Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5

Dr. Zooch - Titan IIIC {Kit} (Titan IIIC SLV5)

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Length: 14.00 inches
Manufacturer: Dr. Zooch
Skill Level: 3
Style: Scale
Dr Zooch Titan III

Brief:
A semi-scale version of the first of the Titan IIIC launch vehicles, this Dr. Zooch version is constructed entirely of pre-printed paper and wood, and in the end, if you build with some patience and a tolerance for the slightly acerbic instructions, you will have a great performing, impressive looking bird. (Well, I did, and if I can do it it's well within the realm of anyone who can make sense of my reviews.)

Construction:
The kit includes:

  • 9.35" T-50 main body tube
  • 2 6.45" T-50 SRB tubes
  • 6.75" T-20 tubes (motor tube and nozzles)
  • 10" T-5 tube (fin/flame attachment tubes)
  • Pre-weighted balsa nose cone
  • 2 balsa SRB nose cones
  • 2 wood TVC tanks
  • 1 wood dowel
  • 6 CR2050P centering rings
  • 4 CR205P centering rings
  • snap swivel
  • screw eye
  • engine clip
  • CR205W engine block
  • launch lug
  • two sheets balsa fin stock
  • two pre-printed wrap sheets (not rap sheets)
  • plastic garbage bag parachute package

As I said earlier (and as many have said before me on other Zooch reviews), the instructions are best taken with a sense of humor and a grain of salt. They're excellent but laced with an occasionally waspish humor that is best not taken to heart. It's all in good fun. Based on my experience, this is a very forgiving kit, but a more thorough reading of the instructions than I am apparently capable of would have allowed me to skip a lot of unnecessary sanding. In the end it all went well.

Dr Zooch Titan IIIDr Zooch Titan III

Dr Zooch Titan III

Finishing:
Finishing for this bird amounts to some spray painting of detail pieces and nose cones. The pre-printed wraps take care of all of the important stuff, and the "fin/flame units" can be finished as nicely or as little as you like. (I was on a tight schedule and chose to skimp a little on the fins, not that it mattered. They performed flawlessly and looked good in the launch pics.)

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
I've managed two flights so far and would have gone for at least one more except for the early closure of the range. Since I didn't want to be seen as a "squirming hatch-blower" (not that there's anything wrong with that), I eschewed the A8-3 flight and went straight to the B6-4. I was trying to get some launch pics, so all I saw was the launch itself and the ejection. (There was something of a crowd that made it difficult to get out of the tent that was keeping the camera and launch equipment dry.) Recovery occurred in the field behind the flight line, and after the short recovery walk it was back to the van to load for the C6-5 flight.

Dr Zooch Titan III Since I'd already managed to capture a launch shot, I was able to watch the whole C6-5 flight. The wind had kicked up by this point and it caused a pretty fair windcock, but the flight showed no sign of wiggle or wobble, tracking straight and true to a nice mid-sized field height. It was noticeably higher and faster than the B6-4 flight. This flight had arced out quite a bit more than the previous flight, and I was rewarded with a landing 20' or so from the launch tent.

Recovery:
The "garbage bag" plastic chute performed flawlessly on both flights. This is kind of a nice touchstone back to my early days when most of my chutes were made out of Butternut bread bags.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: Not too many Titan kits on the market these days. Fairly uncomplicated build for such a cool looking bird.

CONs: What's a "squirming hatch blower" anyhow?

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5 By Hans "Chris" Michielssen (April 15, 2010)

    Brief: An "Ant Scale" version of the Titan IIIC SLV5. Construction: Opening The Box: There are a lot of centering rings. Six CR2050P rings and four CR205P rings. The two TVC Tanks are interesting. There is a slight difference in ends of the two lathed dowels, an easy fix. The longer Core Nose Cone is pre-weighted. The ribbon-like Kevlar ® is used in this kit. ...

  • Dr. Zooch Titan IIIC SLV5 By Paul Morris (May 5, 2008)

    Brief: This is my first Dr Zooch kit, chosen specifically for the 2008 EMRR Challenge. The instructions state that it is a light weight, high flier that is fun to build as it is to chase. Construction and Finishing: The kit comes in a very sturdy white cardboard box. All parts were present and correct with no damage. My first impression was how well produced the parts were. ...

Flights

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