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Contributed by Dick Stafford
Brief:
Well, it took me so long to fly this rocket that there are already a couple of good reviews. But since I already had
started my review, I might as well offer my opinion too.
 Earlier this year, LAUNCH Magazine
commissioned Semroc to produce a kit based on the missile depicted in their logo. The result is the
LAUNCH Missile (i.e. The Rocket that
Launched a Magazine). The first 300 kits were reserved for LAUNCH subscribers. As you can see, I got one.
The LAUNCH Missile is a 4FNC kit that flies on 18mm motors and is recovered by parachute. The main distinguishing
feature is a ribbed tail section and the custom decal set.
Construction:
The kit consists of 1.34" diameter main body and a 0.759" diameter payload. The nose cone and transition
are balsa and were very smooth. The balsa fins, centering rings, and tail cone vanes are all precision laser-cut. The
nominally 18mm motor mount includes both a spring hook and cardboard block. Recovery is handled with a Kevlar®
leader, a elastic cord, and a plastic chute. These are connected to the transition with a hefty screw eye, which
undoubtedly also is used for nose weight.
 The motor mount assembly is assembled like any other mount. The slit for the spring hook
was pre-cut in the mount. Semroc instructs you to tie a loop in the Kevlar®
cord and hook it under the motor hook. The cardboard block sits in the end of the motor tube and abuts the tab on the
motor hook. The motor hook is held down with a pair of centering rings. The rear ring is slotted to mate with tabs on
the laser-cut vanes. I am so happy they invented lasers! These tabs fit nicely and made the installation of the vanes a
snap. The only 'extra' I did was to wick some thin CA into the thin tips of the vanes once they were attached. Once
dry, the mount is easily inserted into the main tube,
The four fins and launch lug are positioned via a marking guide in the instructions. The elastic is then tied to
the Kevlar®
cord and the screw eye.
Finishing:
I 'painted' mine with white primer covered with a clear coat to make a semi-gloss finish. The kit comes with decals,
which I also coated with a clear coat before application. These went on fine except for the inverted-U shaped decals
that were to fit over the root of each fin. It appears that I am not alone here. The edge of a couple of these flipped
on themselves and it was difficult to straighten them out. As a result, I removed them all.
Construction Rating: 4 out of 5
 Flight:
I used a piece of Quest wadding crumpled into a ball and some dog barf. Unlike many of my models, I decided to use
the stock chute. Since the wind was brisk, I decided to fly the Launch Missile on a B6-4. The boost was quick and
straight considering the wind.
Recovery:
Eject appeared to be at apogee and the stock chute did its job.
Flight Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary:
I think this rocket look nice and the quality of the kit is typical Semroc. And I can't beat the price! Given a
calmer day, I'll might try a C6 motor...but the B6 is a really good choice for this small rocket.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Flight Log- Post a Comment -
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