Model Minutes Leduc 22

Model Minutes - Leduc 22

Contributed by Chan Stevens

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Manufacturer: Model Minutes
Model Minutes Leduc

Brief:
A "paper rocket" made with cardstock and foam board. The kit is designed to fly on either 18 or 24mm engines. A nice cloth parachute is provided for recovery.

Construction:
This kit basically consists of several sheets of printed cardstock, a wooden dowel, and a sheet of foam board. A cloth parachute, clear windshield material, and a few other items are provided as well.

The directions are in red/blue 3-D. I found this to be extremely annoying. It didn't matter if I was using the glasses or not--it hurt my eyes to look at the pictures. Once you get over the 3-D thing, the directions are very well thought out and easy to follow.

The patterns and cardstock were written in French. This caused several delays because the proper parts needed to be identified by process of elimination. The directions looked like translations from French but were done well.

Model Minutes Leduc The tubes can be tricky to make if you have never built something like this. Some of my parts didn't match well but I attribute that to my errors.

The motor choice must be made near the start of the project. I chose the 18mm motor mount for my project, but more daring craftsmen may choose the 24mm mount. The provided clay weight was more than enough for the 18mm and there looked to be plenty for a 24mm engine.

Finishing:
Finishing can be a tricky endeavor. Sealing the paper with primer is important for a good finish. Paint will dissolve any exposed foam so these areas need to be sealed well. The paper tubes you make are thinner than standard body tubes so filleting becomes tricky.

Construction Rating: 3 out of 5

Flight:
The flight was great. I added all of the provided clay and that made it a bit overstable. It tipped into the wind and I ended up losing the rocket in some trees.

Recovery:
Regardless, the flight was perfect with a great deployment.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
It comes with a two page history of the aircraft. I've never heard of the aircraft but it was interesting to build a "scale" model of it. This rocket is one of the more interesting designs out there.

This kit is a cross between origami and brain surgery. The frightening thing is that this kit is labeled "Expert" which is one level below "Professional". I can't imagine building one harder! This kit is definitely a challenge. If you have plenty of time and love a challenge, this is the kit for you. I recommend building a beginner kit from the company before you build a harder one.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews
  • Model Minutes Leduc 22 By Chan Stevens

    Brief: Based on the 1953 French ramjet attempt to hit Mach 2, this very challenging paper model looks impressive and flies amazingly well. I would recommend it highly to anyone with prior experience with paper rockets. Construction: Drake's review covered the basics, presumably an older version of this kit. My kit was purchased in early 2005 and I'll focus on the differences. ...

Flights

comment Post a Comment