Brief:
This is another innovative MicroMaxx rocket from FlisKits. It was developed by Jim Flis based on customer requests and in preparation for the upcoming NARAM contest. Based on my results it will likely be a very popular model at NARAM and any 1/8A HD competitions.

Construction:
The parts list:

• BT 2.5 Body Tube
• NCB 2.5TW Nose Cone
• 0.060" Fin Stock
• 3 Launch Lugs, 0.5" Long
• 1 Launch Lug, 2.0" Long
• 2 Centering Ring
• 1 0.060" Diameter Wood Dowel (8" long)
• SIG-062 Contest Rubber band
• 0.020" Brass Wire, 4" Long
• 3 Small Pin Hinges
• Parachute Shroud Line

The components provide in the kit are very high quality. The instructions are very well laid out and provide many pictures. FlisKits rates this as a skill level of 3.5 and it is at least 3.5 although challenging it is well worth it. Take your time reading and re-reading the instructions prior to each step. Here are a couple steps to be very careful of:

• Step 2: You have to drill a port hole for the motor ejection charge to vent. After drilling the hole, sand the inside of the tube to eliminate any burrs on the tube.
• Steps 4-6: The fin construction and sanding can be a little tedious, but take your time and sand carefully. In Step 6, you glue the 2 halves of the blades using the angle guide. I duplicated the angle guide in ¼" balsa which allowed me to set the blade aside to dry.
• Step 10: You assemble the piston and as I highlighted above make sure the centering ring on the shaft slides past the drilled hole freely.
• Steps 13-14: You assemble the hinges to the shaft and as noted in the instructions make sure you don't get glue on the hinge pin in the center of the hinge. I chose not to add the shroud lines to secure the hinges to avoid the extra weight.
• Step 15: You attach the blades to the shaft/hinge assembly. Be very careful watch the orientation of the blade--this is critical to the performance of the model.
• Be careful with your use of the wire. I ran a little short and had to use some of my own. This was not a kit or supply problem, it was more related to me leaving too much extra on each of the wire forms.

I chose to not use the launch lug and launch this off a position launcher.

The instructions provided by FlisKits are exceptional and if you read and follow them carefully you should have no trouble building this kit.

Finishing:
This is a contest model and as a result the only finishing I did was to color the underside of the blade with black Sharpie to improve its visibility in the air.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
Flight preparation is the easiest I have experienced when dealing with helicopter models. All that is required is to tape the motor in the motor/piston tube, fold and hold down the blades, and push the piston toward the nose cone making sure the blade hooks catch the front of the piston tube.

I made 2 flights today with the Tiddlywink each time the rocket launched nice and straight to a very good altitude.

Recovery:
The ejection appeared to occur just before apogee, but the blades deployed immediately and began to slowly spin. The rocket slowly descended to the ground not far from the launch pad. The flight time was about 20 seconds. The second flight and recovery was almost identical to the first with flight time of 19.5 seconds. It was very easy to see that if the rocket had found any thermals, it had the potential to fly away.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
As I built this model I was very impressed by the features FlisKits incorporated into this kit especially the piston ejection system which allows flight preparation to take less than 2 minutes. This kit will surely become your favorite helicopter kit after flying it a few times.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5