Brief:
The Loki Research 38/480 motor casing and I405 reloads are perhaps the highest performance to lowest cost ratio of commercial 4-grain 38mm motors available on the market. If you are looking for colored flame reloads, then Loki Research motors may not be for you. Jeff Taylor of Loki makes no excuses about his products delivering nothing but the highest performance and motor effects be darned...

Construction:
The motor casing has more parts than AeroTech or Pro38 hardware. Loki Research motors are most notably different because the graphite nozzle is considered part of the motor hardware, not a disposable part of the reload kit. The parts list:

• 1 motor casing with built-in thrust ring
• 1 forward bulkhead
• 1 graphite nozzle
• 1 stainless steel nozzle washer
• 2 snap rings

The reload kit instructions are very thorough and walk you through assembling the reload. One feature that some folks may or my not like is using snap rings to hold the motor together. It all depends on one's level of comfort with using snap ring pliers. [SAFETY NOTE: As written numerous times in the reload instructions, wear eye protection when installing and removing the snap rings from the motor casing.] Once you get beyond any awkwardness with the snap rings, I would say that assembling the motor is comparable in difficulty to assembling an AeroTech reload.

Finishing:
The Loki hardware stands out from the other commercial brands hardware by coming in a very rugged and attractive anodized blue.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The reloads do not come with an igniter in the package. That's not much I am a big fan of Quickburst igniters and the Quickburst Slim Gems fit easily inside the nozzle and ignite Loki reloads on the first try. Unlike AeroTech or Pro38 motors, there is no plastic cap that covers the end of the motor and holds the igniter in place. (There isn't even a method of securing one if you had one.) Therefore, I fold the igniter leads and use a wrap of masking tape around the base of the motor to hold the igniter in place.

I have not had a chance to use an I110 reload yet, but the I405 propellant has a very bright white flame (bigger and brighter than comparable AeroTech White Lightning or Pro38 Classic propellant reloads) with enough white smoke to easily track the rocket during flight.

Recovery:
The delay is set with a LokiDAT or Cesaroni/Pro38 ProDAT tool. If using a ProDAT, the delays while not as close as the Pro38 motors, they do allow a greater time range of adjustment. Most Loki reloads (the slow burn I110 is the only exception currently) come with a 17 second delay. The LokiDAT allows the flyer to shorten the delay to 13, 10, 8, or 5 seconds. I have found the delay times to be more than acceptably close to the listed times.

The reload includes 1.5g of black powder for the ejection charge. The ejection well could easily hold another 0.5g under the plastic cap too. It is recommended in the instructions to use some wadding (or masking tape works well) to ensure that the BP stays seated against the opening to the delay grain. 1.5g is quite a bit for most rockets with airframes up to 4" in diameter so you might not need or want to use all of it.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
If you are looking for high performance rocket motors (that happen to be very affordable too), take a good look at the Loki Research motors and hardware. If you want motors with effects and colors, these aren't for you.

PROs:

• Easy to prep and clean up.
• Reliable, fast ignition.
• Adjustable ejection delay with LokiDAT (or Pro38 ProDAT) tool.
• Wide range of ejection delay times available.
• Suggested retail for reloads are cheaper than other comparable size reloads from other manufacturers.
• I405 reloads can ship via USPS without any HazMat fee.
• There is plenty of BP included with the reload for the ejection charge.

CONs:

• Requires snap ring pliers (purchased separately) for assembly/disassembly. Wood dowel is needed for disassembly too.
• Hardware is expensive.^**
• Igniter is not included with reload.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5