PoleCat Aerospace 4" Nike Smoke Kit vs. Madcow 4" Nike Smoke Kit-Pros and Cons

Hello,
I am considering a purchase of a 4" Nike Smoke Kit. I was wondering if anyone had input on the pros and cons of the MadCow Rocketry kit vs. the PoleCat Aerospace kit? Are the plywood fins in the PoleCat kit(after glassig or coating with carboin fiber) going to be stronger that the G10 fins on the MadCow kit? Is an all fiberglass tube stronger than a fiberglass wrapped phenolic tube?

Any input would be helpful.
Rich

I have a 7.5" polecat V-2 and I am very pleased with it. My 7.5 " polecat is preglassed cardboard tube, not phenolic. It is quite strong but the finish is rough and needs filler to finish. The birch fins are very strong but thicker than the G10 fins. The Madcow kit comes with the decal which is a plus. In the end I would say the Madcow kit is a bit superior but a bit more money and the question is if it is worth the extra cash. My answer would be yes.

Well, I don't have either of those kits, but I do have a Performance Rocketry 4" Nike Smoke, and I love it. Have you considered the Performance kit?

Both kits have pros and Cons and both are well made and well worth the price.

The biggest difference is what they are made of. one spiral wound fiberglass and G10 fins. the other Cardboard with a layer of glass. both work well ones a little stronger but a little more expensive.

If you want one that is BULLET PROOF the all glass kit may be your thing. if you want to save a little money and put a little more work into it then the cardboard kit may be better. either way you choose you WONT be dissapointed.

I have built kits from both companies and I did not have a single complaint with either.. I know that does not help much, BUT at least you can feel like you can't make a bad choice!

I was looking at Performance Rocketry's webdite and it lacks detail about their kits. What can you terll me about their Nike Smoke kit?
Rich

Estimado said:

I was looking at Performance Rocketry's webdite and it lacks detail about their kits. What can you terll me about their Nike Smoke kit?

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There's a datasheet at https://www.libertylaunchsystems.co...nceRocketry/ExplodedPartsViews/NikeSmoke4.jpg

These are all fine kits. The PR version is probably closest to scale since the Nike fin shape is reproduced in the molded fin can.

The Performance Rocketry kits are very basic. They are all fiberglass, which makes for a very durable and easy to finish rocket. The kit lacks any recovery gear, so you have to supply the rest. I personally like it that way, because I prefer to build my recovery system with the components of my choice, rather than what comes with other kits. I still think you have to attach the fins to the rocket, rather than a fin can. I just ordered this kit, so I am looking forward to building it.

Estimado said:

I was looking at Performance Rocketry's webdite and it lacks detail about their kits. What can you terll me about their Nike Smoke kit?
Rich

Click to expand...

It's all fiberglass, so it's very durable, but it's also very barebones. Performance Rocketry kits basically come with the fins, motor mount, a preslotted body tube, and the nose cone, as well as a couple of bulkplates and centering rings. You supply the recovery plus any motor retention that you want. They come with minimal to no instructions, but they are very easy to assemble, so if you have any experience at all, you shouldn't have a problem. The fins are molded nicely too, and they even have the correct scale thickness and bevels.

Oh, and I wouldn't buy them from Performance Rocketry directly, as they can be somewhat sketchy with their customer service. Buy them from Wildman, or 3 Dogs Rocketry, or Rockets Magazine, or some other vendor that has them in stock.

Oh, and here's a few videos of mine in flight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXVi-lEbJBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxbddJYjrws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw3RRJC0eBs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2swdG_sGVsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBfW49q1z3c

(Oh, and both Mad Cow and Polecat make nice kits too, definitely worth considering. I don't have any experience with their Nike Smoke kits though)

cjl said:

Oh, and I wouldn't buy them from Performance Rocketry directly, as they can be somewhat sketchy with their customer service.

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I would have to disagree. I ordered an Intimidator 5 from them, and the customer service was great. I had to custom order a 75MM motor mount and an extra coupler and bulkheads to make the design zipper-less. The e-mail response time was on par with any vendor, and I got a very good price on the custom work and shipping.

That said, if you want to order the kit along with everything else required to make it fly, then another vendor is a better bet, because you can order everything from one location.

COrocket said:

I would have to disagree. I ordered an Intimidator 5 from them, and the customer service was great. I had to custom order a 75MM motor mount and an extra coupler and bulkheads to make the design zipper-less. The e-mail response time was on par with any vendor, and I got a very good price on the custom work and shipping.

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Really?

I haven't had any personal dealings with Curtis, but I have talked with many people who have had problems. I did hear (I believe it was last year) that he was going to try to change that reputation, and he was going to try to get stuff done more quickly, but I haven't heard many reports since then (one way or another). If he is changing, that's excellent, as he definitely has great stuff. I use almost exclusively PR components for my scratchbuilds, but I usually order from Wildman or Rockets Magazine.

cjl said:

It's all fiberglass, so it's very durable, but it's also very barebones. Performance Rocketry kits basically come with the fins, motor mount, a preslotted body tube, and the nose cone, as well as a couple of bulkplates and centering rings. You supply the recovery plus any motor retention that you want. They come with minimal to no instructions, but they are very easy to assemble, so if you have any experience at all, you shouldn't have a problem. The fins are molded nicely too, and they even have the correct scale thickness and bevels.

Oh, and I wouldn't buy them from Performance Rocketry directly, as they can be somewhat sketchy with their customer service. Buy them from Wildman, or 3 Dogs Rocketry, or Rockets Magazine, or some other vendor that has them in stock.

Oh, and here's a few videos of mine in flight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXVi-lEbJBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxbddJYjrws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw3RRJC0eBs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2swdG_sGVsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBfW49q1z3c

(Oh, and both Mad Cow and Polecat make nice kits too, definitely worth considering. I don't have any experience with their Nike Smoke kits though)

Click to expand...

Does the 4" kit have the hatch detail on the nosecone?

Nope - no real nosecone detail.

Good information from all.

Chris, on the Performance Rocketry kit, you mention that the fins are pre-molded to replicate scale details. What material was used to make the fins? Are they mounted through the wall to the motor tube? Also, how far up from the aft end of the rocket tube is the aft motor tube centering ring mounted?

I'm considering this for a possible 2-stage design and I would like to have some room for a transition coupling

They are through the wall, and they are fiberglass. As for the aft centering ring, it's somewhat left up to you. The fin tabs would prevent you from mounting it too far forward, but you could push it forward a bit before hitting them (the tabs do not run along the full length of the root edge). I can measure how far forward the tabs start tonight if you want.

That would be helpful. Thanks.

I just measured - it's 3.75" from the back of the rocket to the back of the fin slots. You could easily leave 3-3.5 inches behind the aft centering ring for a coupler if you wanted to.