LOC/Precision Starfighter-152

LOC/Precision - Starfighter-152 {Kit}

Contributed by Andy Miller

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Manufacturer: LOC/Precision

Picture courtesy of LOC/Precision        
Rocket Pic

Brief:
Loc/Presicion Starfighter is an aggressive looking mid power rocket that resembles a jet airplane.

Modifications:
I used an 18 inch custom parachute from Recovery Technology. There really wasn't anything wrong with the original, I just liked the Recovery Technology chute. The original would most likely do just as well. I used a clip for motor retention and replaced the shock cord with 12 feet of 600 lb Kevlar®.

Construction:
The rocket consists of:

  • one single tube
  • two wings and a tail
  • the two wings have four stabilizers

This kit is an easy build for anyone familiar with plywood fins. The hardest part is aligning the wings/tail properly and cutting the the bottom launch lug cover lengthwise. The instructions are fairly easy to understand and were usable, but for my 46 year old eyes, they could have been printed a wee bit larger. This bird is solid as a rock once the epoxy cures.

Finishing:
No special requirements or techniques, no decals are included, and paint is same as any other project of this type.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
I wasn't comfortable using an E motor in a small bird of this weight, so I went straight to the F20 motors. It does require wadding (in my case "barf" cause that's what I had at the moment). Motor retention is a friction fit straight out of the box, however I included a motor clip just to be safe. It flies spectacularly on an F20 motor--boost is straight up and out of sight.

Recovery:
The Starfighter recovers fairly close due the smallish chute. I replaced the shock cord with 12 feet of 600 lb Kevlar®, through the upper motor mount adaptor and wrapped it around the motor mount, epoxying it there after knotting it. The chute does have a small amount of burning on one side now after 5 flights (all on F20s) but that was my fault as I didn't add enough barf on its first flight.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
I didn't find any cons although I thought the shock cord attachment according to the instructions wasn't enough, but I prefer to overbuild everything.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • LOC/Precision Starfighter-152 By Patrick Corless

    A light small 29mm rocket with a stealth like appearance. A true departure from the traditional Loc kits. Single body tube design, with 2 large wood fins and 4 smaller stabilizing fins on the outer ends. This was my first Loc Precision kit, so I was not sure what to expect in terms of quality. After opening the package and examining the contents, I was very satisfied. The tubes were smooth ...

Flights

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