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Fred Jarosch - Sentry ATA Missile"I just finished your kit. I don't want to spot you out on the WOOSH line, but I thought I would let you know what I think of it!! (1) Design, very good. The main reason I got it. (2) Chute, It looks and feels like it will work very well, but I don't like the cord. Might be on the weak side and I didn't like cutting them myself, no big deal. (3) Decals, I had trouble with them. They seem to be a little fragile. The one bad point about your rocket." (Editors Note: We listened to Fred and are now supplying heavy duty, pre-cut shroud lines with each of our kits. We've also changed our decal vendor to Baker Tom and are very happy with the quality of decals we now supply with our kits.)
Sven Knudson - TMRK Parachute"I test flew one of your parachutes this weekend during our regional meet. I fitted it into my Estes Ranger clone and fired it off with three B6-4 motors. That thing drifted for a quarter mile before it came down... and the chute was perfect! I would have tried to stuff it into my Nike Ajax, but it really didn't want to fit into a BT-20..."
John Kissinger - NASA Scout"The Scout came to my door while we were out grocery shopping. Been a long time since I seen that kind of quality in a kit. It kind of reminds me of a little of the pre-Damon scale Estes kits albeit your quality is better than that. I have a closet filled with kits right now but I'm going to put yours ahead of the others once I finish up a few a few parachutes on the Estes Mercury Redstone and the Neubauer Gemini-Titan. Could be awhile before the Scout's done. BTW have any tips on balsa filler coats? Now keep something in mind, the Scout is the direct descendant of the Vanguard. Little nipping, tucking and adjusting that scout kit you might have it. Ok I'll shut up bout that. Thanks for being so considerate and making a good product."
Sven Knudson - NASA ScoutProduct Review: NASA Scout BARs like me remember the 'good old days,' when model rockets were built from kits using wood and paper... well, those days are back. True Modeler's Rocket Kits (TMRK) is a new model rocket company that makes kits the way we remember them being: fun to build and fly. Their first offering is a 1/30 scale NASA Scout kit which represents the initial test version of the vehicle. It comes with a balsa nose cone and transition, four body tubes ranging from BT-5 to BT-60, centering rings, precut basswood fins, a 16 inch nylon parachute, shroud lines, two snap swivels, elastic shock cord, a screw eye, lead weights, a launch lug, self-stick decal, two template sheets and an instruction sheet. The step-by-step text instructions (many accompanied by illustrations) are easy to follow, with assembly broken down in to several sections: engine tube assembly, upper body assembly, and main body assembly. My model went together easily, but I found a flaw in my sample: the engine tube was 1/4 inch too long. Unfortunately, I discovered this after I had followed the instructions to glue the motor block into the tube. I easily fixed the situation, however, by gluing another motor block from my spares bin in front of the kit block. I notified TMRK by email (Support@TrueModeler.com) who has made sure that subsequent kits have the proper sized engine tube. If you've got an early edition of the kit, however, make sure you measure that tube! Other than that little adventure, the kit went together well: I wrinkled the upper shroud formed from the supplied template card a bit, but it was usable. In case you really mess up though, there is a duplicate shroud template card in the kit, a nice touch by TMRK. The engine nozzle is also formed from a cardstock shroud, along with an external centering ring. The nose cone's shoulder must be cut apart to form a nose block that is glued into the upper end of the top body tube, forming a bay for the supplied lead weights. I filled the nose cone and balsa transition with Elmer's Fill 'n' Finish, primed the entire rocket, and painted it flat white, with one fin and the engine nozzle painted silver. I didn't catch onto the fact that the decal wrap was a self-stick until after I had dunked it into some water. The finished model weighs in at 79 grams, including the parachute, and looks good, but I couldn't find any photos of the prototype vehicle, which flew with two live stages and three fins, so I have no idea how accurate it is. The model flew well on its first flight using a B6-4. It rose straight and true, with a weak ejection at apogee. Fortunately, the large 16 inch cloth parachute deployed, gently lowering the model for another flight. I enjoyed building this kit and look forward to more offerings by TMRK. True Modeler's Rocket Kits |
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