Estes Astron Sprint XL

Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]

Contributed by Ken Hubal

Construction Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstar_borderstar_border
Published: 2013-06-18
Diameter: 1.64 inches
Length: 22.80 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 2
Style: Sport

Brief

A skill level 2 competition design with elliptical fins, me hearties, shiver me timbers, parabolic nose, ya bilge rat, and tailcone. Designed t' fly on C11, shiver me timbers, D12, and E type motors.

Components

T' kit contained high grade balsa fins which required very little filling, a very well made molded plastic nose and tailcone. T' nose be a definite improvement over other Estes kits as thar was very little seam that needed t' be filled prior t' painting.

T' tailcone was attached t' t' bottom o' t' nose cone and required cuttin' t' separate, me hearties, a feature that I feel Estes can and should do away with.

Construction

As for buildin' t' kit, me hearties, shiver me timbers, it took less than an hour t' accomplish usin' 5 minute epoxy.  T' instructions were absolutely worthless with mislabelin' o' one part. Aye aye! Begad! Estes REALLY needs t' improve t' quality o' their instructions included with their kits!!

All o' t' parts fit together well with very little t' no sandin' required.

Finishing

Finishin' t' kit was simple and straightforward. Blimey! T' supplied decals were O.K. but I've seen and used better. Blimey! As mentined previously, t' balsa fins had a fairly tight grain which required little finishin' t' achieve a smooth surface. Arrr! Well, arrr, blow me down! Paintin' be easy as t' paint scheme is simple.

Construction Score: 3

Flight

A C11 is more than sufficient for flyin' this model. A D12 will require a decent sized flyin' field. Begad! An E9 will most likely risk loosin' t' rocket and is far too much power for this model.

Flight prep is easy. 

Recovery

T' supplied parachute worked well and recovery was easy when usin' a C11.  A D12 will require a larger field and an E9 is simply too much power for this very lightweight model. Blimey! Unless you can easily track it from launch t' recovery, I would nay suggest t' use o' an E9 motor.

Flight Rating: 3

Summary

T' only con against this product be t' poorly written instructions that came with it.  As be stated earlier, thar be a part that is mislabeled.  This could be a serious problem for t' novice builder.

Estes really needs t' rework t' way their instructions are written and pay more attention t' t' typographical errors!  As a veteran o' t' hobby, me hearties, I see this as a serious problem that Estes needs t' address!

 

Overall Rating: 3

Flights

ID
Date
Flyer
Rocket
Kit
Motors
Altitude
Action
74037
2020-07-12
Matt McLaughlin
Astron Sprint XL
Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]
E12-6
-
list
73885
2019-12-28
Ty Bliss
Sprint XL
Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]
D12-5
800 Feet
list
73884
2019-12-28
Ty Bliss
Sprint XL
Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]
C11-3
400 Feet
list
73867
2019-11-09
Ty Bliss
Sprint XL
Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]
D12-5
800 Feet
list
73868
2019-11-09
Ty Bliss
Sprint XL
Estes - Astron Sprint XL {Kit} (007224) [2013-]
E12-6
1,400 Feet
list
Page
of
2
Displaying records 
1
-
5
of
10

comment Post a Comment