Brief:
A skill level 1, Minimum Diameter, 4FNC (4 Fin & Nose Cone), Sport Model.

Construction:
This model kit comes in the usual Fliskits packaging; a clear plastic bag, with eye-catching face-card, and transparent back, so parts can be clearly seen. As usual, this product is individually numbered — mine is #74.

The kit consists, mainly, of one high quality 228mm * 18mm card body tube, a balsa nose cone, and a sheet of best quality 2mm balsa for the fins. In addition, the kit consists of an 18-inch elastic shock cord, a nice long black crepe streamer, a decal sheet, a fin pattern sheet, and the usual other bits and bobs (launch lug, engine block etc.) Also of note, is a very good hints and tips sheet that covers the usual Flight Preparation (in much clearer detail and more depth than you’d find in a ‘Questes’ kit), and basic construction skills such as tips on fin attachment.

The instructions are up to the high standards that are expected of Fliskits.. They are VERY clear, contain clear diagrams; and, when combined with the Hints and Tips sheet, cover every stage of construction and the techniques needed for it.

As long as the instructions and hints are followed there are no gotcha’s, even for a beginner. Everything fit perfectly, with the exception of the nose cone, which required about 30 seconds of sanding to get the fit I wanted (I like my nose cones to fit a little on the loose side). That was personal preference, though; the original fit would have worked.

Actual construction was a breeze for somebody, like myself, who’s built a couple of LPR rocket kits previously. I imagine it would be challenging, but straightforward, to somebody building their first kit. I built it over the course of an evening whilst watching the telly, and chatting to a couple of mates who'd popped ’round for some ‘adult beverages.’

The tools required are the very basic ones. Eg: wood glue, model knife, pencil, sanding sealer, etc. All of which an absolute beginner would find in a local Hobby/Craft Shop. The only thing an absolute beginner might have trouble with is the expended engine needed to insert the engine block.

Finishing:
Finishing is simple, and is greatly helped by the quality of the parts. The balsa is very easy to fill and sand. The spirals on the body tube are virtually non-existent; a couple of coats of primer, a bit of fine sanding, and they’re gone!

The kit contains an idea for decoration on the face-card, however the instructions tells you that this is only a suggestion, and to use your imagination. I painted mine 'sunshine yellow' all over, and attached a couple of the excellent decals. The decals, again, are a collection of ideas, leaving the constructor to decide on their personal choice.

I finished off by spraying the whole thing in a couple of coats of clear.

Finishing took a few days, but I wanted to make sure that the coats were dry before sanding and applying another. I’m glad I did take the time, it was worth it.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
Recommended motors are: A8-3, B6-4, and C6-5. Armed with at least one of each, I went to launch on a lovely, almost calm, summer evening after work.

First flight was on an A8-3. The rocket shot off the pad, gained some serious air, and ejected at a perfect apogee. The generous streamer brought the model down a couple of meters away from the pad. The whole flight was just visible.

After re-prepping (very quick - 1 sheet of wadding; the streamer takes a bit of rolling, but thats not difficult), it was ready for its second flight on a B6-4. This didn’t hang around. Within 1.5-seconds, the thing was well out of sight. A few seconds passed, we heard the pop, and saw the large, black, streamer open up. We were able to see the whole descent, and were able to follow it into the next field. The recovery crew (my mate Derren, and his Bike), were able to find it with no problem. An awesome flight, one of my all time faves.

After the success of the last flight, the Flea was loaded with a C6-5. We all stood back, as we knew this was going to be a fast one, and we wanted a better angle to see it. Lucky we did as the Flea stripped a fin about 4m off the pad, and went into a C powered corkscrew! Nobody was hurt or in any real danger, as the puppy plunged into the ground (under power) about 6m away from the nearest person and did that very sad, ground based ejection pop, characteristic of a flight failure like this.

The lost fin was never found - how a bright yellow piece of balsa can go missing in a field of freshly cut grass is beyond me!

Upon examination, it was quite obvious that the fin joint was not strong enough. A fault which lies with me, and the fact I only put one white glue fillet layer on each fin joint — to save weight — instead of my usual 3+ layers.

Recovery:
The streamer included is superb. I got this kit to replace my Estes Viking, which had suffered a RIP a few launches before (I only found the nosecone and streamer, after a C launch). This streamer is at least twice the size of the Viking’s, and, being black, stands out more than the Viking’s orange one. The shock cord attaches to the inside of the body tube with the age-old 3-fold method. The other end is tied to the screw eye in the base of the nose cone. A length of cotton is then tied to the screw eye, and the other end of the cotton attached to the streamer. A simple system, but perfectly acceptable, and effective enough. No damage was found in between the successful flights.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This kit is a very good example of its type; a simple, minimum diameter, high flying, sport rocket.

One of the main pros of this kit is its simplicity, and ease of build. However, I would not recommend it to somebody who is a complete rocketry novice, with no access to anybody who's built/flown a rocket before. In that case I would recommend getting a Ready To Fly starter set; you get the pad/controller, and a ready built rocket to learn how to fly with. If you've got access to somebody who knows what they are doing, or have got few starter set flights under your belt then this is the kit for you! It would be an ideal kit for classroom/scout group situation.

There aren’t any real cons with the kit, the design is so simple, and tried and tested, that there’s nothing that can go wrong. The disaster I had was of my own making, and I’ve learned an important lesson from it: Don’t skimp on the fin attachment!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Specs:

• Recommended Motors: A8-3, B6-4, C6-5
• Length: 10.6-inches
• Diameter: 0.736-inches
• Weight: 0.35-ounces
• Recovery: Streamer