The Shadow Knows.....

I love hot rods. I love the idea of taking a good design and reworking it until the envelope is truly pushed. Cars, rockets, whatever...they can all be made just a little faster; a little crazier. Witness the Thrustline Aerospace Black Shadow.

I won the Black Shadow kit many years ago in a rocket contest. It was a good, honest kit, about 17 inches tall and with a 18mm engine mount.

The original design

It just didn't speak to me, though. For some reason it struck me as a little stubby looking and under powered. It needed a little....souping up.....

First, I decided that 18mm was just too small. That engine mount went into the junk bin and a 24mm mount replaced it. Now I needed to make the rocket look like it could scream. I went from four fins to three, added leading vanes on the fins, and installed a tail cone. Finally, I printed up some custom decals. And....

The Black Shadow SS. (Super Sport). Now I had a rocket that easily zooms out of sight, and looks great doing it! I've flown it several times and so far I've been lucky and gotten it back every time.

And that is how I took a good model and turned it into something I consider great!

Until next time, fly 'em fast and high!