Construction

The instructions are pretty basic but the build is straightforward. The mount builds like any other. I liked the laser cut fins. They appear to be lite ply and are both sturdy and easy to sand. There isn’t much grain so I merely sanded the leading edge round and gave them a single coat of Fill’n’Finish. There is a also a laser cut stand-off for the 3/16” launch lug. A wrap around fin alignment guide is provided. I used Titebond Trim and Molding glue throughout for bonding and fillets.

I hadn’t used a tri-fold mount in around 15 years but didn’t have my standard Kevlar twine on hand so I initially used the mount. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Chicken sat around unfinished for several months. During this waiting period, I Build Rockets released some nifty laser-cut plywood parachute anchors. So, I pulled out my trusty wood working knives and removed the tri-fold mount. The 24mm anchor kit (see photo) includes the plywood anchor, a screw-eye, a snap swivel, and a short Kevlar leader. You attach the screw-eye in a pre-cut center hole and apply a dab of Epoxy to insure it stays there. The Kevlar leader connects to the swivel and the elastic shock cord. Since this assembly must be installed several inches down into the body tube, make sure you attach said swivel to the screw-eye! I then swabbed some glue deep into the tube and inserted the anchor using a long hemostat. It took a little manipulation to get it positioned properly.

The 'chute is pre-cut and includes the holes. You tie the three riser lines on and attach them to the swivel. Since this is not a snap swivel, attaching it to the cord requires that you tie a loop with the swivel and 'chute attached. Not hard, but a snap swivel would avoid this (and make the ‘chute removable).