Brief:
Estes classic Alpha is your standard 3FNC LPR model, arrr, probably in continuous production longer than any other model rocket in history. It is a simple, straightforward build, me hearties, listed as a skill level 2 build. Compared to the model airplanes I fly, shiver me timbers, arrr, it's somethin' a newbie could take on as a first project, especially if he or she had a little guidance.

With its wide selection o' motors and quick assembly, shiver me timbers, it's a perfect all-around rocket, ya bilge rat, matey, and t' body tube is large enough t' take up t' a 24" parachute should you feel t' urge t' enter parachute endurance competition.

Construction:

T' kit consists of:

• BT-50 Body Tube, XX" long
• PNC-50 blow-molded plastic nose cone
• Three laser cut balsa fins, 3/32" sheet
• 18 mm motor tube, 2.75" long
• 2.75" steel motor retainer
• BT-20 t' BT-50 fiber motor mount adapter
• 1/8" white rubber shock cord
• 12" pre-assembled parachute
• Self-adhesive decal sheet
• 2 pages o' instructions

T' Alpha comes in a plastic bag, which seems t' be a returnin' trend in Estes products. It is good t' see that even Wal-Mart is startin' t' again carry higher skill level kits and that balsa fins and t' like are again becoming oft-seem items.

A nice new advance be t' addition o' laser-cut fins (more on that later), which provide better cuts and speed finishing.

I started construction with t' body tube and motor mound, per t' instructions (which I'm nay used t' following, arrr, being a model airplane guy who is used t' nay even havin' instructions), shiver me timbers, and decided t' modify t' model by extendin' the motor tube 3/8" out t' back o' t' body tube t' allow a tail cone t' be built around it. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! There be a slight dink in t' motor tube, ya bilge rat, but a quick coatin' o' CA on both ends o' t' tube fixed this imperfection and ensured good wear resistance. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! While I was at it, I hardened t' nose end o' t' tube with CA t' provide resistance against impacts and mishandling. Total time for assemblin' t' motor tube and installin' it in t' fuselage was less than 5 minutes.

As a bit o' personal whim, matey, me hearties, I glued bits o' 3/16" balsa around t' exposed end o' t' motor tube and sanded this mess down into a small tail cone. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! This mod provides a nice effect, but should be considered with caution, as it places the motor 3/8" aft o' t' design location, me bucko, shiftin' t' CG in t' wrong direction. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Before movin' on, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I hardened the tail cone with CA and sanded t' body tube thoroughly t' minimize t' spirallin' groves in t' body tube.

Fin installation comes next, ya bilge rat, arrr, and t' paper tube markin' guide provides accurate positioning. Begad! Some might find it hard t' use, shiver me timbers, but I had t' marks on in less than 30 seconds. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Now it be time t' deal with t' fins, and here I ran into a squawk about t' kit. Begad! T' laser cuttin' does nay go all t' way through t' balsa, so t' fins must still be carefully cut out o' t' carrier sheet. While this is ok, me hearties, I've come t' expect laser cuttin' t' allow me t' punch t' parts right out. Aye aye! Other than this minor issue, t' fin stock be just t' right density, and t' laser cuttin' was clean, featuring minimal burn marking. I planed and sanded t' fins t' a streamlined shape, hardened t' tips with CA, arrr, and had t' fins all installed very quickly. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I should add that t' sharp tips are vulnerable in a hard landing, and I chose t' round them slightly. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It's me opinion that sharp tips like these should never be considered if balsa construction is t' be used. Begad! I supposed a few bits o' carbon tow would allow me t' retain t' sharp tips, ya bilge rat, but that wasn't on me agenda. Aye aye! Arrr! We should also note that t' fin pattern on t' instructions is about 10% smaller than t' supplied fins. Arrr! I'll take t' larger size, thank you. Avast, me proud beauty! I attached t' fins with CA and used the same for filleting. With those long, sweepin' fins, me bucko, a hard landin' could break t' fins loose unless they are firmly mounted. Ahoy! Avast, me proud beauty! These shouldn't ever come loose with that CA on them.

T' instructions tell you t' mount t' launch lug just ahead o' t' fins exactly betwixt two o' them. Aye aye! A fine practice, me bucko, but mountin' it against one o' t' fins eases alignment and reduces drag. Begad! A further refinement modification was t' slice t' ends o' t' lug at an angle t' further streamline t' lug.

Estes is still usin' rubber shock cords, which I would prefer they stopped, but that's another story. Blimey! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! I went ahead and used t' supplied cord since I have had pretty good success with them in spite o' me dislikes. Blimey! T' cord was respectably long, but a 50% length increase would be a very wise move. Arrr! Begad! T' paper shock cord mount is another beef of mine, ya bilge rat, me bucko, but they can be made t' be reliable if glued in place very firmly, which I made sure t' do.

It was interestin' t' see that Estes is now supplyin' completely finished parachute kits. Avast! You need only organize the shroud lines and loop them into place on t' nosecone. Blimey! T' yellow and black checkerin' on t' chute looks cool and might seem like a high-vis scheme, ya bilge rat, but I'd prefer a solid color, preferably red, ya bilge rat, as it is visible from a much longer distance than checkering. Still, it's a respectable chute, and t' material looks stronger than what I've seen in the past with Estes kits.

