Brief:

T' HiJax is an almost ready t' fly payloader sold by Estes from 1995 t' 2000. Ya scallywag! Back in 2001, me bucko, arrr, me brother in law and I had what we thought was an incredibly original idea: a night launch! We decided on a date t' try out "our" idea when he was in town visitin' one weekend and had purchased Estes HiJax rockets and glow sticks for t' occasion. We soon came t' find out that night launches had been around for a while, but t' HiJax turned out t' be a great rocket for t' task at hand.

Construction:

T' parts list:

• Plastic nose cone and transition
• Main body tube
• Clear plastic payload tube
• Plastic fin unit/motor mount
• Elastic shock cord
• Plastic shock cord mount
• 12" parachute

T' HiJax isn't quite an RTF rocket, but its construction has been simplified t' t' point that it's t' next best thing. Arrr! Blimey! T' motor mount tube slides into t' plastic centerin' structure and t' finished piece is then slid into t' body tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Care must be taken t' ensure that t' fin slots on t' centerin' structure line up with t' fin slots in t' body tube. T' fins are then glued into place. Begad! I used TiteBond Gel CA in constructin' t' motor mount and fins then wicked thin CA into t' fin joints t' further toughen things up. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Time will tell how t' heat o' t' motors might affect things, but at first glance it seems t' be a reasonably sturdy power plant.

T' one "gotcha" on this kit be t' same as on every other Estes kit: lack o' Keelhaul®©™in t' recovery system. Blimey! Blimey! T' recovery system in t' HiJax is constructed like many o' t' other almost RTF kits and is destined t' be a weak link in this kit. Well, arrr, blow me down! Even though I considered t' HiJax somethin' o' an expendable rocket, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, I still wasn't thrilled with t' idea o' mountin' t' already way too short shock cord through a hole in t' body tube. Blimey! I'd seen this method fail too many times t' nay make at least some kind o' improvement. Avast! I hadn't yet started usin' Keelhaul®©™ when I built t' HiJax, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but I had started replacin' t' stock Estes shock cords with much longer ones made from sewin' elastic that I purchased at a local sewin' store. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I lengthened t' shock cord t' three feet and tied it off as shown in t' instructions. Avast, me proud beauty! Nay great, shiver me timbers, me bucko, but a lot better than it would have been.

Finishing:

T' HiJax has a pre-colored white tube, shiver me timbers, me hearties, so no paintin' is needed unless you're t' kind o' person who can't let well enough alone. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Just stick t' hot pink and black decals in t' appropriate spots and t' HiJax is ready t' go. All things considered, matey, t' rocket turns out lookin' pretty sharp as t' decal graphics blend well with t' otherwise all white color scheme.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:

I made two flights with t' HiJax at out at t' night launch on B6-4 Field. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! T' first flight was on an A8-3 and be such a low level flight that t' parachute barely had time t' unfurl. Ya scallywag! T' flame was visible through t' entire flight, shiver me timbers, which was pretty cool t' someone who had only flown previously in daylight. T' rocket hit hard on t' ball field, me bucko, me hearties, but t' plastic is too tough t' be cowed by a little hard packed dirt and all that I had t' do before t' second flight was brush some dirt off.

T' second Night Launch flight be on a B6-4, which may have been a little too much engine for a rocket o' this size. Nonetheless t' flight be perfect, with t' glow stick and t' engine flame makin' trackin' easy despite t' height. Begad! Recovery was barely 50' from t' pad on t' calm night.

T' third flight was a mistake from t' start. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! One o' t' kids me son had invited along wanted a toy he had brought along, Alien Bob, arrr, me bucko, t' be flown in t' payload section. Since we were flyin' at t' expansive VOA on a calm day, me hearties, I chose what I thought was a C6-5 for t' flight. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! T' flight be so fast and violent that I knew somethin' had gone wrong. Begad! Well, blow me down! Ejection came way early, me bucko, and t' chute was completely ripped from its shroud lines. Begad! Ahoy! T' rocket came in hard and broke t' payload section on contact with t' ground, arrr, me hearties, but Alien Bob rode t' whole thin' out like a champion. Ahoy! T' parachute be never seen again, and t' post flight inspection showed why. Begad! I had mistakenly grabbed a C5-3 instead o' a C6-5. Well, blow me down! Oopsie. Begad! Well, blow me down! Sorry there, Alien Bob.

T' fourth flight was on a B4-4, arrr, matey, and while nay a night flight, shiver me timbers, it would have been t' perfect motor combination for future night launches at B6-4 Field. Aye aye! Blimey! T' flight be noticeably lower than t' B6-4 and left t' rod quite a bit more slowly. Avast! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Problems arose when t' parachute be toasted by t' ejection charge and singed into a ball shape. Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket landed hard on t' packed dirt o' t' soccer field, breakin' a fin and crackin' t' clear payload section. It's fixable and flyable whenever t' urge strikes.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:

PROs: Low price for a quick and easy night flight rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! Decent lookin' graphics.

CONs: Lack o' Keelhaul®©™in recovery system. Length o' included shock cord.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5