usr quality

how is the quality of the body tubes, fins, nose cones etc etc on the us rockets kits compared to lets say loc tubing?

I can only comment on the nose cones, which are balsa, as opposed to LOC's plastic. The three 3" cones I have purchased are excellent quality.

ok does anyone else have anything to say?

yah ive read those but does anyone have any more imformation about the quality of the individual part?

There's a review of a kit that describes individual parts over on rmr right now entitled "Review: U.S. Rocket's "All Weather".

Here's a link:
https://groups.google.com/groups?dq...s?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=rec.models.rockets&spell=1

I have seen very few kits that are bad "quality"..a spiral wound tube is a spiral wound tube ..a piece of balsa is just that,balsa
there may be differences in the thickness and finish but it's all usually quality materials

If a manufacture sells bad "quality" stuff , they probably won't last long, all of the manufactures you have asked about(so far) have been around a long time and sell quality components.

ok im kinda new so i dont really know how long different companies have been around thanks for the info

Originally posted by bachsta
yah ive read those but does anyone have any more imformation about the quality of the individual part?

Click to expand...

I will try to answer the question directly.

Tubes:
Same manufacturer as LOC. The tubes are mostly white in color instead of brown like LOC uses. As such minor imperfections are more visible. Since tubes are made and stored in HUGE volumes, many get marks on them. The purpose for white wall is to reduce the amount of white base coat paint needed when painting, thus reducing weight, cost, labor.

Rings and fins (model rockets):
Plywood. Typically 1/8" Baltic Birch (1/16" for min dia kits, 3/16" for HPR). Cut by machine not stamping or laser. Therefore they are flat, fit properly, and are somewhat rough in finish. That makes the glue stick better. Always use Titebond or yellow aliphatic resin glues for assembly.

Couplers and launch lugs:
USR has the best couplers and launch lugs in the industry. They slide.

Jerry

Well I built four so far from the LPR and MPR range of kits.
Liked everyone, some of the fins were a little out-of-wack, but hey, it rains a lot this side of the pond.

They are well designed, solid and are great for a beginer to build.
Above all they follow the KISS principle. Loved the Banshee.

The information provided is second to none for more seasoned builders but can be a challenge for us who are less experienced.

Going to try the interesting Piston Stager over Winter.

So if you like a traditional kit that's designed for hard work and can handle it, I suggest you give them a try.

sounds great because ive been looking for kits that take a little longer to build. also jerry what kits off the instaship list would you recomend and why?

Originally posted by bachsta
sounds great because ive been looking for kits that take a little longer to build. also jerry what kits off the instaship list would you recomend and why?

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Sales have ramped up from the web forums since a couple of positive reviews were posted. So the instaship page has not been updated recently.

My top 10 from in-stock kits:

El Lubbo
Aero-Roc
38mm Easy Rider
Piston Stager
Hi-Test 2650
Warp 1.5
Miniroc 1.2
Miniroc 2
Warp-2
Scout Plus

Some commentary. I put El Lubbo on top because it is so unique, light weight and really shows in clear terms why overbuilding is just not necessary.

Aero-Roc is pretty much the "Alpha" of U.S. Rockets and who does not love the Alpha (bow and pray to Vern)?

Easy Rider is one of the newer kits and is made from our bulletproof 3" tube and is 38mm. Fly with CTI!

Piston Stager. It does stuff in flight! It can fly with wimpy Estes motors and STILL impress! If you do not own one, RUSH to your mail program and hit send. We will bill you later. No excuse on this planet short of dying should be between you and a Piston Stager.

2650 was our FIRST KIT. It is 2 stage 3 cluster 29mm. NOT FOR WIMPS!! Be a power freak "old school" style.

Warp 1.5 is a smaller lighter 38mm rocket which really flies great on 29mm Econojets as well. For someone transitioning from mass market mid-power to L1, this is really a perfect choice.

Miniroc 1.2. Have you read the review of the Fire & Forget kit? Kinda marginal review and I actually agree with it! Miniroc 1.2 was a transition from that principal and is dual deployment capable, better fin shape and quality, and generally better. Keeping in mind the Fire & Forget has been used as our "giveaway rocket" more than once including a "buying frenzy fad", online contest prizes, and build and take at several trade shows. With Miniroc 1.2 you just get more.

Miniroc 2 is a 2 stage 24mm direct staging. I like it. USR sells alot of them. It probably needs nose weight for a lot of motor combos.

Warp-2 is 54mm with 29mm conversion mount but it fits optional 3x24mm

Scout Plus is our newest 24mm dual deployment capable rocket. You need a RDH8 device in there and a G55-12. "You can't be serious." Includes 18mm conversion for that occasional B6-4.

Pretty much all kits include minimal or no recovery provisions. Plan on switching one of your chutes to these kits for flight.

Jerry

IMO a largely recoveryless kit is a good option. Keep prices down. I reuse all of my nylon and mylar chutes and most of my Questes plastic ones too.

My son built a miniroc 1.2 last night.

highs:

tubes - excellent
fins - excellent! top quality plywood and very nicely cut
nose cone - nicely turned. 29mm nose cones are hard to find, I may order a few extras.


lows:

instructions - unclear in some places, maybe wrong in others
what is the extra tube for? it fits in the coupler tube, but why?
why do the instructions list two coupler tubes? only one included, how would the other be used?
the disk for the eye bolt was the wrong size to fit inside the airframe tube
missing a shock cord - no biggie, we've got plenty


bottom line:

it's going to blast on a G40-10 tomorrow at ROC!!!

The tubes in the Banshee are very high quality! Nice to see large balsa nose cones. The ship is "old-School" which is exactly what I prefer. I think that an F-37W will work perfectly with it.

Now If I can get some free time to build it...



"Don't you hate it when School and Work cuts into your Rocket time?"

Originally posted by cls
My son built a miniroc 1.2 last night.

highs:

tubes - excellent
fins - excellent! top quality plywood and very nicely cut
nose cone - nicely turned. 29mm nose cones are hard to find, I may order a few extras.


lows:
what is the extra tube for? it fits in the coupler tube, but why?

Click to expand...

A CT-11-9-2 and a BT-9-3 form a 24mm conversion mount.

Originally posted by cls
My son built a miniroc 1.2 last night.

highs:

tubes - excellent

Click to expand...

what would you compare the tubing to? (estes? LOC? PML?)

Originally posted by bachsta
what would you compare the tubing to? (estes? LOC? PML?)

Click to expand...

Estes/LOC but white. Not as thick as LOC.

Jerry

thicker than estes though right?

with an F25-9, my son's miniroc did 3703', as measured by the Perfectflite Alt15k in the payload section. outta sight man!!!

we wanted to try it with a G40-10 but desert winds came up. next time!

wow thats nice