(Contributed - by Douglas Gardei ![[Who's Who Page]](../../images/i_owl.gif)
- 10/01/02) 
Brief:
Dual 18mm motor mounts. Designed to produce two distinctive smoke trails
when launched.
Construction:
The Deuce's Wild comes with Estes quality parts. The Body tube is BT-60 sized,
and is topped with a nice Balsa nosecone. The kit includes two 18mm motor
tubes, and two thrust rings. No motor hooks are provided. Two sheets of balsa
is used to cut out the four large fins form the pattern provided. The balsa I
got was little on the soft side for my tastes. You also get piece of card
stock, and a peal-and-stick pattern to make the two unique centering rings. The
recovery system consists of a piece of elastic for the shock cord, and an
official Fliskits 16" parachute that can also be cut down to 12" or
8". The kit also includes two pieces of 1/8" launch lug material...
which I believe is two small for this rocket... 3/16th would be a lot better.
The most challenging part of the kit is the motor mount construction. The
first edition of the instructions suggests a method that I think is impossible.
I decided to do it my my own way. Construction starts with drawing a single
line down the length of each tube, and marking the location where the motor
spacer will go.
Then it is time to
make the centering rings. The backing of the pattern is removed, and the
pattern is stuck on top of the cardboard stock. Using a sharp knife, the
centering rings are cut out. You will end out with three pieces. The Lower
Ring, Upper Ring, and the Motor Spacer.
This is where I differ from the instructions. The instructions want you to
glue the spacer to the upper ring first... what? How am I going to do that?
Gluing the tip of the triangle to the centering ring... by the tip... and keep
it aligned? I have a better way.
I glued the spacer to one of the motor tubes. When the glue set, I attached
the other tube to the other side. I set the assembly on a flat surface to dry.
I cut the upper centering ring in half, removed some material from the
"tip", an glued them into position. I attached the Lower Ring
following the instructions.
The fin marking guide is used for two purposes... to allow you to mark
where the fins go... and provide the pattern to cut out the voids in the
bodytube where the motor tubes will be sticking out. Then the motor mount
assembly is glued into place.
The rest of the kit is assembled like any other brand of kit. You have to
cut out the fins by hand, but the should be no problem for an experienced
modeler... besides... that is small stuff compared to the motor mount just
assembled.
Finishing:
I decided that I wanted a smooth transition between the canted motor tube, and
the body tube, so I used some Bondo Spot Putty to fill in the small gaps in the
joints. After I was satisfied with the filling, I gave the kit several coats of
Rust Oleum Light Gray Automotive Primer, sanding between coats.
I decided that I wanted to paint the rocket a scheme worthy its name... I
wanted some bright bold colors, and gold to add class. I gave the entire rocket
a base coat of Yellow paint. Then I masked off two of the fins, and prepared a
spiral up the body tube. I used Sunny Red spray paint. After the Red dried, I
masked off the spirals, and the two red fins, and painted the area between the
fins gold. I also painted the nosecone gold. There were no decals with the kit,
those big fins are itching for something wild :-)
When the painting was finished, I assembled the recovery system. The shock
cord was a standard piece of 1/8" elastic, and under a foot length. I did
not want the nose cone to slap back into the body tube. so I extended the
length of the shock cord. Also, I would suggest using 1/4" shock cord with
this size kit, since 1/8" cord wears out faster, and handles less weight.
The instructions were not clear on which size chute to use, but I decided that
the 16" chute would be the best choice due to the large wing of the
fins. The shroud lines are attached with adhesive strips. Not a good idea... I
suggest using those hole punch reinforcement disks instead.
Construction Rating:
3
½ out of 5
Flight:
FlisKits recommends dual A8-3's, B6-4's, and C6-5's for the Deuce's Wild kit.
My local hobby shop was out of B6-4's, so I bought a pack of B4-4's instead. I
uses Estes Solar Igniters coated with a thin layer of Magnelite to
assure reliable ignition of both motors. The flight with the 2 A8-3’s was
a nice and short. The parachute fully deployed, and the rocket landed close to
the pad. Dual B4-4 motors offered another great flight. A shroud line came
unattached from parachute, resulting in minor damage to the root of a fin. The
flight with dual C6-5’s was the best. It exhibited a slight wobbled in
flight, probably because the wind was picking up. The rocket landed on the roof
of the school.
