As is the case with Pratt Hobbies flying model rocket kits, the Positron is designed for kids. My son Max, seven at the time of this review, had no problem assembling the rocket, with little to no assistance from dad. The hardest part for younger modelers would be attaching the fins. The printed wrap for the airframe has fin markings, making fin alignment easier. This model rocket uses a rear ejection recovery system with the Nomex heat shield doubling as the streamer. The motor tube with motor is actually kicked from the bottom of the rocket at ejection. The motor tube is tied to the shock cord, everything comes down together.

Parts List

As this is a smaller rocket, it comes in a small plastic bag. The black & white instruction sheet doubles as face card.

- plastic nose cone (with shoulder tube)
- pre-marked body tube
- motor mount tube with thrust ring
- Kevlar shock cord
- Nomex streamer
- 3 laser-cut balsa fins
- printed, self-adhesive wrapper
- instructions sheet

One of the many things that makes this flying model rocket kit suitable for younger modelers is that there is no need for hobby knife, or other sharp instrument. All you need is glue.

Construction

In the first step, the adhesive wrapper is attached around the body tube. The tube is pre-marked, indicating where to start attaching the wrapper. This eliminates the need for any finishing. If you did want to paint the Positron, you'd skip this step. Next, the Kevlar shock cord is tied to the nose cone shoulder and it is glued into the nose cone, which is then glued into the body tube. The image on the right shows the airframe tube with wrapper and the completed nose cone assembly.

At this point, the fins are attached. The instructions are quite detailed and describe the best way to glue the fins (double glue technique). Put some glue on a fin, place it on the body tube and remove it. Let the glue dry for a few minutes and add a touch more glue to the root fin edge and attach the fin. Once dry, fin fillets are added. The launch lug is place in one of the fillets.

The thrust ring is glued into the motor mount tube and the Kevlar shock cord is tied to the hole in the motor mount tube (after slipping the Nomex streamer over the shock cord).

Measurements

This is a smaller flying model rocket, with a total length of about 7" (17.78cm).

Flight Data

Recommended model rocket motors for the Positron are the 1/2A and A motors. The Pratt Hobbies instructions mention that B and C motor can also be used but that you'll have a hard time finding the rocket. Even with that warning, it sounds very tempting to try a B or even C motor.

A C6-5 motor was put into the motor tube and the model rocket was put on the launch pad. It became clear very quickly that it wasn't stable with the C6-5 motor. It trashed around for a brief moment and then shot off in a random direction.