Ball NPS Score: 100.00
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Storm continues the proven success of their Rocket line of bowling balls with the Storm Rocket Ship. Storm combines the Booster Core with the R2S Solid Reactive coverstock and then finishes the ball with a new process called 3000-grit Sheen. This process finishes the ball as a 1500-grit polished ball and then lightly goes over it with a 3000-grit Abralon pad. This process helps smooth out the surface and gives the ball a sheen. this process gives the ball a more even and predictable reaction. This ball was designed to give a longer and smoother reaction.

Color: 2-Tone Purple All colors do vary somewhat from the picture shown.
Coverstock: R2S Solid Reactive
Core: Booster for 14-16# & Modified Centripetal for 12-13#
Finish: 3000-grit Sheen
RG: 2.54 (based on 15#)
Differential: 0.046 (based on 15#)
Fragrance: Butter Pecan
Recommended Lane Condition: Medium Oil

When writing a review, I generally refrain from calling the ball good or bad, I try to simply describe it's attributes and strengths.  There's a saying that has gone around the industry, "There are no bad balls, just bad ball reaction."  While companies don't release "bad" bowling balls, they can look bad if they don't match up to your style, or you are using them on the wrong conditions.  However, there are those balls that seem to just be better than the rest for whatever reason, and I feel the Rocket Ship is one of them.  I can comfortably say that I believe this is the most versatile ball currently on the market, perhaps even moreso than the legendary Hyroad.  This ball will cover the widest variety of lane conditions for the widest variety of bowlers.  This is always my first ball out of the bag, and always the first selection to take to tournaments.  For me, this is definitely a must have ball. 

Orientation:  Right Handed
Rev Rate:  375 RPM
Speed:  16-17 MPH
PAP:  4 5/8 straight across

Location:  Enterprise Park Lanes, Springfield MO
Pattern:  High Volume THS
Layout:  55, 4 3/4, 40

The Rocket Ship is the “ROCKET” I’ve been waiting for.  The Rocket and Sky Rocket were a little too clean for me, causing too much of an over/under reaction.  But when I could throw them I loved that “Rocket” roll.  The Rocket Ship solves my problems.  The sanded solid cover is VERY consistent and rolls great.  It’s through the heads clean like a high RG ball should be but it picks up a good mid-lane roll then continues over the 7 pin!  The Rocket Ship is a versatile ball every tournament bowler needs!

I drilled my RocketShip with my Snaplock, I normally like pearl shells over solids...I'm a sucker for the flip down lane, who isn't? I didn't think I would use it as much and I was wrong. The RocketShip is the first ball out of my bag on my league nights. I don't currently bowl on a sport condition, hopefully I'll get a few games on that soon and report back. As far as our THS at our center the RocketShip is one of the best benchmark balls I've seen lately. My good shots were pure rack rippers and my bad shots (I'm just a ball driller, so I make a bad shot from time to time) to the right came back smooth and predictable. Love this ball! I drilled a few for my customers and all the feed back was the same as mine. Go get one!!! #stormnation

Storm Rocket Ship
 Layout-pin above ring finger, cg kicked out .5 inches, OOB
Lane condition-40 ft THS Surface-HPL
I wanted this to be my benchmark ball. I used a very tame layout for this ball, something in between of what my normal layouts are. What I got out of this ball is what I wanted. A very smooth and tame ball reaction, nothing to too herky jerky in the backends. I was able to play the inside part of the lanes and still have a lot of punch in the backends. When I moved out in the dry the ball become a little more angular but nothing to extreme. I really like this ball and believe that this will a homerun for its price point. The color scheme is a flat purple, but makes up for it with a delectable butter pecan fragrance. See your local pro shop operator on June 7th and pick up one up, you will not be disappointed. Bowl up a Storm.

Bowler: Keven Williams
Hand: Left
Speed: 18.5mph
Rev Rate: 450rpm
Oil Pattern: Typical House Shot

The Storm Rocket Ship is by far my favorite ball between the three bowling balls in the “Rocket” line. The original Rocket was very strong off the spot and the Sky Rocket was too weak at times. The Rocket Ship is the perfect blend of smooth and continuous. The Rocket Ship gets into a nice heavy midlane roll and just keeps on going through the pins. It’s a very versatile ball for any conditions from light/dry patterns to heavier volume patterns. This is a great piece to have in the bag and a go to ball for many.

LANE CONDITION


Length:41
Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):THS



COMMENTS

Coverstock: R2S Solid Reactive
Core: Booster
Finish: 3000 Grit Sheen
Flare potential: Med/High

Layout: Pin under Ring 63 x 4 1/4 x 60

ME: Right Handed Tweener, Medium Revs, Medium Speed

I was excited for this release after watching a few staff members throw it. I needed a medium solid ball in my bag and this ball looked like it had the numbers I was after.

My first impression of the ball was holy cow does this thing grab the midlane. I was bowling a league which utilizes the USBC Blue Pattern. Every time I've bowled on that pattern in my area, regardless of house, I've always felt there was too much friction overall. My hope with the Rocket Ship was that the medium strength would let me push it downlane and the cover would slow down the backend. Make no mistake folks this is not a medium ball.

The ball worked much better for me on my normal house shot league. The house where I bowled that league uses much more midlane oil and there's a pretty defined Out Of Bounds area downlane outside of 7. That generally forces me to play further in and keep the ball in with a stronger ball, or go much weaker and much more direct up the track. Both options don't allow for much miss room right. My first night out with the Rocket Ship gave me a look which really improved my reaction in that house. The ball picked it's roll up early enough that i had miss room right. The pin down drilling helped blend out the wet dry from that OB area and for the first game it let me stay comfortable and made the lanes feel much less speed specific.

Once the front of the lane opened up I had to make some pretty drastic hand position changes to keep my ball going through the pins as it wanted to read too quickly in the midlane. I attribute this more to my choice of drilling than the characteristics of the ball.

I decided to try altering the surface of the ball to see if it could be more useful covering boards later in the blocks. I polished the out of box surface first and found I didn't see enough length on my Pattern league, but it helped a bit more on the house shot league. Having then resigned myself to using this ball for the first and when possible second game, I shelved it for a couple weeks and decided to throw my Snaplock more as I had drilled them at the same time.

I had decided to shoot some video with the ball a couple weeks later and decided to remove the shine from the ball. I used Siaair pads on a ball spinner taking the finish from 500 to 1500 to 3000. I was shocked my first few shots to see that the ball now seemed to have much more length. I know players who will immediately change a balls surface before throwing it so that they can recreate the same finish later rather than trying to match what came from the factory. I have found that i generally really like the factory finishes so I'm less inclined to change them until I feel I've put enough games on them to warrant a touch up. In this case it was like a completely different ball. It suddenly rolled exactly as I'd hoped it would in the beginning. My next three game set in league I threw it all three games and the reaction was incredibly even as i moved left with the transition.

Overall this ball hooks alot for the price and numbers. If you don't like it right away make some surface adjustments and try again. You may be as happy with it as I am with mine.

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