 1/2 point because of that cheesy
stick-on decal they include with the kit. If they included some attractive
water-slide decals, it'd add some value to the kit. As it stands, though, it's
just a waste.
Construction Rating: 4 out of 5
Flight:
I originally bought the kit with the 38mm mount, but this is an awfully small
kit for most of the 38mm offerings. Since I didn't have any kind of motor
retention (hey, I was a beginner), I eventually glued some bolts and a 29mm
tube into the rocket. There are plenty of 29mm motors that work beautifully in
this rocket --F, G, and H. My personal favorite is the Aerotech G125, which
makes this little rocket leap off the pad like nobody's business. As for
flights, I have no complaints at all. I've flown my little IO at least 20
times. It's a tough little rocket that loves to fly.
Recovery:
Very little to complain about as far as recovery goes. My only complaint is
that the rocket is rather short. Once you've got the piston in place and the
chute packed, there's barely any space to get the cone on. If the rocket was 2
inches longer, there'd be a little more elbow room. As it stands, it's a tight
fit.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
The Pros are that it's a beautiful little kit that finishes beautifully, loves
to fly, is tough as all get-out, and can fly in small fields on F motors. Cons
are the cheesy decal and that the recovery system is a bit tough to pack.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
( Contributed - by Patrick Ryan) Brief: Single stage 29mm with parachute recovery and piston ejection system. Construction: Three (3) G-10 fins, pre-slotted "Quantum Tube" body. Motor Mount is plywood and heavy cardboard type. Monster heavy duty shock cords (one mounts to motor mount and gets a little crusty, but great overall). 20" nylon 2 color parachute with ...
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M.W. (October 1, 2000)