The LOC Onyx is my second LOC kit and I purchased it as one of three "stubby" rockets that were around three inches in diameter. This diameter compliments my 2.6" and my 4" collection. I had also purchased a RocketVision Grymm and the Estes Big Daddy. See my 3" Stubby Rocket Comparison Page

The Onyx is the biggest of the three being 3.1" in diameter and 25.2" long, qualifying as a "stubby" rocket because it has less than 10:1 ratio (8.1 to be exact). It also uses the largest motor mount with a 29mm verses the 24mm mounts in the other two mentioned kits.

The Onyx includes a 14" long standard LOC paper glassine coated airframe. It is pre-marked for the fins and launch lug with lines. The 11.2" plastic nose cone makes up the remaining length. There are three (3) 1/8" thick plywood fins that are pre-cut. There are also two (2) 1/8" thick plywood centering rings. The motor mount is 29mm and 6" in length. The recovery system consists of a round 16" nylon parachute and ~65" of 1/4" wide elastic along with the standard LOC nylon loop for mounting the recovery system to the side wall. There is an 1/4" launch lug to wrap up the components.

CONSTRUCTION:

The instructions for the Onyx were printed on the back of the 8½ x 11" card stock that displays the kit specifics through the plastic bag that held the kit. There are only two illustrations, a rear view and a side exposed view. These give some direction, however, the kit is designed for those that have built some before and don't need picture-step to picture-step guidance. The text instructions are clear and take the builder from start to finish and give some insight into flying preparation. Also the shock-cord mount has its own instructions separate.

I built this kit exactly as the instructions directed. There were no surprises and all of the parts fit very nicely.

I don't understand why LOC doesn't use through-the-wall fins that go to the motor mount (or even just some tabs) and had some frustration with that fact during flight.

I built my own 24mm adaptor for this rocket. Here's what you need:

• 1/2" length of 29mm tubing
• 4 to 6" length of 24mm tubing (I used 4")
• masking tape

Take the masking tape and start wrapping at the top of the 24mm tube about 1/8" from the end. Wrap fairly tightly and evenly. Around and around and around until it looks to be about 29mm in diameter. Tear off and test fit into the 29mm motor tube. It should be snug but not overly tight. Once you have the right amount of masking tape at the top, repeat the process at the bottom but making the tape even with the bottom of the 24mm tube. Test fit until it is snug then take two passes of tape back off. Now take a hobby knife and cut some horizontal slits (while holding the adaptor as it would sit in the motor mount (up and down)) in the tape on the end. Make several on three sides. Wiggle the knife so it opens up the slit slightly. Next test fit the 1/2" length of 29mm tube and make sure it fits over the tape. It's now ready for epoxy.

Using 30-minute epoxy, seal and make a small fillet on the both sides of the masking tape around the top of the adaptor (opposite of where you made the slits). Be sure not to get epoxy on the face of the masking tape as that will prevent the nice fit into the 29mm tube. Next using some level of precision, fill the slits you cut with epoxy and then immediately coat the inside of the 1/2" length of 29mm tube. Give it plenty. Then slide with twisting motion the 1/2" length of 29mm tube over the masking tape until it is even with the end. Wipe off any excess that got onto the face of the exposed masking tape and the upper edge of the 29mm tube since this sits against your 29mm motor mount. Run your gloved finger around the end of the adaptor spreading the epoxy on the outer edges of the 24mm tube, masking tape and 1/2" length of 29mm tube. Wipe off any excess that got into the 24mm tube. Place this assembly on some wax paper with the 1/2" length of 29mm tubing down. Once dry, make a small fillet on the top of the lower masking tape the same way as you did on the top masking tape. That's it. You can modify this technique and add a motor hook to the 24mm adaptor, however, you would either need to glue the adaptor into the motor mount or still come up with a way to retain the adaptor in the motor mount.

The Onyx's recovery system is assembled from its own set of instructions. It consists of a length of braided nylon cord which is knotted at both ends, and knotted with a 1" loop in the center. The two knotted ends are taped to the inside of the body tube with the knots on the far side of the tape. Then it is coated with epoxy to completely cover the tape and the knots. The top of the nylon with the 1" loop sticks out of the top of the rocket and is used to tie the elastic shock-cord to.

I know I didn't spend any time talking about the actual construction and that is truly because it is straight-forward and quite easy.

For finishing, I didn't use anything to fill the spirals and just started in with several coats of Plasti-Kote Sandable Primer. I coated the plywood fins heavily with primer for the first coat . . . and I mean heavily. I sanded back most of this primer and did it again. The third coat allowed everything to look smooth. I then painted the entire rocket with Kylon Gloss Orange paint, per the recommendation and desire of my 3 year old son. LOC doesn't provide any decals and since I was in Arizona, where this entire rocket was built and finished, I grabbed an Arizona sticker to commemorate that.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. Instructions are adequate if you have built other rockets. It has quality components that fit together without sanding. The main detractions are that the fins are not through-the-wall which for a 29mm powered rocket I would like to see. There is no provision for motor retention. Also this kit should have some decals to spice it up.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

Download RockSim file here! This file is set up with an added mass object that is used to set the weight equal to my finished rocket (16 ounces) and adjust the CG to 16" without motor.

As I mentioned before I was in Arizona when I built this on a vacation. We planned this trip to Arizona and it just so happened that there was a launch on 12/23/00. So I packed this kit and 3 assembled rockets into a box and shipped them to Arizona.

I had to rely on the vendor at the launch for motors and I was able to buy a 2-pack of EconoJet F23-7 BlackMax motors. So, all set and ready to go.

I prepped the Onyx™ using a RocketMan RHFS12 Round Heatshield that I purchased from the same vendor. After setting up and positioning for a picture . . . which I was not successful in getting . . . I launched her.

It was an excellent flight, with nice black smoke and very straight. It was just before apogee when the ejection charge blew. The descent on the supplied 16" round parachute was quite fast and it landed within 50 feet of the pad. Upon landing one of the fins separated from the body tube. The fillet and paper tore away on one entire side and it was just hanging by the paper on the opposite side just past where that fillet ended.

Well, since I wanted to use both of my EconoJets I decided to try to repair this in the field. I had some SuperGlue and soaked the paper under the separation and held the fin back in place. After about 1/2 hour I checked it and to my surprise it felt really strong. I showed another rocketeer for a second opinion and then decided to go for it. The fact that I was flying on F23's helped my decision since it is a low thrust motor.

For the second flight I added a second parachute (18"). The second launch was also very straight and ejection was just before apogee. Descent, although better, was still somewhat fast. No damage this time though.

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 3½ points. The descent rate is simply too high for this rocket. Even if it weighed in at the manufacturer's specified weight of 13 ounces, the minimum diameter parachute should be around 30" for high descent rate of 15 fps. My kit came in at 16 ounces so I would expect needing an even larger one. Secondly, the fin came off. This is probably due to the high descent rate, however, the surface mount fins didn't seem to help the situation.

Overall, the Onyx™ has great looks and assembles quickly. It uses quality parts. Its lack of decals, motor retention and the parachute size detract from it. Experienced fliers will adjust for all these things on their own which probably draws many builders to this kit, however, as a kit it appears to be lacking some. I give the kit an OVERALL rating of 3½ points.