Brief:
The Solar Express is a retro styled kit reminiscent of the Binder Design Galaxy. It is styled to look like a futuristic (as was envisioned in the 1950's) spaceliner.

Construction:
The materials include:

• 2.6" heavy weight body tube
• Balsa nose cone
• 29mm MMT
• Plywood centering rings
• Laser cut fins
• Nomex® parachute protector
• Nylon parachute
• Kevlar® and elastic shock cord
• Launch Lug
• Coupler tube
• Plywood bulkhead
• Water slide decal sheet
• Assorted hardware

All materials were of the absolute best quality and made for an excellent value from a parts point of view. The 2.6" balsa nose cone was really impressive as were the included Nomex® flame shield and nylon parachute. This kit was a early production/prototype.

The instructions were on a par with those produced by Estes and were very easy to follow. Basic mid-power skills are all that are needed to craft this rocket. The recovery harness is mounted to the MMT with a Kevlar® leader and extended by a elastic cord. An interesting design feature is the way a coupler tube is used to create a nose weight compartment instead of the usual drilling a hole in the balsa cone or attaching washers to the base of the cone.

During the assembly of my kit, I did find that the coupler tube used to extend the nose cone was too large for the body tube. I spoke via email to Mike Stoop, owner of MadCow who checked stock and promised to correct the situation. I fixed it by peeling a layer off the tube. Having done so, the tube was a little weak so I chose to fill it with 2-part foam.

The balance of the assembly was straightforward mid-power assembly and I would easily recommend this as a first MPR kit.

Finishing:
The nose cone required a bit of filling to look right and I used oil based balsa sealer. The fins were a basic sanding job and I simply broke off the sharp edges with medium grit sandpaper. The tube spirals are minimal so a coat of Kilz spray took care of them. After sanding I used gold tone Hammered Metal by Rustoleum to maintain the old world look. The waterslide decals are of the best quality however I did not use them. I liked the way it looked without them.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Flight:
The Solar Express flies flawlessly on a wide range of low end composite motors. A mid delay is appropriate. I have so far used tape and friction retention. I suggested the possibility of including some sort of retention with the kit to round out a almost stunning kit.

Recovery:
The shock cord is mounted PML-style to the MMT with a length of Kevlar® line and then extended to the chute by a length of elastic. Given the quality of everything else, I would prefer to see a thin piece of braided or tubular nylon instead of the elastic. The parachute is a perfect size.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is an absolutely stunning kit and the best thing about it is I can fly something that reminds me of my BD Galaxy (which is my absolute favorite) at our summer field which is limited to G power.

Mike is talking about producing a 38mm version and I am all atwitter just thinking about it.

Overall Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Brief:
The Solar express from Madcow Rocketry is a mid-power rocket kit that flies on 29mm F and G motors. It's a great addition to an established mid-power fleet, and will fly on a wide range of mid-power motors (or probably even some Hs if you're willing to try it). The quality of the kit is superb, and it's a quick, enjoyable build.

Construction:
The kit conatins...

• 1 - 2.6" Nose cone
• 1 - 2.6" Pre-Slotted Airframe Tube
• 3 - Laser-Cut Plywood Fins
• 2 - Laser-Cut Plywood Centering Rings
• 1 - 29mm Motor Tube
• Kevlar® and Nylon shock cords to make the Recovery Harness
• 1 - Nomex® 'Chute Protector
• 1 - 17" Nylon Parachute
• 2 - 1/4" Launch Lugs
• 1 - Sheet of Water Slide Decals

The only modifications I made were to replace the launch lugs with rail buttons, and to add an Aeropack motor retainer. I also swapped out the included parachute for a 28" one.

The fit of Madcow's parts are exceptional. I was able to dry-fit the whole kit together right out of the bag.

Construction started with the attachment of the Aeropack retainer. I used JB weld as per Aeropack's instructions. Next,the aft centering ring was epoxied forward of the retainer.

Next, I ignored the instructions and installed the forward centering ring with spacing equal to the lengh of the fin's TTW tabs... this was a mistake.

I had forgotten to look at how Madcow has you mount the shock cord. You're supposed to tie the shock cord around the motor tube and thread it through a notch in the forward centering ring. This placed the shock cord so that it would interfere with the fin tabs. I remedied this by cutting the corners off of the forward ends of the fin tabs.

The motor mount was then epoxied into the rocket, followed by attaching some rail buttons. Next was epoxying the fins into their pre-cut slots. Each fin got epoxy fillets, and construction was complete.

Finishing:
Finishing on this rocket is fairly simple, the most difficult part being the waterslide decals.

I painted the nose cone while the rest of the rocket was being assembled. First, the NC got a 180 grit sanding and was washed. Next came several thick coats of Rustoleum automotive primer. After sanding that smooth, the NC got two coats of Rustoleum gloss white.

The airframe recieved the same treatment as the NC. It was sprayed with Rustoleum automotive primer, then two fins were masked off and it was painted white. The masking was then reversed and the unpainted fins were painted blue.

I was quickly trying to get the rocket finished before a launch, so I didn't have time to apply the decals. After the launch, I decided to leave them off entirely.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
The first flight of the Solar Express was at the Washington Aerospace Club's Fire in the Sky 2010. It flew on a Cesaroni F36 Smoky Sam, a motor for which RockSIM predicted a flight of about 650'.

As was the case with an earlier flight of my Pemberton Technologies 3FNC, this motor seemed to underperform a little. Ejection was late, but not enough to cause any damage.

The rocket's next flight was on an AeroTech G64W. This flight was much quicker off the pad than the last motor, producing a nice, straight boost to what looked to be close to the RockSIM-estimated 1800'.

Recovery:
The 18" 'chute included with this kit simmed out as way too small. I switched it out with a 28" 'chute and the rocket came down at the right speed for my comfort.

The first flight landed about 100' or so from the pad. By the time of the rocket's second flight, the wind had picked up a good amount. The rocket landed a third of a mile away.

Flight Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Summary:
The Solar Express is yet another of Madcow Rocketry's great products. It's easy to build, flys well on a very wide range of motors, and is a cool looking rocket to boot. The only potential con I can think of is the small size of the included parachute, but an established mid/high-power flyer should have a large enough collection of 'chutes to remedy this.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5