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Manufacturer: Art Applewhite Rockets
Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:
Contributed by Dick Stafford
Brief:
Arts latest product line is the Hourglass. The Hourglass rockets resemble
spool rockets. They have top and bottom circular plates with two cones between
the plates providing the hourglass shape. They are currently available in 13mm,
18mm, and 24mm sizes with all sizes coming in several colors. This review is
for the 24mm versions. The shorter version uses Estes D12 length motors and the
longer version uses the E9 length motors. Both will fly on most anything that
will fit.
Here are the specs:
Short Version | Long Version |
---|---|
Diameter = 3" | Diameter = 3.75" |
Height = 2.75" | Height = 3.75" |
Weight = 0.5 oz | Weight = 0.8 oz |
Construction:
These use the same paper and foamboard construction like the rest of Art's
products. Both sizes include:
Tools and supplied needed include:
Construction was simple as expected. You cut and form the cones, glue the plate patterns to the foamboard, cut them out when dry, install the motor hook, and glue all the pieces together. Thats it. The only two things to watch out for is to keep the plates parallel to each other and to make sure the launch rod holes are all aligned.
Finishing:
My Hourglasses used colored cardstock so no real finishing is needed. The short
version is day-glow orange and long is day-glow green. If you want to paint
them, Art recommends sealing the exposed edges of the foamboard with white
glue. He also recommends sealing the whole thing with clear enamel to make them
moisture proof. I used clear acrylic. The clear coat also gives them a nice
shiny finish.
Construction Rating: 5 out of 5
Flight:
I flew the short version on a D12-0 and the long on an E9-P. Both had the same
flight profile but of course the E9 version went higher. Both tore off the pad
like the proverbial bat. After burnout near the top of the flight, it was clear
that they were spinning wildly end-over-end. Since the boost was fast and
straight, I assume the tumbling started after burn-out, but I cant be
sure since they were so quick. Either way, the crowd loved them!
Recovery:
Both tumbled in nice and slowly.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
These are easy to build (as usual) and if you like Arts cones, you will
probably like the Hourglass series. If you like spool rockets, you will also
like them. The flight profile is a little different than a saucer. They
dont slow down as quickly and are totally unstable after burn out. They
are however, at a very respectable altitude at this point and keep going it a
generally upward direction, so this condition appears to be a feature not a
bug.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
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