<= Click on the image to the left to automatically start the RockSim Launch Visualizer. There is no software to download - try it right now for FREE! If you want general tips on building rockets, be sure to check out our Advanced Construction Videos. There are well over 200 YouTube videos that cover things like painting, assembly techniques, and flying model rockets. Therefore, if the modeler is young, make sure they have adult supervision during construction so they don't skip over the written text. Younger modelers may not read them thoroughly. There are eight pages of illustrations to help you build this model, But even with all the great illustrations, you'll find that the instructions still have a high amount of text on the pages. The kit instructions (available here) are the best in the rocketry industry. You'll be glad you bought this kit just for the fin jig! The investment in this kit will yield many benefits for your rocketry program for years to come. The jig is so useful that we think that you'll use it on other rockets too. It holds them securely so that they don't shift around on you while the glue is drying. The fin jig also allows you to glue all the fins on each stage at the same time, which saves you time.
This is one of the reasons this rocket so easy to build. It allows you to get all the fins perfectly straight on the rocket in order to minimize the drag so the rocket can fly higher. To make it as easy as possible to glue on the fins, this rocket kit comes with a special cardboard fin alignment and spacing jig. Actually cutting your own fins takes a small bit of skill, more than a more beginning rocket demands. While it is easy to build, and you'll probably have it together in under an hour, we didn't put it into our beginner kit category because of the opportunity to cut your own fins. We rank this rocket as a Skill Level 2 rocket on the Apogee Components complexity scale. That means it is easy to build and can be used with beginner rocketeers, although we suggest that it be used with modelers that have built at least one rocket before. It makes constructing rockets as enjoyable as flying them. You'll be happier because everything goes together much quicker. The cool thing is that the fin alignment guide also holds the fins while the glue is drying, so you don't have the frustration of the fins falling off when you turn your head when building other rockets. It eliminates the variable of crooked fins because every shape you test will have fins that are attached straight. That means the flights will launch straighter and more importantly, will fly higher. To solve this issue, we included a cardboard fin alignment jig, so your rocket's fins will be perfectly aligned every time. A single crooked fin will skew the results and make you think that the fin shape was what caused the altitude to be so low. The other thing that greatly affects the performance of the rocket is how straight the fins are. With most of the rocket staying the same from one flight to the next, you will be able to make a better comparison between fin shapes. In the past, people would build different rockets and forget about the variability they are adding by using different components each time. That means that the surface finish of the top will be exactly the same from one flight to the next.
First, we made the top section of the rocket independent from the fins. We did two things to assist with that for this rocket. One variable that is difficult to control is the quality of the construction of the model.