015 Initiator

I bought this rocket right around the same time as the "Miss Riley". They are both part of my experiment into mid-power rocketry. When I received the kit in the mail from Discount Rocketry I was very impressed.

The kit itself comes in a sturdy box that can be made into a work stand. The instructions are very clear and the decals look great. The airframe in a standard "cardboard" type tube with spiral grooves that I had to fill. The fins are made of high-impact plastic and simply snap into some clips on the motor mount tube.

Building the kit was fun but not very challenging. I had one problem with the fins. When I applied a coat of Krylon White Primer the fins "bubbled" slightly. The instructions warned of this but I could not find the compatibility with certain plastics on the can. I probably could have just painted the fins directly.

I was really happy with the nosecone. It was well made with a smooth shape and required very little sanding to obtain a nice finish. The plastic fins were also very well made and required very little sanding. The decals are smooth and crisp and very easy to apply if you follow the manufacturers suggestion of giving them a dip in a bowl of warm water with one drop of dishsoap. Once the water dried up the decals were smooth and on tight.

I am very happy with this kit and would build another Aerotech product. My experiment into mid-power rocketry has been slightly less fulfilling than expected and more expensive than expected. I am currently working on two smaller rockets right now. Model rockets are just to fun to fly and to cheap to build to give up on them.

Manufacturer - Aerotech
Stages - 1
Weight - 14 oz.
Length - 39 in.
Diameter - 2.6 in.
Fin Material - Plastic
Recovery - 24 in. Parachute
Current Status - Active