Brief:
24mm rear ejection fighter jet

Construction:
The kit contains:

• Pre-cut balsa fins
• Pre-assembled and pre-weighted nose cone
• Nylon chute
• 24mm mount
• Decals/stickers
• Plywood centering rings
• Rear ejection recovery parts
• Polystyrene engine pods

Fat Cat Rockets are known for their unique designs. The P.T.S. Shaman is no exception. The most unique aspect of this kit is the bizarre nose cone. It comes pre-assembled and pre-weighted so there is nothing for the builder to do but admire it. I think I spent more time figuring out how they made it then I did assembling the kit.

The rear ejection assembly went well. A Kevlar® cord in secured to a bulkhead. This in turn is tied to ½" flat elastic. The elastic is tied to the MMT and to the chute. The whole assembly is placed between the two centering rings on the MMT. The elastic is the weak link and should be checked often and replaced when it shows signs of damage. The simple but rugged design should hold up to years of service.

The fins went together quickly. Just a small amount of sanding readied them for assembly. The fins are surface mount so some hefty fillets are in order.

The directions say to glue the engines on with plastic cement. I used epoxy paste on the engines after sanding the joint area. I did this not because I disagreed with using plastic cement but because it's what I had.

Finishing:
I directions show it painted a Navy blue with a yellow underbelly. I had neither of these colors so I went with metallic silver. The stickers looked pretty good on the silver paint.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The first flight was on a D12-3. It did a slow roll as it ascended into the sky. It went much higher than I expected. Deployment came just after apogee but ejection charge sounded a bit louder than usual.

Recovery:
Right away I noticed that the motor mount and parachute was out but the rocket was still coming in. It never slowed down. I reached terminal velocity quickly and shortly thereafter, took an ice core sample. Right away I figured I must have done something wrong. When I picked up all the pieces scattered over the frozen tundra, it was evident that the shock cord broke. It just tore apart.

Flight Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:
With its fighter looks, the unique nose cone, and rear ejection, this kit will be one of my favorites to launch with the kids.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5