Brief:
The FlisKits Nebula is an all paper rocket that can be flown on 13mm motors. The kit can be downloaded for free from the FlisKits website. I would consider it on a difficulty level comparable to the other free FlisKits paper rockets available.

Construction:
The kit and instructions are all available on the FlisKits website. There are 3 versions of the Nebula available: color skin (yellow/red scheme), blank, or NARCON 2005 Commemorative. I chose to download and print the color skin but on a black-white printer. (I just didn't have a color printer at my disposal at the time and didn't feel like coloring a blank version.)

I printed the rocket out on 90# letter paper and the instructions on standard 20# copy paper. It is worth noting that the motor mount is included with the instructions. To make it easier to print the motor mount on cardstock, page 3 of the instructions is a separate PDF file from the first 2 pages. (I personally found it easier to form the motor mount from 20# copy paper.) You will need scissors or a X-Acto knife, white glue, and clear tape for the build. In addition to the printed pages, you will need a shock cord, streamer, toothpicks, and nose weight for the rocket.

The build starts with cutting out the triangular body tube (similar to the FlisKits Caution! rocket). Scoring the fold marks is particularly helpful for building a good looking rocket. I used a 24" length of elastic for the shock cord. The shock cord is glued inside the body tube.

Next up is the motor mount. Either a new or spent 13mm motor casing is required to build the mount. With the thick body tube, I feel that making the motor mount from standard 20# copy paper should be strong enough to handle the recommended 13mm motors. The motor mount is set aside to dry once it is rolled.

The remainder of the parts (nose cone, NC shoulder, and launch lug) are cut out and put together.

The finishing touches are put on the motor mount and then it is mounted in the rocket. The voids around the MMT have to be filled. The instructions suggest glue soaked tissue. I opted to use polyurethane glue (Gorilla Glue) because it expands as it dries and adds considerable strength as well. [NOTE: If you use the polyurethane glue, be sure to put a motor in the mount while it cures so that it does not expand against the motor tube and distort it to an unusable shape!] The poly glue expanded slightly out the back of the body tube but I cut it away with a X-Acto knife.

The fins, which more closely resemble a tube fin design than standard fins, and the launch lug are glued to the body tube.

The last steps are to attach the shock cord to the nose cone and then add the appropriate amount of nose weight. I cut a couple makeshift tri-fold shock cord anchors and glued the shock cord in. In lieu of clay or lead shot, I glued a few tiny screws into the tip of the nose cone to provide the necessary amount of nose weight.

Finishing:
Paper rockets almost always mean no finishing required. This rocket falls into that category. While I didn't mind printing out the rocket on a B&W only printer, I'm sure it looks a lot more attractive when a color printer is used.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The rocket was prepped with an Estes A10-3T motor for both of its flights. It didn't waste much time getting off the pad but the relatively large body shape as well as the increased surface area of the tube-like fins kept it relatively low. Perhaps it went too high to be labeled a backyard flier but this is definitely a small field flier! It was easily tracked throughout its entire flight up to about 300 feet. The second flight was an perfect duplication of the first flight.

Recovery:
I used 1/4" elastic for the shock cord, which is definitely overkill for a rocket this small and light but the elastic width probably aided in the drag recovery since I opted to leave off a streamer for the Nebula. Surprisingly it drifted about 25 yards from the pad on a relatively calm morning. I'm glad I didn't use a chute! The second time around, the winds must have settled down some as the rocket didn't drift half as far from the pad. Nebula did not have any damage from either landing or charring inside the body from the ejection charge (which in my experiences has been perhaps the most frequent cause of not being able to fly a paper rocket repeatedly).

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
FlisKits has some truly innovative low power rockets out there and all of the free, downloadable paper rockets offered are no exception! The Nebula is arguably my favorite of the ones available because it is all but guaranteed to have the lowest altitude, which translates into a greater chance for recovery because of their lightweight construction! If you are reading this, then you can afford to get one because you merely have to point your web browser to the FlisKits website and download one for yourself.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5