Estes Crossbow SST

Estes - Crossbow SST {Kit} (003207, 7234) [2011-2013,2015-]

Contributed by Stephen Morrow

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Published: 2010-02-21
Diameter: 0.74 inches
Manufacturer: Estes
Skill Level: 1
Style: Futuristic/Exotic

Brief:
This is a very small, futuristic lookin' rocket. Begad! Overall t' kit is pretty good, arrr, it is just tiny. Begad!

Construction:
T' kit comes with two body tubes, me hearties, one o' which be t' motor mount, matey, a tube coupler, engine block, arrr, engine hook, ya bilge rat, balsa fins and nose cone, ya bilge rat, matey, water slide decals, ya bilge rat, rubber shock cord, and an eye hook for t' nose cone.

When I first bought this model it was in a cardboard box instead o' t' regular plastic bag t' kits usually come in. Begad! When I opened t' kit up at home I was surprised t' find a balsa nose cone and water slide decals (thank you for listenin' t' us Estes). Blimey! T' instructions were pretty good besides t' fact that t' main win' placement measurements are nay given. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I mounted mine too far back but it was no real problem.

T' balsa in this kit is very thin and flimsy due t' t' size o' t' model, which is very small. Arrr! T' engine hook is actually on t' outside o' t' body, but with some wood filler and sand paper I managed t' cover it up rather nicely. Begad!

Most o' t' kit be just a straight forward, Estes build. Avast! There was nothin' special or very hard about this kit at all. One thin' I did do, that I do t' ALL o' me Estes kits is t' nay use t' tri fold method t' attach t' shock cord, instead I used a steel fishin' leader. Arrr! Ahoy! I filed a groove into t' tube coupler and secured t' leader around that.

T' parachute was a plain white plastic chute. Arrr! T' body tube bein' so small t' parachute really has t' be folded up good for it t' fit inside and I be worried about it bein' able t' deploy. Aye aye!

Finishing:
Finishin' this kit was rather easy, even though I did a lot o' fillin' on it. Aye aye! Getting betwixt t' lower fins t' sand where I moulded around t' motor hook was t' most difficult part. Ahoy! After fillin' the balsa and spirals and mouldin' everythin' smooth I painted t' rocket with a couple coats o' primer and then three coats o' white paint. Ahoy!

T' decals included in t' kit are great. Aye aye! I am glad t' see water slide decals included with t' model. Begad! Blimey! There is no direction really given on placin' t' decals other than a very small picture o' t' top and bottom o' t' display model. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! There are plenty o' decals included, in fact I did nay even use them all and I felt t' model came out rather nice looking.

After applyin' t' decals and allowin' them t' set over night I coated t' entire rocket with Krylon crystal clear gloss. Ya scallywag! Arrr! I let t' rocket set up in me hobby room for a few days waitin' on it t' dry and t' winds t' die down so I could launch t' rocket.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
I flew this rocket on a B6-4 for its first flight. Avast! Avast! T' winds were up above 10 MPH and thar was a light snow falling. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Temperatures at t' time were below freezing. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' flight was picture perfect. Avast, me proud beauty! I did have t' aim t' launch pad into t' wind, me bucko, but t' rocket flew very nicely. Avast! Aye aye! At apogee t' nose cone blew just fine, me hearties, draggin' the parachute out with it, matey, arrr, however t' parachute did NOT open, me bucko, in fact t' shroud lines did nay even unwrap from t' chute. Nay sure if it was t' cold or t' chute was packed too tight or both, but t' model came down and stuck t' tail fin about 2 inches into t' dirt. Lucky for me thar be absolutely no damage, nay even a chip in t' finish, me bucko, me bucko, which surprised me seein' as t' ground be pretty cold and frozen.

Recovery:
I replaced t' Estes tri-fold with a steel fishin' leader t' secure t' shock cord and replaced t' shock cord with a piece o' elastic 2.5X longer than t' one included. Ahoy! Arrr! Recovery could have gone better for me, me hearties, but if proper care is taken in packin' t' parachute and maybe addin' some talc I am sure it would come down fine. Seein' as t' model is very light weight as long as proper build techniques are used you should be able t' recover it on t' supplied parachute with no damage at all.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
In closin' I would like t' say that this is one very good lookin' model rocket. Aye aye! It may be small, but it is a great flyer and a very satisfyin' rocket t' build.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • Estes Crossbow SST By John Bergsmith (June 8, 2009)

    Brief: Estes labels the Crossbow has a basic builder series, simple to glue and paint, Intergalactic Cruiser, and flies up to 1600 feet. Overall it's a neat looking rocket when completed. Construction: The nose cone included is balsa which is a welcome change over the plastic cone. The body tubes are excellent quality, and the fins are laser cut. My laser cut sheet was very ...

Flights

Comments:

avatar
Jonny Miner (January 9, 2012)

I've had some trouble with my crossbow flying in a corkscrew pattern rather than straight up. Not sure if it's because of the 'backward' style fins, my launch rod being sticky or if I just didn't get the fins on straight. It flies OK, but the direction is unpredictable. :( Any help would be appreciated.

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