Two days later, my Deuce's wild
kit was recovered off of the roof of the High School. It was found floating in
a puddle of water. I was able to remove the motors before they dry and glue
themselves into the motor tube. The Deuce has some water damage, and the Balsa
cone swelled with water saturation (or the tube shrunk?), but that is a easy
fix by leaving the rocket in the hot car to dry out... and to adjust the fit
with sandpaper. One fin came unattached from the body, probably because it had
a small crack in it when I launched it on the 2 C's, and when in the water...
the glue dissolved... The recovery system is shot... but I'll just put in an
Estes 18" chute and replace the shock cord with a 1/4" piece of
elastic. It will fly again... I am itching to stick two D13-7W's in it :-)
Flight Rating:
4
½ out of 5
Summary:
Overall, the Deuce's Wild is a very nice it. There is room for improvement, but
you have to give FlisKits credit. The kit was very professional looking, and
the design of the rocket is very unique. This kit is worth the money, and will
turn heads at every launch. Just make sure your launcher can handle it, and
pray that both motors light :-).
Overall Rating:
4
½ out of 5
(by Jason Toft - 04/15/03) 
Brief:
An awesome little rocket with dual canted motor mounts. Just BEGGING to be
upscaled
Construction:
When I received my Deuce, there was one 17 inch BT-60 tube, a balsa nose,
fin stock, motor mount materials, and other miscellaneous materials required
for construction. (launch lugs, chute, etc.)
I opened the package and inspected the quality of the materials. Wow, cool!
A balsa nose cone! As a rocketeer beginning in the "age of plastic"
that was an unexpected surprise! Without repeating what Doug said in the above
review, the rocket went together with very few hitches.
I did have a little trouble with the motor mount, so I fired off an e-mail
to Jim Flis, owner of Fliskits. He informed me that they had just received a
set of laser cut centering rings. Neat! He sent the rings to every rocketeer
that had ordered a DW. They made the construction so much easier.
The next step in construction was to put the patterns on the tube. This
also involved cutting out the pattern for the motor tubes so they could stick
out of the tube. I marked the fins, and the holes for the motor tubes. I then
roughly cut the holes. After the motor mount was dry, I inserted it and applied
a generous amount of wood glue. I also applied a small mount of glue around the
tubes.
After these few steps, I used some of Apogee Components FIXIT epoxy clay
around the motor tubes. The clay is so easy to work with, just mix until it is
a single solid color, and apply! I rolled it into two snakes and rubbed it in!
Dipping my finger into water made it easy to achieve a smooth finish. See
picture (above, right).
The large fin pattern was now traced onto the one-eighth inch stock and cut
out. Fliskits says that this is supposed to make you think about your rocket,
rather than throw it together. I did not round the edges, I didn't feel that
this was necessary. The fins attached quickly, and I applied Fill n Finish
fillets, and a small fin faring with the . I sealed the fins with one coat
of thinned wood glue and two coats of sanding sealer. Finally, I sealed the
nose cone with FIVE coats of sealer.
Finishing:
To commemorate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win of the Super Bowl, I attempted to
paint the rocket in their colors. What I ended up with has more of one or the
other color. For example, I have too much black, and the red is kind of off.
But the rocket look very, very good!!! See the before and after painting
pictures.
Construction Rating:
5
out of 5
Flight:
For the first flight, I used a non-recommended set of two B4-4's. Only one
motor lit, causing the rocket to lawndart about two feet from a tree! Whew! The
following flight, I used two B6-4's. Both motors lit, producing the AWESOME
smoke trails that the rocket is designed to produce!!! I have many great
pictures, as you can see. In all, I have flown the rocket five times, with only
one motor igniting two times. I recommend using the B6-4, because the high
thrust, short burn will get the rocket to enough altitude for the chute to
deploy. The C6-5 shouldn't put it too far out of sight, but use a large field
when doing this. I used my new digital camera to take all of these pictures.
Recovery:
I used my 16 inch nylon cute in place of the plastic chute supplied with the
kit, because I have made friends with nylon!
Flight Rating:
5
out of 5
Summary:
Mr. Jim Flis and his partner, Brian McCarthy, have produced an excellent
product that will be adored by rocketeers forever. The dual smoke trails are
awesome, and I am currently working on a 24mm upscale, will provide pics of
that and a review soon.
THANKS FLISKITS!!!
