Brief:
Midnight Express (free paper rocket) by FlisKits.

Construction:
This rocket is available as a downloadable PDF file that you print on cardstock then cut and build yourself. The basic design is 3 fins, paper nose cone, and a paper body tube. Since this isn't actually a kit, you must provide a recovery device (streamer is recommended), glue, and some sort of nose weight (clay, for example).

I first heard about this paper rocket from another review here on EMRR then visited the FlisKits site to take a look. Sure enough, everything was there: downloadable parts sheet in the stock design, blank or "Tour de Deuce" scheme, instructions, and even some photos of completed rockets.

I have to admit that I had never built a paper rocket before and was somewhat skeptical that the parts/fins would hold up. I had heard good things about FlisKits in the past, and my 11 year old and I were up for the challenge. I printed the parts sheet on 65lb cardstock that I found at a local hobby store.

The instructions were very easy to follow and coached me through the different techniques needed to build this rocket. FlisKits includes two nosecones on the sheet in case the first one doesn't turn out, but I managed to make a pretty good one on the first shot.

The fins were more challenging to do correctly, but I found that the "scoring" technique really helped, especially if you use a straightedge like they suggest to make the lines exact. Pay special attention to the root edge fold as that needs to be relatively flat in order to glue it correctly to the body tube. I didn't really pay much attention and ended up having one that was a bit tricky to glue on the tube.

The hardest part for me in building this model was the body tube. I used empty engine casings as suggested but couldn't really get the body tube as tight as it should have been the first time. I scrapped that tube and printed another. This time I took my time in rolling the tube, placing it in a BT-5 tube to "form" it and then gluing it tightly. Not perfect but it worked. I had to make minor adjustments on the nosecone shoulder and engine block accordingly (the ID of the tube was off), but it wasn't a showstopper.

The instructions call for a length of shock cord plus some button thread to hold the streamer onto the nosecone/shock cord assembly. Unfortunately, I used the wrong type of elastic (too bulky) and that made for some challenges afterwards (more on that later). If I had it to do over again, I'd probably use something much thinner and easier to pack.

Adding the weight to the model was easy thanks to the instructions. I added a little clay in the nosecone until the model balanced near the 6.5" mark on the body tube (incidentally, very close to the X in Midnight Express).

My 11 year old son loved the project because of the challenge and the "oddity" of making everything out of paper.

All in all, I'd say I probably spent close to 2-3 hours assembling this rocket. It's great fun for an evening's work.

Finishing:
I liked the purple and red finish on the components and no real finishing is necessary. Doing a blank one could be fun (especially for younger enthusiasts) because you could do whatever scheme you wanted. I'm not sure if spray painting would be the best idea, but you could definitely do some neat stuff with markers or colored pencils.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
For our ME's first flight, we decided to load up a A8-3 to see how the model would perform. Since I used the wrong width shock cord, the mount made packing the wadding and streamer difficult, but it all went in fine.

When I went to put the ME on the launch rod, I immediately noticed a problem...somehow the launch lug (hand rolled per the instructions) was somewhat distorted and kept the rocket from sliding freely on the rod.

I think the launch lug's diameter was circular when I glued it, but somewhat went oblong when the engine was slid in. The engine had drawn the body tube tight and caused the lug to pull flat a bit. This is probably my fault as it would have been a better idea to have an engine in the tube to serve as a support while adding the lug in the first place.

I managed to work the launch lug back into shape and the rocket had a great flight...straight up, very stable. Since the rocket is so light, it scooted right off the pad and probably soared 300-400 feet or so (just a guess). The streamer deployed fine and the model was recovered in great shape.

The second flight was also on an A8-3 and went very much like the first. The wind had picked up and as a result the rocket came down a bit harder than the first time and bent a fin slightly. I straightened it out (maybe soaking the fins in CA would help) and then repacked it for a third time.

The third flight was on a B6-4 and for whatever reason, I had real problems packing the streamer and wadding this time. I made the mistake of putting in a few squares of wadding pretty low in the tube then trying to fold up the bulky shock cord to make it all fit.

The rocket launched fine and went straight out of sight. Impressive altitude (600-700ft?) and I didn't actually see anything until I heard a louder-than-normal pop on ejection. I then saw the rocket coming in nose down about 200 feet from the pad. Yikes...Lawn dart!

I thought my free rocket was done for sure. It came down in some long grass and I walked slowly over to investigate the damage. I expected to see the seam blown out on the body tube or an accordion, but to my surprise, the model was 100% fine.

The bunched up shock cord didn't allow for the streamer to deploy but also caused the engine to spit. I believe that the ME without the engine came in pretty lightly (despite coming in in lawn dart mode) and simply stuck in the grass. We were all amazed but the Midnight Express will live to fly again...that is, of course after I alter the shock cord system.

Recovery:
Recovery was fine on the nylon streamer I had (from an old Estes kit). I'm going to redo it and use crepe paper like the instructions show and also change the shock cord for something more suitable.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The highlights of this rocket are that it's 100% free and it's a challenging fresh project if you've never done a paper rocket before. The very idea of making the entire model from cardstock (except the recovery system) is very intriguing.

The only drawback (and this only comes from my own inexperience) I can think of on this model is that you have to be mindful of the delicate folds and parts. I think it's a good beginner kit and it's excellent for teaching some of the paper building techniques.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5