Brief:
The FlisKits UFFO (Unidentified Flying Foam Object) is a flying saucer oddroc that is built up with foam coffee cups and foamboard fins. It flies on 18mm B and C booster motors and uses tumble/featherweight recovery.

Construction:
The kit came packaged in a plastic bag and included the following parts:

• 14 4oz foam coffee cups
• 1 core tube
• 2 motor blocks
• 2 3/16" launch lugs
• 1 piece foamboard for fins
• 1 piece cardboard for wedges
• 1 pattern sheet
• 1 cup alignment guide
• 1 instruction sheet

The instructions for this kit are among the best I've ever received in a kit. They consist of 18 construction steps and lots of illustrations that take the guesswork out of assembling this very unusual model. There are no templates included in the instructions as they are included on their own seperate sheets.

This kit as rated as a skill level 2 kit but I feel that anyone that has built any skill level 1 or 2 kit can handle this with no problems. I would consider the skill level a high 1 to a low 2.

This kit does require the use of a hot glue gun for construction. FlisKits reccommends the use of high temp glue sticks. Trust me, this stuff gets HOT, about 200+ degrees Farenheight. Use extreme caution.

The construction begins with assembling the core tube. First, it is reccommended that you cut the core tube down to an even 7 inches. When that is done, you take an expended 18mm motor casing, mark it at 1/4 inch from the end, smear some white glue in the tube and take the marked casing and push the first motor block into place. You then apply another thin film of glue at the other end of the tube and insert the second block flush with the end of the tube.

I then marked a line down the tube and then glued the launch lugs into place, each one is placed even with the ends of the tube. I then applied glue fillets to the lugs for additional strength. That completes the assembly of the core tube.

You now cut out the core tube hole pattern from the pattern sheet and cut out the center. You then take two of the cups and trace the out the pattern and carefully cut out the holes for the tube and launch lugs. Be very careful, a sharp knife cuts through this foam very easily.

From this point on a hot glue gun is required. I then applied a thin film of hot glue to one of the cups with the holes in it and glued this assembly together. The core tube assembly is then slid into place until 3/4 of the top of the tube extends out from one of the ends. A rather thick fillet of hot glue is then applied at each end to secure the assembly.

Now it is time to assemble the outer ring of cups. You take the cup alignment guide and lay it on a flat surface. You then take two cups, apply a drop of hot glue to one of them and glue together. You then repeat this until you have half a ring. After the first assembly is dry, carefully remove it from the cup alignment guide, flip it around and continue repeat the previous steps until you have a complete ring assembly.

I then cut out the fin marking guide, marked the fin lines and cut out the fin slots. You then cut out the fin pattern, trace it onto the foamboard fin stock and carefully cut out the fins. It is reccommended that the fins are test fitted prior to assembly. I then glued the fins into place and then applied generous hot glue fillets for extra strength.

This completes the fin can assembly. At this point, it is time to carefully mount the fin can into the cup ring assembly. For proper assembly, the tips of the fins must touch each fourth cup. I then applied fillets to each cup/fin joint.

I then cut out the wedge template, traced it onto the cardboard and cut out all the wedges. There are 12 of them so be prepared to spend a bit of time on this step. These are required to strengthen the cup ring assembly so it will withstand the rigors of flight. You then install one in between each cup until all 12 are installed. At this point, you apply fillets to each /wedge/cup joint for additional strength.

PROs: Easy, quick, and rather fun to build.

CONs: None.

Finishing:
This kit does not require any finishing but you could always use magic markers and/or stickers to give it a personal touch. Painting is not reccommended as most paint solvents will dissolve the foam. The colored side of the wedges also add some color to the kit. Mine were dark green but I have seen light blue also.

PROs: No finishing required.

CONs: Rather plain looking but I don't necessarily consider that a con.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The reccommended motors for the UFFO are the B6-0 and C6-0. Using a motor with an ejection charge is not reccommended.

To prep this kit for flight, all you need to do is apply a layer of masking tape to the nozzle end of the motor and friction fit it into place.

I have flown my UFFO 4 times now. I used the C6-0 on all flights. On this motor, the model lifts off slowly, goes straight at first and tends to arc a bit but I find this rather interesting. Even with the C6-0, maximum altitude is about 50-60 feet. For this reason, I would not reccommend the B6-0.

If you want this model to last, I definately would not reccommend the use of any 18mm composite motors.

PROs: Very interesting and low altitude flights.

CONs: None.

Recovery:
This model uses featherweight recovery. At motor burnout, the model just falls to the ground for an easy, quick, no nonsense recovery.

PROs: Recovers easily.

CONS: None.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
I really liked building and flying this kit. However, if you are an altitude junkie that's looking for a model that flies hundreds or thousands of feet up in the air, this kit is not for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a low flying kit with interesting looks and flight characteristics, look no more. Check out the FlisKits UFFO.

If you were lucky enough to place an order for $15 or more with FlisKits before 10/1/05, it was included free during their 3rd anniversary. Now it can be purchased for $9.95. One thing you might consider is saving the instructions and templates so you could rebuild the model from scratch if you needed to. I liked this kit so much that I will eventually build the Espresso and Decaffienator kits too.

Main PROs: Easy and quick assembly, great flights and recoveries.

Main CONs: None that I can think of.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5