Brief:
The OverDue is a wild tube-finned rocket available only through a special promotional offer from Fliskits, Inc. It has stylish, nested tubes within tubes for fins, plus a simulated payload area which actually houses the parachute. Certainly a most unique and creative model from a company known for its devotion to customer service and fantastic designs.

Construction:
Since this product is not for sale and highly sought after, I will not reveal exact components. It would be fairly easy to clone but there are only a handful of authentic OverDue models flying today. You will have to receive a free authentic one due to a rare overdue Fliskits order or buy a "Long OverDue" model now being offered for sale by Fliskits. Jim Flis is making the Long OverDue available due to the constant customer nagging for a similar model. Materials include a nose cone, three different body tubes, the standard launch lugs, etc, shock cord, 16" parachute, the instructions and a fin pattern sheet.

This is a rather unorthodox skill level 2 kit, and I found the construction of the shroud and centering rings a little challenging since I haven't built many tube finned rockets and have only used balsa transitions in the past. The paper transition and tube templates made a difficult job easier. Another chance to show off skills is cutting and mounting the angular cut tube fins. I took my time on this and the results really showed. Even with the body tubes accurately marked with a template, you really have to be careful with the hobby knife. I found it is very important to keep the blade vertical to the tube at all times, or the blade would tend to wander off of the line. The instructions are really clear on all of the steps and the included figures are great. The parachute is attached with the usual 3-fold Estes style shock cord mount but I chose to go with an attractive, blue mylar 12" chute which compliments the bright blue finish of the model. Although I'm sure the elastic shock cord is fine, I added a length of Kevlar® below it which is very resistant to the hot ejection gases. The stock Fliskits parachute, which requires attaching shroud lines, is a great product. It is marked for 12", 14" or the full 16" size and should really be cut down to 12" for this bird. Any bigger and you may be chasing her far downwind. Construction provided enough challenges for me, and I'm sure that anyone can achieve nice results with time and care. If my 10 year old was building hers, I'd oversee and help with the cutting of all those tubes!

Finishing:
As per Fliskits standards, the tube spirals fill with but a single coat of primer. What wonderful tubes! Since I wanted to paint my Overdue with stock colors, I was forced to finish and spray paint the individual tubes before attaching them to the main tube. With paint on all of them, you may have to sand a little off to get the glue to stick. The final model looks great with stock blue, black and purple, and really attracts attention since nobody has seen a real one. I do think that Fliskits should include a decal with it, maybe the OverDue name or the Fliskits logo, especially since they wont be producing many. I may add my own anyway.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
I have only flown my OverDue once so far. It was prepped with dog-barf wadding and an A8-3. Weighing in at only one ounce, it flies surprisingly high and very straight. The main body tube is 18mm, (minimum diameter) and there is no engine hook.

Recovery:
You really have to wrap a few layers of tape to make sure the motor doesn't eject. I have already heard of someone forgetting this and the result was no nose cone separation, no parachute, and many crumpled tubes. With its rarity, I haven't had the courage to fly her with any larger motor yet. The recovery of mine was perfect, thankfully.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
This is a really great looking sport rocket. It has some unique fins requiring just enough skill to make construction interesting. Chances are that if you see one at the field, it is a clone attempt because Fliskits doesn't ship many of them. I love mine so much that it will spend more time on the shelf than anywhere else. Kudos to Fliskits on another great model!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5