Brief:
The Art Applewhite Cone rocket is a single stage, cone stabilized rocket.

Construction:
Art's rockets are amazing. They are comprised of a small number of lightweight parts. This kit comes with a 1/4" foamcore board with printed patterns, a piece of gold mirror cardstock with patterns printed on the back, a piece of plain cardstock with parts printed on it, two nice white motor mount tubes (24 and 29mm), and a couple of feet of gold (!!) elastic shock cord. That's it! All the components are of very good quality.

Although Art's rockets may be tricky for you to build if you are unfamiliar with paper construction techniques, his instructions are clear and to the point. He will "walk" you through the process, and even if it is difficult for you, his instructions will get you there.

Construction of the cone rocket is unlike anything I've ever seen. The rocket is of a skeleton/shroud construction not unlike builtup R/C planes. Centering rings are cut out of the foam core with an X-Acto knife, then the edge is tapered with it. The shrouds are cut from the card stock and fit over the centering rings- these support the shroud and help maintain the shape.

There are two shrouds, an inside structural shroud and an external finish shroud. The internal one can be tricky to do- it has to be rolled precisely to the correct form. I had a little too much glue on mine, and it started to "grab" before it was in the proper position!! Fortunately, there was time to slip it into alignment before it set. The manufacturer has been informed of this, and will include a note in future instructions.

Next, you cut out the external shroud from the gold card stock, roll it to form, and glue a tab over the seam to form the shape. Additional gold reinforcing strips are added along the bottom 1/2" of the inside diameter. This is then glued over the structural shroud.

This rocket builds quickly, and despite my lack of experience and cautious pace, it was assembled and ready to fly in 2 hours!

Finishing:
Absolutely no finishing of any kind is required, and this rocket looks STUNNING. If you have other than the mirrored finish, you may want to spray the outside in clear enamel to preserve the preprinted graphics.

Easy and looks great- outstanding!

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
Prep is super easy. The completed rocket has a base plate with the motor tube built in, that "nests" into the forward shroud and tube. They are connected by the shock cord. Just tape in your motor, feed the shock cord into the shroud, and nest the tubes back together. (Be sure to align launch rod holes in the shroud with the one in the base plate) You are now ready to add ignitor and launch!!

Although this rocket requires no wadding, I put a generous ball of Quest wadding into the forward shroud (not motor mount) tube.

Since this rocket is built without a thrust ring, you can theoretically use a large variety of motors. Just extend them out the top of the motor mount tube and into the shroud tube. It is recommended that they protrude no more than 1/2" from the bottom, though. For the first flight, an Estes C11-3 was used.

The rocket was stood off from the blast plate 6" as directed in the instructions. Lift-off was fairly slow. Boost was straight, but not as leisurely as Art's saucers. This rocket gains some speed! The wide, flat base results in a HUGE smoke trail. It nosed over at apogee and fell for about a second before the ejection charge went off. Altitude looked to be about 250-300'.

The Cone is a GREAT candidate for demo flights on small fields. One of the most interesting low altitude flights I've ever seen.

Recovery:
The cone rocket separates into 2 pieces at ejection. The shock cord is retained by the centering ring at the top, and by an Estes-style tri-fold mount onto the bottom centering ring. The motor mount has a rolled paper gasket on the top which seals it into the 29mm tube. When the ejection charge goes off, it pressurizes the 29mm tube and separates the rocket with a loud POP! The lightweight pieces then tumble down, held together by the shock cord.

The tip of the nose stuck into the turf with a THUNK, but there was no sign of damage other than some soot stains on the base and inside.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
If you are willing to take your time and learn the required techniques, the cone rocket is a rewarding build. You will want to be cautious during forming of the shrouds and tapering the centering rings.

Even with all due caution, it builds fast. You get a simple but VERY UNIQUE looking rocket that flies unlike any other you'll ever see. It's a wonderful addition to Art Applewhite's line.

Get one of these!!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5