Brief:
29mm Pyramid saucer type

Construction:

Parts List:

• 3 - Rectangle foam-backed boards
• 1 - Triangular foam-backed board
• 1 - 29mm MMT
• 1 - 3-page instructions

This new kit from Art Applewhite Rockets is definitely one of the more unusual designs that Art has designed. The package came much faster than I expected via Priority mail. It arrived in perfect condition. The kits contents were in a heavy plastic sealed bag. The box had that air-bag packing stuff on each end.

The instructions are very detailed. There is only five pieces in the kit, but there are 34 steps in the instruction sheets. The assembly was somewhat more difficult than some of the other kits, only because of having to cut the foam-boards lengthwise at a 45 degree angle. By the last cut, you'll become a pro. The instructions say to use a fresh blade in your X-Acto knife. This is a necessity because the foam between the boards will collapse with a dull blade. The foam board was just barely large enough to fit the pattern you use to cut the three sides. As a result, the curved edges needed to be shaped to eliminate a flat spot on each side. Once the 45's were cut and trued up, assembly went quickly. The longest time to build the kit was waiting for the glue to dry. The kit took less than an hour to build.

Finishing:
Once sanded, I coated the exposed foam surfaces with glue. Its first launch was to be in a snow covered field, so the white 'camouflage' had to go. I chose to paint the bottom surface flat black to hide any exhaust damage. The outer surfaces were painted yellow so the stickers would show up well.

The difficulty in painting any foam product is that paint will dissolve the foam. As the instructions spell out, a thin layer of glue on all the exposed foam surfaces appears to seal them well enough to paint. This kit didn't come with any decals or stickers, so I found a few lying around to spruce it up. These were from the DC Gemini I used in one of my Descon entries.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Flight:
One of the recommended motors is an Ellis Mountain G35, and I just happen to have one in my box. This is just the kit that this long burn motor is made for. As with all kits from Art Applewhite, this thing roared off the pad and slowly ascended up. This kit is different than other saucer kits because the offset design makes it spin as it ascends. The flight was spectacular. It was spinning so fast I couldn't really see it spinning. It flipped over and began to descend. It fell much slower than I expected and was spinning all the way down.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
This kit is unusual, the flights are dramatic and you can fly big motors on small fields. The instructions are clear, concise and detailed. No fleet should be without one of Arts kits!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5