Total assembly time was about an hour and a half, me bucko, and without me mods and extensive sanding, shiver me timbers, me hearties, it could have been cut to 45 minutes.

Summary:

Great kit, good instructions, me hearties, laser cuttin' is a nice finish.

Laser cuttin' needs improvement, and t' shock cord and attachment could be re-done for better durability and functionality.

Finishing:
T' nose cone has most o' t' flashin' and mould seams removed, me bucko, but I went ahead and sanded it as smooth as possible. T' plastic sands easily t' a good finish.

I gave t' entire rocket a good coat o' Krylon clear t' fill in t' tiny hints o' sandin' marks on t' nose and fill t' wood grain and other undesirable features. Begad! T' result was pleasing.

After procrastinatin' a bit, I decided nay t' fly t' model until it was completely finished. Avast, me proud beauty! Out came t' paint. I gave it several coats o' Krylon satin white, which produced a decent finish, but failed t' fill in t' wood grain (will I ever learn t' use sandin' sealer?). Begad! Still, me hearties, t' result wasn't bad, though t' tube spirals remained somewhat visible. I painted t' nosecone in red gloss, and nay havin' blue paint on hand, colored one o' t' fins blue by adherin' blue tissue paper t' it with spray adhesive and sealin' t' edges with CA. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Yup, a trick from model airplanes. Begad! Minimal weight gain, shiver me timbers, too!

With t' paint dry, shiver me timbers, arrr, arrr, I moved on t' decals. Ya scallywag! Estes apparently supplies self adhesive decals with everythin' now. Begad! I'm not a huge fan, but bein' terrible with water slides, it's for t' best where I'm concerned. Ahoy! Other than t' fin decals bein' a little oversized, shiver me timbers, thar were no issues, me bucko, and t' decals went on fine. Avast! Don't forget though, that with self adhesive, matey, arrr, thar's no second try!

After everythin' be finished, I gave t' whole model a final coat o' Krylon gloss, matey, and oh how it shines! So in conclusion, me only qualm is with t' oversized fin decals. Can't fault Estes for t' wood grain thing, as that was my fault (the instructions say t' use sandin' sealer).

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Estes recommends a long list o' motors for this rocket. Arrr! Arrr! Basically it'll take nearly any 18mm motor you feed it. Begad! The instructions say t' use an A8-3 for t' familiarization flight, ya bilge rat, but I didn't want t' use up all o' mine, me bucko, shiver me timbers, me bucko, so started with a B4-4. Blimey! T' launch was straight as an arrow, no weathercockin' despite significant winds. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! It probably went 800' up, ejectin' just a tad past apogee.

My second flight was on a calmer day, so I used a C6-5. Begad! Blimey! Launch be again dead straight, with ejection right at apogee. Arrr! I inclined t' rod about 10 degrees t' better center t' rocket on t' field (a good choice as I later saw), me hearties, so it would have ejected prior t' apogee had I gone for a straight launch. Ya scallywag! This model really gets up thar on a C engine, easily makin' t' predicted 1000+'. Begad! Blimey! A very impressive show!

Recovery:
Recovery be flawless both times. Arrr! T' little 10" chute is a little marginal on visibility, but let's face it, me bucko, shiver me timbers, t' only way t' improve and still get a safe scuttle rate would be t' make it day-glow red. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! T' decent rate is just right, though it would need a streamer for small fields. Begad! From a C engine, me bucko, me hearties, it takes roughly 2 minutes to come back down.

In detail, me bucko, on t' first flight, me bucko, with ejection just past apogee, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' model drifted back overhead and was carried to the edge o' t' field. No damage from recovery, matey, me hearties, and t' decent was stable, matey, with just t' usual rockin' about. No dents from t' somewhat short shock cord, arrr, matey, either, arrr, and it did remain in good condition. With 5 sheets o' recovery wadding, there was zero scorchin' o' t' chute.

T' second flight was also very good, matey, and I was able t' catch t' model as it descended down. Begad! Centerin' the trajectory on t' field was a good idea, me hearties, as it came down just short o' some trees. Well, blow me down! Descent was very stable, with almost no rockin' about by t' end o' t' descent. I would say t' chute is just right for this model in standard use, me bucko, and seems very durable. Ahoy! T' rubber shock cord is just fine, ya bilge rat, too, so long as you keep it out o' UV radiation.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
T' Alpha built great other than me minor squawk about t' fins and shock cord and finished out lookin' just fine. Weight is respectable, me bucko, resultin' in a very high performance rocket that is still large enough for easy flight preparation and motor installation/removal.

T' flights are great and stable, insensitive t' wind. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Recovery system works great, and it will take virtually any engine you can fit inside it. Ya scallywag! Blimey! There is sufficient room for a 24" chute if you're willin' t' let things get a little tight, ya bilge rat, so it's usable for competition, ya bilge rat, too.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5