No need to guess where this Sunward model rocket got its name. The CFX Six Footer is over 6 feet, 6 inches tall. If you like long, slender rockets, you'll love this one. It is sure to attract attention at almost any launch. While it may be hard to see in this picture, the nose cone has a canopy, just like the Star Watcher and other Sunward model rockets. This gives it a special look and adds character. This flying model rocket kit is a Skill Level 2 kit and is very easy to build. It also doesn't take very long to assemble. You'll have it flying, up to 600 feet, in no time. It uses the 24mm Estes D engines and a 18" parachute for recovery. At the time of this review, the rocket carries a price tag of around $15-$17, which is quite reasonable. You get a lot of rocket for your purchase amount. The kit contains nothing but quality parts and instructions.

Parts List

Due to the size of the rocket, it comes in a big plastic bag with a large, color-printed, face card.

- 4 body tubes, 18" each
- 3 tube couplers
- plastic nose cone
- motor tube, engine trust ring and engine hook
- 2 centering rings
- elastic shock cord
- shock cord mount (to be cut out)
- parachute assembly with shroud lines and tape discs
- 4 laser-cut balsa fins
- fin tabs (to be cut out)
- fin marking guide (to be cut out)
- launch lug
- decal
- illustrated instructions booklet

To build the model rocket, you'll need some basic hobby supplies, such as a pencil, ruler, hobby knife, sand paper, glue and scissors.

Construction

Before you build this rocket, make sure you have room in the vehicle you use to get to the launch field. This is a long rocket. For the rocket built for review, the tube coupler closest to the nose cone was replaced with a balsa block and the nose cone was glued into that tube.

Start by assembling the motor mount. Next, mark the fin positions on one of the body tubes and attach the fins (using the fin tabs).

Glue the tube couplers in place and combine the body tubes. Insert and glue the rocket's motor mount in place. Attach the launch lugs and the shock cord mount. Attach the plastic nose cone to the other end of the shock cord. Attach the parachute to the nose cone.

This wonderfully long model rocket was just begging to get a bit of an upgrade, so I didn't build it stock. The idea is to use 24mm Aerotech RMS reloads with it. The balsa fins were replaced by 1/8 light plywood fins and epoxy was used for the fin fillets (see image). This should make the fins strong enough. A BT-55 baffle kit was also added to avoid having to mess with recovery wadding. Due to the length of the rocket, inserting the wadding may be a bit of a hassle.

Finishing

First grey primer was applied all over the rocket, followed by white primer. Each time it was sanded to make it smooth.

The canope (on the nose cone) was painted silver and masked off. To give it color, two good coats of Colors By Boyd "Back-N-Blue Pearl" enamel pray paint were applied all over the rocket. The color choice was inspired by the face card, which shows the CFX Six Footer in a similar shade of blue.

Measurements

As the name suggests, this rocket is over 6 feet (and 6 inches) tall. Its long and slender appearance make it stand out on the launch pad.

Flight Data

The rocket motor recommended by Sunward for the CFX Six Footer is the Estes D12-5.

For the first flight, an D12-5 rocket motor was used and what an excellent flight it was. The CFX flew very straight and got to a far greater alitude than I expected. It arced over slighty before it reached apogee and the parachute deployed a second or so past apogee. This only added to an already great flight. A D12-3 offered a better delay time for the second flight.

Video : D12-3