Overall Rating:
5
out of 5
(by Carl Tulanko - 05/20/03) 
Brief:
The Deuces Wild is a very unique model rocket from FlisKits, a newer company on
the block in the model rocket industry. The Deuce boasts a cluster using dual
'canted' 18mm motors, which gives it a really cool look both on the pad and in
the air.
Construction:
The model came in a plastic bag, similar to Estes Rockets, but that is where
the similarity ends. Inside the bag was a real balsa nosecone, something I have
not seen in kits for years, along with motor mounts, plenty of Balsa for fins,
parachute, hardware and body tube. What impressed me was the quality of the
components; the bodytube has a nearly invisible spiral!
Moreover, when I purchased my 'build' kit, it came with the new laser cut
fiber centering rings, which was one of the changes mentioned/recommended in a
previous review. In fact, I had purchased an earlier Deuces Wild! kit, serial
#9, but wound up saving that one due to the low serial number (yes, they
actually serial number the first 100 kits produced off each line; a nice
feature for collectors). When I ordered the second Deuce, FlisKits sent me an
extra set of laser cut CR's for my 'pre-mod' kit so it would also have the
upgrade. This was the first time I had seen a manufacturer actually follow
through with suggestions from rocketeers, then actually ship an upgrade for the
model; this is the kind of service that is unheard of in this day and age; well
done FlisKits!
Building the model was a blast as the well written instructions made it very
easy to construct. I started by using the new fiber laser cut CR's to build the
motor mount assembly and it went together well. Extra tips in the instructions
on keeping the mount 'square' to the CR's made it very easy to assemble. The
MMT uses an upper and lower centering ring, with a triangle support wedge for
additional support and proper spacing of the rings; it is a very solid unit
once built.
Following the MMT construction, you need to cut out a 'wrap' for marking
and cutting the body tube. My wrap fit perfectly and I marked the position of
the fins, launch lugs and the openings for the MMT tubes. Next, I cut out each
motor tube opening and test fit the MMT assembly; FlisKits has put some thought
and effort into their templates as it was a good match. The motor mount
assembly was glued into the bottom of the bodytube following the instructions.
A nice touch for the model is the fact that you have to 'cut out' your own
fins from balsa stock.
This was very enjoyable and made it seem like you were really building the
entire model, not just assembling parts like other mfgrs. Fin patterns were
simple to use and I was impressed at the fact that there was actually balsa
left over, another nice surprise as I had more than I needed, rather than
having to worry about being short changed. The fins were glued to the model and
they state that you do not need to round the edges of the fins. I decided to go
100% stock and followed all the instructions to the letter for that 'nostalgic'
look/build.
In keeping with tradition, I even used the paper shock cord
mount, provided with the templates. Once installed, I coated the top of it with
glue and to date is still in great condition, even with many launches. The
nosecone was next; they recommend using sanding sealer, but I used thin CA glue
instead, which after two coats and some sanding gave the nosecone that plastic
look and feel. An 'eye' screw is provided for mounting the other end of the
shock cord to the nosecone, which worked out well. Finally, the parachute was
assembled. FlisKits uses a plastic parachute similar to Estes, where the chute
is cut out per the instructions on the parachute plastic and shroud lines are
attached. One unique difference is that they use a single parachute pattern for
all sizes; you simply cut out the size you need from the pre drawn pattern.
Finishing:
I finished the model using Krylon paints, after rubbing Elmer's Fill and Finish
in the balsa grain; I did mine in a Red-Silver-Black pattern. After a few coats
of primer, the paint went on and covered well. I did not bother clear coating
as I didn't want to add extra weight. As is, the model is surprisingly light
considering it's size.
Construction Rating:
5
out of 5
Flight:
I showed up to the launch field on an off-week for our local club to find two
of our club officers getting ready to fly . We set up some pads quickly and
I began prepping the Deuces Wild for it's first flight. I used two B6-4's for
the maiden voyage and went completely traditional, using tissue for wadding and
masking tape to retain the motors.
Recovery:
The Deuce took to the air under dual power to a nice and low flight of around
250=92 or so and ejection happened just beyond apogee. The model floated gently
to the ground using the 16" parachute and landed without a scratch. With
as light as it is, I could almost bet it would take a tumble in without chute
and still do fine. I launched a few other rockets and by then the wind had
calmed a bit, so I prepared the Deuces Wild! again with a pair of C6-5's this
time. Both motors lit and the smoke trail was very defined and cool- I finally
got to see my first dual cluster smoke trail and it was a great one at that!
Altitude was very good, flight was straight as an arrow and ejection happened
right at apogee. From then on, I have been hooked. The Deuce had flown several
times since then, mostly on C6 motors and has even landed unscathed with a
broken shroud line on my chute. I have been very pleased with the looks and
performance of this model.
Flight Rating:
5
out of 5
Summary:
In summary, the FlisKits Deuces Wild! is an easy building, great flying model
that screams nostalgia, thanks to good old fashioned high quality components,
yet it boasts high tech with a canted cluster design. The manufacturers have
got it right on this one and I highly recommend this kit to anyone that wants a
great rocket that is even a better flier. In fact, I liked it so much I
designed and build a 38mm upscale of the 'Deuce' and hope to debut it at NSL
2003. More to come on that, but for now, I recommend you look at this modestly
priced model as an addition to your fleet. You don't have to worry about
gambling on this one as you just can't lose with 'Deuces Wild!'.
Overall Rating:
5
out of 5
(Contributed - by Dick Stafford - 07/01/03)
Brief:
Just another quick review of The Rocketry Forum's favorite kit...large fins, 2
canted 18mm motors, 'nuff said!
Construction:
I won't repeat all of this information, I'll just be pointing out what I think
are the high points, assuming you have read the other reviews, above.
The parts are all of good quality, and the laser cut fiber motor mount
components make assembly easy. With a balsa nose cone, and cut-them-yourself
fins remind me of the 'old days'. The only change I made was adding a leader of
Kevlar®
twine that I epoxied to the motor mount before its insertion.
Finishing:
I strengthened the tip of the cone with thin CA and filled all balsa surfaces
with Fill-N-Finish. The cone looks nice and is relatively hard, but the surface
is rougher than most. This required an extra filling cycle, but the end result
is great. The only other issue is that the proximity of the motor mounts makes
masking the fins a bit tricky. I painted mine sort of like the packaging shows,
using Testor's Sapphire and Lime-Gold Metal Flake paint. The Testor's paints
really look nice.
Construction Rating:
4
½ out of 5
Flight:
As with most model rockets, I used dog barf wadding wrapped in a layer of Estes
wadding. No motor hooks are provided, so I wrapped the motors in masking tape.
I flew my Deuce on 2xB6-4, 2xC6-3, 2xA8-3, and 2xC6-5, in that order. All were
great flights - the logs are below. Oddly, on the flight on the C6-5s, it
unexpectedly turned slightly with the wind at about 100'. Must have hit a gust.
Recovery:
On the first 2 flights, I lost shroud lines, so I replaced the 'chute with a
nylon one for the subsequent flights. The Kevlar®/elastic
shock cord kept the nose well away from the body. No 'smiles' here.
Let's see, take away a point for the 'chute, and half a point for the lack
of a Kevlar®
leader. Add back in 2 points for being totally cool, and you get a flight
rating of 5.5. Oops, can't go over 5 :-).
Flight Rating:
5
out of 5
Summary:
Cool looks, cool flights with dual smoke trails...5 points! BTW, someone else
at the launch is building a 24mm upscale.
Overall Rating:
5
out of 5
(by Mike Salter - 07/15/04)
Brief:
The Deuce's Wild! is (in my opinion) one of the most innovative kits available
at the moment and will undoubtedly become a classic. It's unique point is the
dual smoke trails from the canted motors, a great spectacle that grabs anyone's
attention. The moment I saw the Deuce (when FlisKits first opened), I wanted
one and soon set about trying to bring them to the UK...this basically involved
emailing Andy at Deepsky Rocket Shop until he stocked them!
Construction:
As with all FlisKits, everything was great quality. Lots of balsa sheet and a
lovely balsa nosecone too. The centering rings were laser cut which is a great
improvement over the balsa rings the early kits had.
The kit contained a lot of printed material, the sheet about clustering was
a nice touch as it showed FlisKits were definitely thinking of their customers
who had never clustered before (like me)!
There doesn't seem much use in me going through all the construction details
again as other reviewers have done that very well, but I found the Deuce went
together really well. The hardest part was cutting the gap in the main tube for
the motor tubes to stick out of, however, with a bit of care this shouldn't be
beyond any rocketeer.
Finishing:
The only area on the Deuce that needs special finishing attention is the holes
cut out for the motor tubes. If they're not dealt with correctly, there'll be
an unsightly seam.
I will admit I had a slight problem working out how to paint the Deuce, as
the cover card shows the diagonal band of blue/yellow but I couldn't work out
how it should look round the back. A quick post to The Rocketry Forum sorted
that out. The photos in Carl's review show how it should look.
Construction Rating:
5
out of 5
Flight:
I had fantastic weather for my first ever cluster flight. I don't have the
paperwork needed in the UK for motors so clustering is something I'm looking
to do much more of. For that reason, my first cluster flight was notable step.
I prepped the Deuce with two B6-4s and hooked her up to my cluster launcher.
The Deuce rose nicely of the pad as I tried to get a good look at the dual
smoke trails. Lovely!
Recovery:
The Deuce's Wild! recovers on a plastic parachute which is the only thing this
kit can really be faulted on. However, for the price it would be unreasonable
to ask for anything else and the one supplied did bring my model down safely
which is all that really matters.
Flight Rating:
5
out of 5
Summary:
The Deuce is a great kit, innovative, stylish, sleek, eye-catching and with
dual smoke trails what more could you want? Three would be better I guess so
I'd better get the Tres next!
Overall Rating:
5
out of 5
(Contributed - by Hank Helmen - 11/13/08) 
Brief:
This is a skill level 3, two engine canted cluster rocket.
Construction:
The Duce has one body tube and uses four fins. It comes with a very nice balsa nose cone and two parachutes. The
motor mount is unique but goes together easily and works great. Two pre-cut engine mounting rings are included with in
the hardware. A BT-60 body tube is supplied in the kit as well as 30" of thin shock cord. The 1/8" fin stock
was high quality balsa. The assembly instructions included an extra sheet "Hints for Cluster engines". Two
18mm engine blocks were also supplied, as well as two 1" launch lugs.
The Instructions are easy to follow and the supplied templates work nicely. The critical issue with this model is
the mounting of the engines.
With the supplied cardboard wrap around template for cutting out the body tube, the engine mounts come out just
right. you will need a very sharp #11 Exacto blade or single edge razor blade to cut the ovals for the engine mounts.
We added a Flis Kits ejection baffel kit into the body tube of the rocket. I am very happy with these baffel kits
as they seem to prevent burning of the shock cord, and calm the blast of the ejection charge somewhat. I have never had
an ejection failure while using one.
Finishing:
The rocket was finished in the normal manner with some spray can primer, a little light sanding with #400 grit wet or
dry sand paper then an overall coat of Testors White spray enamel. Next the lower half was masked off using masking
tape and newspaper. The top portion was sprayed with Ford metallic blue automotive touch up spray paint from the auto
parts store. The lower yellow fins were sprayed with Testors spray enamel from the hobby shop.
Construction Rating: 4 ½ out of 5
Flight:
The recommended motors are A8-3, B6-4 and C6-5. Two are required for each flight. The first launch used Quest
ignitors twisted together. On the second and subsequent launches Estes ignitors were used in the same manner. B6-4
engines are perfect for this bird, C6-5's work well also. There are no motor clips so the engines must be
taped into the mounts at the bottom to ensure ejection. We test flew the Duce on a rather windy day and she tracked
straight despite some angle to the launch rod to compensate for wind drift.
Recovery:
The shock cord is the cloth/elastic material and works well. Using the Flis Kits BAF60 ejection baffel kit worked out
nicely. There was no burn through in three seperate two engine flights and ejection was nominal every time. The launch
team decieded to use a couple of sheets of recovery wadding just in case. The supplied parachute was not utilized. An
older Estes 15 inch chute was subsituted and worked fine, no damage on three recoverys.
Flight Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary:
The Duce's Wild is a fun kit. Something differnt that flies great. The best thing is watching the two smoke plumes as
it climbs skyward. Building the engine mount you have to be careful but the supplied template really makes it easy.
Cutting out the second engine oval in the lower body tube can get a little dicy with the sharp blade! Be carful here.
The large fins make this a stable craft and the cluster engines really make it a home sick angel!
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5
Other:
I wanted the fins to be exactly straight and 90 degrees. In order to set this up I used a 90 degree carpenter's
square. I taped the rocket body down to a flat table top, then stood the square against the end where it could almost
contact the fin. I used a piece of 3 X 5" index card taped to the fin to hold the fin exactly parallel to the
square. The card was then clamped to the square with a clothes pin until the glue was dry. The next fin was put on 180
degrees to the first one, using the table edge as a "stop". The square was brought up as close as possible
and that fin was held in place the same way until the glue was dry. And so on with the other two fins.
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